We've long admired the food writing and reviews of "The Offalo," an Angeleño who loves food and especially cuts of meat that others may be unfamiliar with. We asked him if he would be interested in exploring the offal side of our city's taco scene, and he jumped directly into the job, as you can read below. We hope this guide will help the uninitiated be bold and try some delicious tacos they ordinarily wouldn't have ordered, while also guiding those who do walk on the offal side some suggestions for where to get their fix....
Offal. The word itself doesn’t sound that great. Depending on how you pronounce it, it could come suspiciously close to “awful”. However, as “awful” meant “awesome” once upon a time, “offal” wasn’t a four-letter word with Americans until recent decades (see “Liver & Onions” in many an old-fashioned diner menu). But with factory farms bringing affordable beef steaks and chicken breasts to the masses, the need, and thus the demand, for organ meats has declined in the last half century-plus.
However, like the maligned boiled-grey Brussels sprouts of yore reborn as one of the past decade’s hottest vegetables, offal is making a comeback of sorts. High end restaurants around the country are highlighting dishes made with pig ears and tails, beef and lamb hearts, and housemade terrines of headcheese. And roasted bone marrow might be just as ubiquitous as roasted Brussels sprouts these days.
Of course, offal has never really left the tables and taste buds of immigrant communities. In Los Angeles, offal can be found more easily than Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in New England. Just look for the nearest stand, truck, or trailer slinging tacos!