Gimme Some Tongue

I remember the first time I tried tongue. I was in middle school and over at a friend’s house for some sort of celebration (I tried tongue of a different sort for the first time in high school, but that’s another story). Her dad was from Tibet and had cooked some traditional Tibetan dishes for the party, most of which were meat based. I tried a piece of an unfamiliar meat, sliced in a little dish, and was surprised at the texture. I asked my friend what it was and she told me, a little warily, that it was cow tongue. Instead of spitting it out I went back for more and for this her dad loved me. I was the only one of his daughter’s friends open-minded enough to try his food and he really appreciated it. A lot of people seem put off by the idea of eating a tongue. Why is this? It’s just a muscle. Is it really any different from eating an animal’s shoulder or butt? I think what it comes down to is presentation. My mother grew up in a large family and cow tongue was a cheap cut so they would sometimes get it for dinner. Her dad would simmer it in a big pot and serve it sliced with ketchup. She says that they would gross out the neighbor kids by bringing them over and showing them the large gray tongue boiling on the stove. OK, I can see how that would be unappetizing, but with a little cooking magic tongue can be quite good. My preference is for tacos de lengua and I encourage you to withhold judgment until you’ve tried them. The tongue is cubed and mixed with diced onions and parsley and served in a corn tortilla. The meat is soft, tender, and has a very rich taste, a bit buttery and smooth. It just melts in your mouth. My sincere wish is that people would get over the “gross” factor of eating a tongue and give these tacos a try, because they are delicious and it would be sad to let a personal hang-up get in the way of good cuisine.