What are sweetbreads?
Sweetbreads are meat ingredients that fall within the Fundamental Group I of Foods; as such, they are excellent sources of high biological value proteins, B vitamins and certain minerals.
"Sweetbreads" is a noun that indicates one or more organs belonging to the young bovine or ovine, usually calf or lamb.
The ingredients of sweetbreads may vary according to regional tradition.
Typically, sweetbreads are made up of one or more of the following glands:
- Thymus: endocrine gland located under the neck. It is usually the main ingredient or the only ingredient.
- Pancreas: endocrine and exocrine gland located in the abdominal cavity.
- Salivary glands: exocrine glands located inside the oral cavity.
Nutritional Characteristics
Veal thyme, which we will later call simply sweetbreads, is an ingredient characterized by a limited energy supply.
The raw calories of the food come essentially from proteins, followed by lipids; carbohydrates and fibers are absent.
The peptides are of high biological value. This means that the qualitative and quantitative composition of amino acids makes these proteins very similar to human ones; therefore they are very nutritious.
Fatty acids are predominantly unsaturated.
Cholesterol is elevated.
Among the minerals contained in sweetbreads there are good concentrations of phosphorus and potassium.
As for vitamins, the quantity of niacin (vitamin PP) is appreciable.
Sweetbreads are not suitable for all diets. In particular, they are not very suitable for the clinical nutrition of hypercholesterolemic.
Many types of offal have good concentrations of collagen, which can compromise the digestibility of the product even after cooking. Sweetbreads "should not" be as rich in it as other organs (such as tripe). Nevertheless, in the case of gastric and esophageal pathologies, it is inadvisable to exceed the total portion (especially in the meal before bedtime).
Sweetbreads are not accepted by the vegan and lacto-ovo vegetarian philosophy.
They do not contain gluten and lactose.
Sheep and bovine sweetbreads should be considered kosher foods, as they come from animals considered as such (cloven-hoofed ruminants).
They are also considered a halal food, therefore, they are accepted by the Muslim religion.
On the contrary, they are not allowed by Hinduism.
Based on the energy and lipid content, the average portion of sweetbreads could be 100 grams or slightly higher; however, due to the concentration of cholesterol it is advisable to further reduce it or limit its consumption to a "one-off".
Gastronomic Aspects
Veal thyme has a white color, a typically spongy consistency and a delicate flavor.
The gastronomic role of sweetbreads is mainly a second course, but sometimes they are used to cook the accompanying sauces for the first courses or as an ingredient for some unique dishes.
There are many differences between the processes and cooking systems used in the various Italian locations but (almost everywhere) sweetbreads are cooked in a pan.
They do not require very long cooking and large quantities of oil.
They lend themselves to the accompaniment of non-sparkling and moderately structured red wines.
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