So far as I know, the next on my list is only eaten in Asia or among the Asian diaspora. No doubt I’ll be corrected if I’m wrong.
Tendons of various animals, poultry and animals alike, are eaten In China and several nearby countries including the Philippines, Japan and Vietnam, as well as other SE Asian countries. The favourite though, is beef tendon.
Tendon are, of necessity, very tough. Try pulling a beef cow around a field!
The tendons tend to be boiled for at least three hours to soften them up enough to be edible, although up to eight hours is often better. Even then they can remain chewy. They are also deep fried. I’m told that in Korea, soesim (쇠심), as they call tendons, are often steamed under pressure to achieve a soft end product.
Beef Tendons
I’ve had beef tendons (gân bò) appear in phở in Vietnam.
Here in China, 牛筋 (niú jīn), beef tendons are sold pre-cooked in the supermarkets and industrially processed in corner shops. The appear as street food in the form of tendon on a stick - 板筋串 (bǎn jīn chuàn). However, they are also a popular dim sum, usually marinated in garlic to make 蒜爆牛筋 (suàn bào niú jīn).
Tendon on a Stick?
And there is nothing new about vegetarian versions of meat; China has been making vegetarian “tendons” since forever.
Images from Meituan Online Shopping Portal, China
