Читать книгу The Taste of Britain - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - Страница 244

The word chitterling is of uncertain derivation but has been used in English since at least the thirteenth century for the small intestines of animals, especially pigs, when used for food. At one time it seems to have also referred to a type of sausage made from them (akin to a French andouillette), but latterly has come to mean simply the intestines, cleaned and prepared.

Their preparation is not elaborate. Since the late twentieth century they are a minority taste, seen as a poverty food and regarded as old-fashioned. It is recognized that they are more popular in some regions than others. Their stronghold is the South and South-West, where pigs have long been reared in huge numbers.

Chitterlings are sold cooked and can be eaten cold with vinegar or mustard; or they can be heated by frying with bacon, or by boiling.