Top 4 from Head to Tail of the Pig

“We cook from head to tail.” Surely you’ve seen that phrase on a menu at some point, or heard the host proudly proclaim it. But, um, what do you actually do with the tail, and what about the head? A top 4 of the more mysterious parts of the pig – for many people.

Head

The head is usually cooked whole for a long time in water or stock with a bouquet of herbs. The cooked meat is picked from the bones and processed into sausage, pâté, balkenbrij or, for example, pulled pork. Zure zult is head meat mixed with, among other things, gherkin, white wine, vinegar, pepper and salt, and poured into a mould. The mould is weighted down to make the meat mixture more compact. Zure zult is served in slices. You can also prepare the (boned) head whole (stuffed if desired) and grill it on the barbecue.

Ear

Once cooked, it is mainly used in the Netherlands in cold cuts and sausage as a binding agent. Pig’s ears, like the whole head, are shipped to countries including China, where people love them. Pig’s ear can also be prepared as a separate dish. You can slowly braise them in wine or stock until tender and serve them with the sauce made from the braising liquid. Or sprinkle the braised ears with breadcrumbs and gratinate them in a hot oven. Or cut them into small pieces and deep-fry them.

Snout

Like the tail, ear and foot, the snout consists mainly of rind and connective tissue which, once cooked, produces gelatin that can be used in dishes for binding and extra flavour. Also delicious: pig’s snout salad, a kind of luxury version of zure zult. Cook the snouts until tender in the stock and leave them to set overnight in the stock. Cut the snout into small cubes. Make a vinaigrette (oil, vinegar, mustard, finely chopped onions and cornichons) and mix it with the snout cubes.

Tail

A traditional Dutch split pea soup is not complete without a pig’s tail. The tail contains no meat, but it does contain rind and connective tissue. Once cooked, it produces gelatin, which gives the soup body and extra flavour. Cook the tail along with the other soup meat. You can also use the (cooked) tail when mincing the meat for balkenbrij or zure zult.

Source: The Perfect Pig – Marcus Polman
Image:  Saskia van Osnabrugge