The Classic Boomer Comfort Food Younger Generations Won't Touch

"According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations via Today's Dietitian, America ranks 171st out of 175 countries for offal consumption, meaning organ meat. Most of the 0.97 pounds the average American eats per year comes from hot dogs and sausage. Americans just don't want to eat organ meat. Unless, of course, they're Boomers. Although chitlins, made from pig intestine, or sweetbreads, made from thymus glands or pancreas, are regional delicacies, most organ meats are not eaten by the majority of Americans."

"Many Boomers, however, grew up eating things like fried gizzards or liver and onions. "My dad loved liver, gizzards, hearts, brains, tripe," one Redditor shared on a thread about liver and onions at diners. Others shared tales of fried chicken hearts or how their parents ate liver regularly. Boomers didn't necessarily want to eat organ meat when they were kids. Offal was pushed by the government during wartime because of meat rationing."

"There are a number of reasons why people didn't eat offal back in the day, and why younger generations avoid it now. Research into why Americans weren't keen on organ meats during WWII showed some simple reasons. First, most people didn't know how to prepare it, and many in the younger generations still don't. If you have never eaten a food, odds are you won't know how to cook it."

American offal consumption is extremely low, with the United States ranking 171st out of 175 countries and the average person eating only 0.97 pounds per year, mostly from processed meats. Some older Americans, especially Boomers, grew up eating organ meats such as liver, gizzards, hearts, brains, tripe, and regional specialties like chitlins or sweetbreads. Offal is nutrient-dense and wartime rationing and government promotion increased its use historically. Contemporary avoidance stems from lack of familiarity and cooking knowledge, lingering stigma as low-cost or racially coded food, and limited cultural acceptance across the population.

Read at www.tastingtable.com