The Type Of Meat Martha Stewart Flat Out Refuses To Cook

Seasoned culinary legends like Martha Stewart have typically tried just about every type of cuisine under the sun. After all, being knowledgeable about the wide range of foods the world has to offer gives them insight into what people regularly enjoy across the globe and can spark inspiration for their next gourmet gem. Still, being willing to try something new doesn't mean you'll like it. There's one meat that Stewart just can't stomach, and her distaste for the ingredient isn't surprising to most Americans.

If there's one thing Stewart refuses to put in a pan, it's offal. When discussing ingredients that she would never cook with in an interview with Elle, she said, "I will not cook brains, sweetbreads or offal." For the uninitiated, offal is a broad term that refers to organ meat. Hearts, kidneys, and liver are all considered offal. Americans used to consume it regularly, but the practice fell out of favor some time ago. However, the organ meat is still frequently relished in various parts of the world for its strong irony-taste.

For what it's worth, I'm with Stewart on this one. I don't believe it's a coincidence that the words "offal" and "awful" share a close pronunciation. Though, in fairness, I might be missing out, given that so many people across the globe use offal to cook fare that often gets rave reviews.

Martha Stewart is more known for topping pizza with bougie ingredients and making sophisticated grilled cheese sandwiches than being adventurous with hearts and kidneys. But plenty of other chefs don't turn their nose up at offal. In fact, many Americans are familiar with dishes that feature the meat, by name if nothing else.

Possibly the most famous implementation of offal is in one of the foods that are actually illegal in the U.S. — haggis. Traditionally made in a sheep's stomach, haggis is an amalgam of oatmeal, vegetables, seasonings, and offal consisting of sheep heart, liver, and lungs. Boasting a strong meaty flavor with hints of nuttiness, it is considered a delicacy to this day in Scotland and is also the country's national dish.

Foie gras is a beloved French classic made with offal, specifically duck or goose liver, which offers up a rich taste and buttery texture. In Italy, suckling pig terrine is an admired treat. It utilizes pig liver and bold seasonings to give the dish its signature bold flavor. Then you have one of the essential components of a full English breakfast – black pudding. It gains its trademark dark color from being made with pig's blood (which also falls into the offal category), and it is proudly featured on Gordon Ramsay's English breakfast pizza. Stewart and most Americans may not care for offal, but elsewhere in the world, it is revered for being a cheap, nutritious, and versatile meat to cook with.