Thebrain, like most other internal organs, oroffal, can serve as nourishment. Brains used for nourishment include those ofpigs,squirrels,rabbits,horses,cattle,monkeys,chickens,camels,fish,lamb, andgoats. In many cultures, different types of brain are considered adelicacy.
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The brain of animals features inFrench cuisine, in dishes such ascervelle de veau andtête de veau. A dish calledmaghaz is a popular cuisine in Pakistan, Bangladesh, parts of India, and diaspora countries. InTurkish cuisine, brain can be fried, baked, or consumed as a salad. InChinese cuisine, brain is a delicacy inChongqing orSichuan cuisine, and it is often cooked in spicyhot pot or barbecued. In the southern part ofChina, pig brain is cooked into soup astianma zhunao tang. InSouth India,goat brain curry (మేక మెదడు కూర) or fry (మేక మెదడు వేపుడు) is a delicacy. Mumbai has its own version of brain masala curry.[1]
Similar delicacies from around the world include theMexicantacos de sesos.[2] The Anyang tribe ofCameroon practiced a tradition in which a newtribal chief would consume the brain of a huntedgorilla, while another senior member of thetribe would eat the heart.[3] TheMinangkabau people in Indonesia preparegulai banak 'beef brain curry' in a coconut-milk gravy.[4][5] InCebu City, Philippines,tuslob buwa (fried pig brain) is a popular street food. InCuban cuisine, "brain fritters" are fried breaded brains.[6]In theOhio River Valley,fried brain sandwiches are popular, especially in theEvansville, Indiana area.
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Beef brains and veal (juvenile beef) or calf's brains are used in the cuisines ofFrance;Italy;Spain;El Salvador;Mexico, etc. where they are calledsesos inSpanish and are eaten intacos andquesadillas;Pakistan andBangladesh also in parts ofIndia likeKolkata andKerala, where they are known inUrdu andBengali asMaghaz;Portugal; Egypt, where they are eaten fried andIndonesia.
Calf's brains (French:cervelle de veau) is a traditional delicacy inEurope andMorocco.[7] It is often served withtongue, sauteed withbeurre noir andcapers, or mixed withscrambled eggs. InItaly,cervella fritte is a popular dish made of bite-sized batter-fried morsels of beef brain.
Outbreaks ofbovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, commonly known as mad-cow disease) led to legislation to reduce risks of contracting the human variant of the illness by consumption of beef brains and spines.[8][9]
DHA, an important omega-3 fatty acid, is found concentrated in mammalian brains. For example, according to Nutrition Data, 85g (3 oz) of cooked beef brain contains 727 mg of DHA.[10] By way of comparison, the NIH has determined that small children need at least 150 mg of DHA per day, and pregnant and lactating women need at least 300 mg of DHA.[11]
The makeup of the brain is about 12% lipids, most of which are located inmyelin (which itself is 70–80% fat).[12] Specific fatty acid ratios will depend in part on the diet of the animal it is harvested from. The brain is also very high in cholesterol. For example, a single 140g (5 oz) serving of "pork brains in milk gravy" can contain 3500 mg ofcholesterol (1170% of theUSRDA).[13]
The termprion comes from "proteinaceous infectious particle".[14][15] Unlike other infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi, prions do not containnucleic acids (DNA orRNA).[16] Prions are mainly twistedisoforms of themajor prion protein (PrP), a naturally occurring protein with an uncertain function. They are the hypothesized cause of various diseases, includingscrapie in sheep,chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer,bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle (mad cow disease), andCreutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) in humans.[17]
Beef brain consumption has been linked tovariant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease outbreaks in humans which led to strict regulations about what parts of cattle can be sold for human consumption in numerous countries.[18] Another prion disease calledkuru has been traced to a funerary ritual among theFore people ofPapua New Guinea in which those close to the dead would eat the brain of the deceased to create a sense ofimmortality.[19]
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