Eating every part of the animal isn’t some new-fangled slow food trend. In every meat-eating culture, peasants had to make use of all the bits of slaughtered animals that the rich folk didn’t deign to eat. They had to cook it with much tender loving care into dishes that people wouldn’t just eat, but crave.

Cracking open an animal skull to procure the brain must have been quite a feat for even small animals; you must have to have been really hungry to crack open at least 4 inches of bone to get inside a cow’s noggin. The reward however is rich - brain is extremely fatty and high in cholesterol, great food for people who need a lot of energy, like those in cold countries or working in the fields.

The gorgeous, quivering pink flesh of a newly dissected brain...

Nowadays brain is often overlooked. A shame, really, as once you get past the zombie factor, it really is a pretty delicious part of the animal. For cow brains, it’s smooth and creamy, like a silkier camembert with just a hint of beef. Remember not to indulge too often! The high caloric count has been said to be up to over 4000% for a whole cooked brain. A little nibble goes a very long way.

We’re still eating brain around the world, so we rounded up some recipes for you to try out should you be curious about this rather special organ. Cow brains are the easiest to get a hold of, but try out sheep’s brain as well if you can get one. Be sure to order brain beforehand from your local market as they run out pretty fast - one cow brain accounts for only 0.1% of their body weight!

Like an alien creature, it sits on my chopping board...

There are two main ways brain is prepared: gravied or fried. A notable exception is brain taco from Mexico, called tacos de sesos. The whole head is steamed, then the different parts are stuffed into a taco. Brain tacos are definitely next on our list!

Brains in gravy

Cervelle de veau façon provençale is a French preparation where the calf brains are delicately cooked in a vegetable stew. Their flavour would be relatively retained here as it’s only put in towards the end of the cooking process.

In Indonesian gulai otak and Indian brain masala, however, the spices get really stuck into the flesh. The hot gravies go really well with the tender brains, perfect with some plain rice. Gulai otak is readily available at many nasi padang stalls, and you can get sheep’s brain curries in old school Indian eateries.

Brain masala

Some rice, a fried fish and you're good to go!

Ingredients:
1 cow brain or 2 sheep brains
2 onions, finely chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
¼ tbsp red chilli powder
¾ tbsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala
Salt
½ tsp ginger, pounded
½ tsp garlic paste
½ cup of plain yogurt
½ cup cooking oil

For garnish:
½” piece ginger, finely chopped lengthways
Bunch fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Juice from 1 lemon

We know you want some...

Method:
Wash the brain thoroughly, making sure to pick off any pieces of bone. Place in a pot, cover with water, and boil until the pink turns white.
After boiling, carefully remove membranes and nerves. Cut into pieces about 1½” small.
Heat oil in a pot. Fry the chopped onion until golden brown. Remove half of the onions and set aside for garnishing later.
Add everything except for the brain pieces to the onions in the pan and fry well for about 10 minutes.
Carefully add the brain pieces to the pot. Shake the pan to mix the brains in. Do not use a spoon as the brain pieces might break up into mush.
Once the oil separates, sprinkle with the sliced ginger, chopped coriander, lemon juice and the remaining fried onions.

"What hairbrain scheme have you gotten me into?"

Fried brains are the ultimate indulgence. Whether stir-fried or deep-fried, it’s natural flavours really benefit from the direct heat. Canned pork brain stir-fried with eggs is a popular breakfast item in southeastern United States. Moistened with milk, it’s a great comfort meal.

Hold it still and gingerly cut generous chunks of grey matter...

Our pick in this category is deep-fried brains. Hey, if you’re going to eat brains, might as well go all the way! Deep-fried brain sandwiches are quite the cholesterol-laden treat, so we opted for cervello frito, fried calves brains from Italy. We used regular cow brains for these, and they turned out really good. Try these as a (very) occasional movie snack; they’ll convert you to brains in no time!

Cervello frito

Ingredients:
1 cow brain (veal, if you can get it)
Flour
1 egg, beaten
Breadcrumbs
Oil for deep-frying
1 lemon

Dip it in those breadcrumbs

Method:
Cover brain in bowl with cold water. Let stand for about 1 hour and drain. Cut the brain into pieces and remove the membranes and nerves.
Place brain pieces in a saucepan with cold water. Bring to a boil then immediately reduce heat to a simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove the brain pieces and drain.
Toss the brain in some flour, then some egg, then cover thoroughly with breadcrumbs.
Heat the oil in a deep saucepan. Deep fry the brains until golden brown and drain on kitchen paper. Squeeze some lemon juice over and serve immediately.

Look Junior, they're just chicken nuggets (evil cackle)

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