These come in two varieties, "throat sweetbreads" (thymus) and "heart sweetbreads" (pancreas), also sometimes called "stomach sweetbreads". The heart sweetbreads are preferred, and have a roughly round shape. The throat sweetbreads are of a roughly cylindrical shape. They are often cooked together. The photo specimen, a pancreas, was 8 inches long, 4 inches wide, 1-1/4 inches thick and weighed 0.9 pound.
More on Beef Innards
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Once a prized delicacy in England and most of Europe, sweetbreads are
still served in some fancy restaurants, and are much liked in Eastern
Mediterranean cooking.
Buying: You won't find these in your average supermarket, but ethnic meat markets, particularly those serving Latin American or Middle Eastern communites may have them. The photo specimen was bought in a plastic tub from a large multi-ethnic market in Los Angeles. In regions without ethnic markets you will have to order from a specialty meat market. Prep: The way they're sold around here there isn't much to do except to cut off a little bit of stringy stuff. Cooking: For best results, follow this procedure (for 1 pound of sweetbreads):
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ab_sweebz 091020
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