I knew there was something else!

I almost forgot to share today's utterly ironic moment......On Sunday, I posted that I can't eat meat if I know its' source.....just one day later and the main dish at work (there are always choices, but there's one main meal, which is cheaper than all the rest) was:

Maultaschen gefuellt mit Leber und Griebe
Kartoffelbrei
Sauerkraut

Now, Maultaschen is normally one of my favorites. LEO defines it as Swabian ravioli or pockets, or better yet, pasta squares filled with meat. And yet, this definition does not do Maultaschen justice. I love Maultaschen. It's a regional specialty here and I just love it.

Kartoffelbrei is mashed potatoes, another of my favorites.

And Sauerkraut is, well it's sauerkraut and I like it too (although the version in our cafeteria isn't the tastiest I've ever had...)

So now you're probably wondering, "Well, then what's the problem? Sounds like you like all of these foods...."

And if you're quick, you've already figured it out.

The problem is the filling in the Maultaschen. Leber is liver. And I've been known to eat liver since I've arrived here in Deutschland (shocking, but true). As a matter of fact, Leberkaese (liver loaf) is a dish that I quite enjoy (reminds me of bologna). So that's not my issue. Although I still don't understand the German fascination with telling you what part of the animal you're eating.....couldn't they just say meat loaf or something instead??

No, the problem isn't the liver. It's the Griebe. Griebe is crackling or greaves or tallow refuse (again, according to my good friend LEO). Well, that might not help much, so we turn to my friend Wikipedia [Caution: if you have a sensitive stomach (Dad), do not read whilst eating!!]:

Cracklings is the American name for pork rind produced by frying or roasting, though it can be expanded to include the skin of a goose or another animal.

As a snack, cracklings is usually understood to consist of cooked pork rind that has had salt rubbed into it and that has been scored with a sharp knife. This produces a crisp, bubbly outer surface with a layer of cooked fat on the underside. Crackling is considered by some to be an essential part of joint of roast pork. However, the term in cooking also applies to a variety of fatty materials, fried to crispness, such as poultry skin or the remains of trying out for fat of a number of animal products [beef, lamb, et cetera].

Cracklins are very high in fat and cholesterol, which is to be expected considering what they are composed of and the fact that they are generally prepared by being deep-fried or skillet-fried in lard.

To put it succinctly, "In food discussions, greaves is the unmeltable residue left after animal fat has been rendered."


And tallow? Well, tallow is used in animal feed, to make soap, for cooking, as a bird food, and was once used for making candles. It can be used as a raw material for the production of biodiesel and other oleochemicals.

Umm, can you say gross???? I've already described on this blog that I've become a (relatively) adventurous eater, generally with satisfying (to my stomach) results. But a girl's got to draw the line somewhere!

My lunch consisted of: mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and a salad. Needless to say, no maultaschen filled with crackling or greaves or tallow residue came anywhere near my lips! For which I was especially thankful when my colleague, who did eat the Maultaschen, had a stomachache for the rest of the afternoon.