Offal - the funky bits

Country cooks across Europe and Asia respect and use every part of the animal. With meat costs soaring, it's time to learn to love offal. Great dishes have come from elements that can fill more delicate constitutions with horror.

For particular cuts of meat from sweetbreads to an onglet steak that makes about the best cut for steak frites, put an advance order in to the following butchers:

Dean & DeLuca, 202 342 2500

Whole Foods 

Balducci's, 202 363 5800

Wagshal's, 202 363 0777

You will also be able to find offal like kidneys, brains, liver, tongue and tripe at Oriental and Halal supermarkets. Among these are Lotte, 1171 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, 301 881 3355, and Rockville Gourmet Halal Meat, 1331-C, Rockville Pike, Rockville, 301 424 4444.

Gizzards, which need to be slow-poached in duck fat to make the confit for Salade Gésiers, can be found in packs at H Mart, 8103 Lee Hwy, Merrifield, 703 573 6300. Most correctly, these should be duck gizzards, but they always have chicken gizzards.

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