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Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) - Public Domain

One of my favourite reads is Samuel Pepys’ Diaries. The famous chronicler of the Great Plague and a little later the Great Fire of London also recorded all sorts of trivia including salacious gossip about the King’s mistresses but also his own meals, for which he had a great appetite.

On the 11th of October 1660, he recorded that

Quote

Mr. Creed and I to the Leg in King Street, where he and I, and my Will had a good udder to dinner.

He doesn’t record which animal’s mammary glands he consumed, but probably a cow’s. That said, pigs’ udders were also eaten.

Alan Davidson points out in the 2nd edition of The Oxford Companion to Food, edited by Tom Jaine, that udder is “one of the foods which is doing a slow disappearing act” before sensibly adding “at least in western countries.”

For some reason, this has gone right out of fashion, although a few versions appear in some western cuisines, especially French, when it's known as pis de vaches. Known as ‘elder’ is some parts of the UK, udder was often treated as tripe and bought from a tripe butcher.

To prepare an udder, it is necessary to first remove all hair then remove every trace of milk lest the meat is tainted by stale or sour milk. This is done by soaking the udder in water for up to four hours. It then needs to be simmered in salted water until tender, a process which can take up to six hours. Even then it can be breaded and fried. Pepys probably paid a good sum for all this preparation time.

Despite its lack of popularity today in the west, it is still occasionally consumed in Asia. I’ve never cooked it, but have eaten it once in a restaurant it in China where it is known as 乳房 (rǔ fáng) and had been smoked. I’ve also seen it on a menu in Vietnam, where it is known as vú. Both beef and pork udders are sold in the markets. However, it is not a mainstream protein, by any means.

It is said by Davidson that it “smells faintly of tongue and has something of the same softness, but is chewier”. I recall the texture and can agree, but don’t remember any such aroma.

I'd rather have the  tongue.

Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) - Public Domain

One of my favourite reads is Samuel Pepys’ Diaries. The famous chronicler of the Great Plague and a little later the Great Fire of London also recorded all sorts of trivia including salacious gossip about the King’s mistresses but also his own meals, for which he had a great appetite.

On the 11th of October 1660, he recorded that

Quote

Mr. Creed and I to the Leg in King Street, where he and I, and my Will had a good udder to dinner.

He doesn’t record which animal’s mammary glands he consumed, but probably a cow’s. That said, pigs’ udders were also eaten.

Alan Davidson points out in the 2nd edition of The Oxford Companion to Food, edited by Tom Jaine, that udder is “one of the foods which is doing a slow disappearing act” before sensibly adding “at least in western countries.”

For some reason, this has gone right out of fashion, although a few versions appeared in some western cuisines, especially French. Known as ‘elder’ is some parts of the UK, udder was often treated as tripe and bought from a tripe butcher.

To prepare an udder, it is necessary to first remove all hair then remove every trace of milk lest the meat is tainted by stale or sour milk. This is done by soaking the udder in water for up to four hours. It then needs to be simmered in salted water until tender, a process which can take up to six hours. Even then it can be breaded and fried. Pepys probably paid a good sum for all this preparation time.

Despite its lack of popularity today in the west, it is still occasionally consumed in Asia. I’ve never cooked it, but have eaten it once in a restaurant it in China where it is known as 乳房 (rǔ fáng) and had been smoked. I’ve also seen it on a menu in Vietnam, where it is known as vú. Both beef and pork udders are sold in the markets. However, it is not a mainstream protein, by any means.

It is said by Davidson that it “smells faintly of tongue and has something of the same softness, but is chewier”. I recall the texture and can agree, but don’t remember any such aroma.

I'd rather have the  tongue.

Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) - Public Domain

One of my favourite reads is Samuel Pepys’ Diaries. The famous chronicler of the Great Plague and a little later the Great Fire of London also recorded all sorts of trivia including salacious gossip about the King’s mistresses but also his own meals, for which he had a great appetite.

On the 11th of October 1660, he recorded that

Quote

Mr. Creed and I to the Leg in King Street, where he and I, and my Will had a good udder to dinner.

He doesn’t record which animal’s mammary glands he consumed, but probably a cow’s. That said, pigs’ udders were also eaten.

Alan Davidson points out in the 2nd edition of The Oxford Companion to Food, edited by Tom Jaine, that udder is “one of the foods which is doing a slow disappearing act” before sensibly adding “at least in western countries.”

For some reason, this has gone right out of fashion, although a few versions appeared in some western cuisines, especially French. Known as ‘elder’ is some parts of the UK, udder was often treated as tripe and bought from a tripe butcher.

To prepare an udder, it is necessary to first remove all hair then remove every trace of milk lest the meat is tainted by stale or sour milk. This is done by soaking the udder in water for up to four hours. It then needs to be simmered in salted water until tender, a process which can take up to six hours. Even then it can be breaded and fried. Pepys probably paid a good sum for all this preparation time.

Despite its lack of popularity today in the west, it is still occasionally consumed in Asia. I’ve never cooked it, but have eaten it once in a restaurant it in China where it is known as 乳房 (rǔ fáng) and had been smoked. I’ve also seen it on a menu in Vietnam, where it is known as vú. Both beef and pork udders are sold in the markets. However, it is not a mainstream protein, by any means.

It is said by Davidson that it “smells faintly of tongue and has something of the same softness, but is chewier”. I recall the texture and can agree, but don’t remember any such aroma.

I'd rather have the  tongue.

Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) - Public Domain

One of my favourite reads is Samuel Pepys’ Diaries. The famous chronicler of the Great Plague and a little later the Great Fire of London also recorded all sorts of trivia including salacious gossip about the King’s mistresses but also his own meals, for which he had a great appetite.

On the 11th of October 1660, he recorded that

Quote

Mr. Creed and I to the Leg in King Street, where he and I, and my Will had a good udder to dinner.

He doesn’t record which animal’s mammary glands he consumed, but probably a cow’s. That said, pigs’ udders were also eaten.

Alan Davidson points out in the 2nd edition of The Oxford Companion to Food, edited by Tom Jaine, that udder is “one of the foods which is doing a slow disappearing act” before sensibly adding “at least in western countries.”

For some reason, this has gone right out of fashion, although a few versions appeared in some western cuisines, especially French. Known as ‘elder’ is some parts of the UK, udder was often treated as tripe and bought from a tripe butcher.

To prepare an udder, it is necessary to first remove all hair then remove every trace of milk lest the meat is tainted by stale or sour milk. This is done by soaking the udder in water for up to four hours. It then needs to be simmered in salted water until tender, a process which can take up to six hours. Even then it can be breaded and fried. Pepys probably paid a good sum for all this preparation time.

Despite its lack of popularity today in the west, it is still occasionally consumed in Asia. I’ve never cooked it, but have eaten it once in a restaurant it in China where it is known as 乳房 (rǔ fáng) and had been smoked. I’ve also seen it on a menu in Vietnam, where it is known as vú. Both beef and pork udders are sold in the markets. However, it is not a mainstream protein, by any means.

It is said by Davidson that it “smells faintly of tongue and has something of the same softness, but is chewier”. I recall the texture and can agree, but don’t remember any such aroma.

I'd rather have the  tongue.