"So, which kind do you eat?" I asked.
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| Miso-glazed bone marrow at Double Crown, from the website Grub Street New York |
Everyone looked at me like a was a two-headed, barbarous cave-woman. I actually have never eaten bone marrow before, but after reading about it on various websites and in books, I've decided it is something I would like to try. Sure, the pictures make my gag reflex kick in, and it does seem a bit uncivilized, and bone marrow is all fat, but there are plenty of reasons to try this delicacy. Here are my reasons:
1. Apparently it's really good. In the book Per Se, the author and her friends go out for bone marrow, and it's mentioned as a delightful treat in many a food blog. Perhaps it's worth a nibble.
2. It's cheap. According to one food blog, it's 5.99/lb, and another blog sets the price even lower, at 2.69/lb. If you're wondering where you can get bone marrow, the consensus on the internet seems to be Whole Foods.
3. It's not hard to make. The most complicated recipe I've found only has eight relatively common ingredients, and the easiest only has three. The preparation is simple, too. All you have to do is put the bones on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven.
4. It's paleo. I actually don't really care about this one, to be perfectly honest. The paleo diet requires eating like a caveman--that means no dairy, refined sugars, or potatoes, among other things. It is supposed to help you lose weight and make you healthier. I'm not particularly into the paleo diet, but I think it's an interesting premise and just in case any of you are paleo, then this is to let you know that you can eat bone marrow.
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| Herb-Roasted "Chateubriand" of Marcho Farm Veal with Bone Marrow Farce at none other than The French Laundry |
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| Anthony Bourdain's bone marrow recipe, from the website eatatcube.com |
Whoa! I never knew that bone marrow was even edible, let alone something that's considered a delicacy by some. It seems like it has the potential to taste good if it's very fatty....but I'll leave it to you to tell us first-hand.
ReplyDeleteAlso the Anat-Phys situation really made me laugh! I can imagine the looks on people's faces, haha
Its very nice!
DeleteThis is a great blog post, and really interesting to read, but I have to say that I find the thought of eating bone marrow slightly disgusting. :/ It makes me cringe to think about it. Eating bone? It's just.... weird!
ReplyDeleteI really can't decide if those pictures make it seem delicious or not. I don't think I would have the guts to try this food. Just like I will never eat fish eyes etc. I love your story about Anat-phys!
I think most people would be weirded out by someone asking during Anat-Phys about what part of the body is good for eating--it has a sort of cannibalism ring to it.
ReplyDeleteBeing a birder, reading about eating bone marrow made me automatically think of lammergeiers. They are quite possibly the strangest species of vulture out there. Among their multitude of odd habits is the fact that they eat almost exclusively bone marrow. I guess the fat content is good for them since they live at high altitudes.
The first picture actually looked kind of appetizing... maybe I'm part lammergeier.
As a vegetarian, I don't suppose I'll be trying bone marrow any time soon. But I have read things about it's health benefits. My sister-in-law does a sort of modified Paleo diet for heath reasons (she has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and she makes "bone broth" on a regular basis as part of her nutritional regime. I guess it's largely the bone marrow in the broth that's supposed to make it wonderfully healthful.
ReplyDeleteMy family buys lots of bones @ China Town whenever we go to Chicago. Bone broth is the best way to eat it!
DeleteI had an elderly relative that ate bone marrow. I can't really imagine eating it; I get shivers if I think about it. I don't know why it seems so unappealing, it just... is. What animals do they serve the bone marrow from though?
ReplyDeleteIt varies--so far I've found recipes that call for beef, veal, or lamb bone marrow. I even found a site that talks about caribou bone marrow. Good luck finding that.
DeleteThese photos look delicious except that I've never eaten bone-marrow before. So as of now, it looks kind of jello-ey and fatty. I have seen something marrow-like inside cow bones in my beef stew, except it looked nothing like these photos; they were dark brown and gritty and sand-like. Is that bone marrow?
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Thank you for opening my eyes to a new variety of meat dishes!
Hmm...I'm not sure about your beef stew experience. Maybe boiling the bones changed the consistency of the marrow? You'd have to ask a real chef on that one :)
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