Offal is an awful-sounding British term that is a catch phrase for the food group known as edible animal innards and entrails. In the U.S., offal is called the hazy-sounding "variety meats." What we're talking about here are brains, pig's feet, heart, kidneys, liver, sweetbreads, tongue, tripe, that sort of thing.

People tend to divide on the issue of offal. Of course, chop the stuff up and put it in a sausage and most people don't know the difference. But others may disagree about whether the butchered animal parts are trash or treasure.