offal
AW-fuhl
/ˈɒfəl/
The internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal, often used as food.
Includes organ meats like liver, kidneys, sweetbreads, tripe, and heart. It carries a culinary connotation of rustic, traditional, or nose-to-tail dining.
The story behind the word. In the medieval English kitchen, when an animal was slaughtered and dressed, the parts that were not the main carcass would literally 'fall off' the butcher's table. The Middle Dutch word 'afval' (off-fall) was borrowed into English as 'offal' to describe these discarded, yet highly nutritious, organ meats.
Word relationships
- organ meats: Organ meats is a more direct, modern term, whereas offal is a traditional term that can also include non-organ parts like tail, ears, and trotters.
- variety meats: Variety meats is the commercial, USDA-approved term used in retail, while offal is the culinary and historical term.
- skeletal muscle: Skeletal muscle refers to standard cuts of meat (like steaks and roasts) attached to bones, as opposed to internal organs.
Commonly confused with
- awful: Awful is an adjective meaning extremely bad, which is homophonic to offal but completely unrelated in meaning and spelling.
Collocations
- pork offal
- offal dishes
- variety meats and offal
Example sentences
- "The chef's specialty was a rustic terrine made from various cuts of pork offal." Nose-to-tail gastronomy
- "The hunter carefully cleaned the deer, setting aside the prime cuts while also preparing the offal for a hearty stew."
Memory hook
Offal sounds exactly like 'awful'. To some picky eaters, eating liver and kidneys sounds 'awful', but to foodies, 'offal' is a delicacy. Offal: The parts that fall 'off' the butcher's table.
When not to use
Do not use 'offal' to describe skeletal muscle cuts (like steaks or chops). It refers strictly to organs and non-skeletal parts.
Fun facts
- The traditional Scottish dish haggis is made by stuffing sheep's offal (heart, liver, and lungs) inside the animal's stomach before simmering.
Related words
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