What is Tongue?
Beef tongue is cooked across cuisines and also used as deli meat. The texture of tongue is rubbery if not cooked carefully. Otherwise it is tender, a bit chewy and fatty. The tongue pairs well with spices such as bayleaf , allspice and pepper. The flavor is umami and salty. Tongue can be cooked a variety of ways and is best sliced thinly, if served as deli meat, otherwise the cut can be thicker.
Ingredients
Tongue is a popular meat across various cuisines and common to Mexican dishes and as a deli meat. Often this refers to cow tongue, but it may be from a sheep or pig. The texture of tongue is rubbery if not cooked carefully. Otherwise it is tender, a bit chewy and fatty. The flavor is umami and salty. Tongue can be cooked a variety of ways.
Chicken broth is commonly used in soups and stews as the liquid. It is made by simmering chicken bones with water, vegetables and seasonings. The thin broth is a golden color with a savory taste that has hints of chicken, vegetables and salt. Chicken broth can be used for many dishes aside from soup.
The onion is a bulb vegetable, meaning its bulb and not its leaves are eaten. Onions come in many varieties, including white, yellow and red. Shallots are small and mild onions. Vidalias are sweet, while red onions are strong and sharp. The onion is usually round and has a thin dry skin around its juicy layers. This skin depends in the color of the onion, as does the flesh. The flesh, or body of the onion is made of multiple round layers, that get smaller towards the center. The flavor of onions are sharp and sweet when raw, with an astringent taste. When cooked, these flavors mellow and the sweetness emerges. Onion are a very common flavoring and ingredient for many savory dishes.
Butter is made from churned cream, usually from a cow. It has a cream color and a texture that is smooth and melts easily. The flavor is mild and creamy. Butter is often sold in square sticks, or as a flat or round block. It is delicious on bread. It pairs better in baked goods than salted butter, due to its more neutral taste. It also makes an excellent cooking fat.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
The peppercorn plant grows in tropical climates and produces tiny black fruit. The fruit is dried and becomes hard. It has a flavor that is spicy, pungent and sharp. Pepper is an extremely popular spice, and lends a gentle heat to dishes. There are different varieties of black pepper and the flavor changes subtly because due to this.
Allspice is a spice made from the dried berries of the pimenta dioica plant; a member of the myrtle family. Allspice is ground into a powder that is a dark rich brown color and used to flavor baked good and added to some savory dishes. The flavor is similar to a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and a hint of black pepper.
The peppercorn plant grows in tropical climate and produces tiny black fruit. The fruit is dried and become hard. At this point it is ground into a textured powder comprised of black and grey dots. It has a flavor that is spicy, pungent and sharp. Pepper is an extremely popular spice, especially in Western cuisines and lends a gentle heat to dishes. There are different varieties of black pepper and the flavor changes subtly because of this.
Bay leaves are commonly bought dried, though can be used fresh. Once dried, they are a muted green color, bordering on grey. Each end comes to a point and the scent is green, floral and similar to thyme. One or two bay leaves are enough to flavor a large pot of soup. The flavor it lends is herbal and almost spicy, without any heat. Bay leaves should not be consumed as the flavor is pungent and bitter when not distributed through a dish.
