Cow tongue has long been considered and eaten as a delicacy in a number of native communities throughout the world. It might seem like a crazy thing to consume but it has a number of great health benefits. We are going to discuss the benefits of eating pickled tongue as well as some of its uses.
Further, we will give you some amazing recipes and other uses to motivate you to try out this surprisingly healthy organ.
Benefits of Eating Cow Tongue
The following are some of the nutritional and health benefits you will receive from consuming cow tongue on an occasional basis:
1. It Contains a Lot of Zinc and IRON
When you eat cow tongue, you will infuse your body with the much required zinc and iron minerals which are vital to your health.
Zinc will help boost your immune system and thus enable your body to fight off numerous infections.
Iron, on the other hand, helps to increase your blood count and thus prevent you from getting anemic. Iron is also integral in helping you sleep as it prevents the Restless Leg Syndrome which makes cow tongue among the best foods for sleep.
2. It Has a High Protein Content
Adding a small portion of cow tongue to your diet will help you consume a lot more protein as compared to other animal parts.
Proteins will help your body to create antibodies that are necessary for helping your body fight infections. It also maintains the balance of hormones in your body as well as build and increase tissue strength.
3. Cow Tongue Gives You Choline and Vitamin B-12
These two are essential for maintaining the health of your nervous system.
The vitamin B-12 is essential in the making of myelin which helps in insulating your nerves.
Choline, on the other hand, is part of a number of chemicals that help in nerve communication. This is very important in ensuring that your body works as it should.
4. It Provides Your Body With Potassium and Sodium
Consuming a serving of cow tongue will provide you will the right amount of potassium and sodium to help you prevent high blood pressure.
It is recommended that one consumes less than 2.3 grams of sodium a minimum of 4.7 grams of potassium a day so as to avoid high blood pressure
Disadvantages of Consuming Cow Tongue
Cow tongue has a number of great benefits when consumed in moderation but it also comes with its own disadvantages.
The disadvantage of cow tongue is that it contains a lot of fats and cholesterol. This is bad if consumed on a regular basis as it will increase your chances of getting cardiovascular diseases due to the increase in blood cholesterol.
Other Uses of Beef Tongue
The following are some of the uses of beef tongue:
- It can be used to treat patients with anemia due to its high iron content. It is also recommended for pregnant women, people who have undergone surgery and small children.
- It can be used by diabetics to regulate blood sugar as it helps in the production of insulin.
- It is recommended for people with gastritis as it is easily digested
- If you are suffering from insomnia then you should eat cow tongue as it is used to treat this condition as well as migraines.
Great Recipes for Preparing the Tongue
Cow tongue snack
Ingredients
- 3 cups of vinegar
- 1 cow tongue
- 4 cups of water
- 2 large onions that have been sliced
- I cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon of pickling spices
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 bay leaf
Procedure
- Add salt to water and place the tongue in and allow it to boil for at least 3 hours.
- Peel the skin from the tongue but do not slice it
- Take a large pot and mix all the other ingredients before adding the skinned tongue.
- Allow the tongue to boil for another 10 minutes and then remove from the heat
- Once the mixture cools, place it in your refrigerator for at least 7 days.
- When serving ensure that you cut the tongue into thin slices
Boiled tongue salad
Ingredients
- 1 boiled skinned tongue
- Apple, berry and nut sauce
- 1 can of canned pineapples
- Green peas
- Pickled mushrooms
Procedure
- Slice the tongue that you had previously boiled for at least 3 hours and skinned. Ensure the slices are really thin.
- Boil your green peace in salt water for about 20 minutes.
- Take a large bowl and put all your ingredients in.
- Use a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients together.
- Serve the salad with mashed potatoes.
- You can also choose to fry your beef tongue in butter or add breadcrumbs and deep fry it to make a tasty snack.
- You can also choose to stuff your beef tongue and bake which makes a very tasty snack
Conclusion
From our discussion, we can establish that prickled tongue is very beneficial to our health. You should ensure that you only take it on occasion as it contains a lot of fat and cholesterol that are very unhealthy.
The fat and cholesterol, if taken on a daily basis, can cause you to get heart diseases which are fatal. This means that you should consume beef tongue in moderation.
The minerals that are contained in the beef tongue are essential in ensuring that your blood level remains high and that your central nervous system remains healthy.
We have also seen that beef tongue helps us to maintain our blood pressure and keep it low. This is thanks to the appropriate levels of sodium and potassium it contains. Our bodies require a lot of potassium but not too much sodium and consuming this dish will help us avoid eating too much salt.
Cow tongue is recommended for everyone despite the age or gender. It has been proven to help in the treatment of insomnia. As you well know by now, getting enough quality sleep is vital for both physical and mental health.
If you are struggling with insomnia you can eat cow tongue on occasion in addition to sleeping on a comfortable mattress or other things to help you sleep better.
There are different ways to prepare your cow tongue and we have given you just a few recipes. If you know of other recipes you should try them out and enjoy the tasty treat that is beef tongue.
Before you prepare pickled tongue or any other cow tongue dish, always ensure that you let the tongue cook properly by leaving it on your cooker for at least 3 hours.
Read more: Why You Should Eat Olive Salad
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