Brain as food


The brain, like most other internal organs, or offal, can serve as nourishment. Brains used for nourishment include those of pigs, squirrels, rabbits, horses, cattle, monkeys, chickens, fish, lamb and goats. In many cultures, different types of brain are considered a delicacy.

Cultural consumption

The brain of animals features in French cuisine, in dishes such as cervelle de veau and tête de veau. A dish called maghaz is a popular cuisine in Pakistan, Bangladesh, parts of India, and diaspora countries. In Turkish cuisine brain can be fried, baked, or consumed as a salad. In Chinese cuisine, brain is a delicacy in Chongqing or Sichuan cuisine, and it is often cooked in spicy hot pot or barbecued. In the southern part of China, pig brain is used for "Tianma Zhunao Tang". In South India goat brain curry or fry is a delicacy.
Similar delicacies from around the world include Mexican tacos de sesos. The Anyang tribe of Cameroon practiced a tradition in which a new tribal chief would consume the brain of a hunted gorilla, while another senior member of the tribe would eat the heart. Indonesian cuisine specialty in Minangkabau cuisine also served beef brain in a coconut-milk gravy named gulai banak. In Cuban cuisine, "brain fritters" are made by coating pieces of brain with bread crumbs and then frying them.

Nutritional composition

, an important omega-3 fatty acid, is found concentrated in mammalian brains. For example, according to Nutrition Data, 85g of cooked beef brain contains 727mg of DHA. By way of comparison, the NIH has determined that small children need at least 150mg of DHA per day, and pregnant and lactating women need at least 300mg of DHA.
The makeup of the brain is about 29% fat, most of which is located in myelin. 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 serving of "pork brains in milk gravy" can contain 3500mg of cholesterol.

Prions

Beef brain consumption has been linked to Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease outbreaks in humans, so many countries have strict regulations about what parts of cattle can be sold for human consumption. Another prion disease called kuru has been traced to a funerary ritual among the Fore people of Papua New Guinea in which those close to the dead would eat the brain of the deceased to create a sense of immortality.