Offal (sometimes know as 'speciality meats' in North America are the internal organs of animals: hearts, kidneys, liver, lungs, brains, pancreas, thymus (sweetbreads), uterus, testes, stomachs and intestines (blood, snouts, ears, tails, tongues and udders can also be added to the list) as well as other parts of the animal that might not be considered prime meat such as trotters/legs, heads and tails. Though the definition may vary by region and country (eg goat head is commonly used in Nigeria and the Caribbean, salted pig tails are a very common ingredient in the Caribbean). The other definition of 'offal' being those parts of the animal that do not contain muscle tissue (such as internal organs; though the placement of hearts become problematic as they're almost all muscle tissue).

The origin of the term in English comes from the late 14th century terms of (off) and fal (fall); literally those part of an animal that fall off the butcher's block. As a result they were often seen as poor cuts of meat, only eaten by the poor. This has resulted in offal's poor press ever since. This view of offal as being bad for you or somehow 'disgusting' has increased of late as we have moved away from the source of our meats. Certain offal also have high quantities of cholesterol (brains and liver most notably); though most people ignore the fact that some dietary cholesterol is necessary for a functioning nervous system. It's also forgotten that offal is a critical component of many delicacies (pâtés, containing liver being good examples).

In Britain many traditional dishes such as liver and onions, tripe and brawn (made from pig's head meats set in jelly) are still commonly eaten. Indeed, during Victorian times the 'pluck' of a sheep (liver, heart and lungs) were stewed and served with bread as a cheap and readily available street food. In those countries where meat is a rarity offal provides a welcome source of protein. My grandmother was very traditional when it came to offal and would often prepare it and now it's my job it prepare the offal of the turkey (giblets, heart, kidneys, neck, liver) as a dish on Christmas Eve. My wife, being West African is used to using offal as a protein source. The truth is that many kinds of offal (hearts especially) are a source of high-quality and low fat protein that we should increase in our diets. Here you will find classic recipes for offal-based or offal-containing dishes sourced from countries all across the globe.