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Head cheese (AmE) is in fact not a cheese, but rather a terrine of meat from the head of a calf or pig (sometimes a sheep or cow) that would not otherwise be considered appealing. It may also include meat from the feet and heart. It is usually eaten cold or at room temperature as a luncheon meat.
Historically the cleaned (all organs removed) head was simmered to produce a gelatin (which would form from the bone marrow) containing any incidental meat which came off the head. The more modern method involves adding gelatin to meat, which is then cooked in a mold.
Varieties
Various versions exist around the world:
- United Kingdom: In England, head cheese is referred to as brawn, in Scotland as "Potted Heid" (potted head)
- Pennsylvania, United States: In the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect, head cheese is called souse. Pennsylvania Germans usually prepare it from the meat of pig's feet or tongue and it is pickled.
- France: Referred to as fromage de tête, which translates as "cheese of the head".
- Louisiana, United States: The highly seasoned "Hog's Head Cheese" is very popular as a cold cut or appetizer. It is also something of a staple of soul food, and may also be known as "souse meat" or simply "souse".
- Croatia: A rather strongly seasoned version of this meal is called tlačenica or švargla (the latter being a corrupted loan-word from German).
- Germany: Variations of the Croatian dish are known as Sülze. German 'Sülze' often has a tangy flavor due to the addition of pickles or vinegar.
- Genoa, Italy: A similar preparation goes by the monicker testa in cassetta, literally 'head in a box'.
- Denmark: Sylte, a pork head cheese seasoned with allspice, bay leaves, and thyme, is part of the traditional Christmas smorgasbord, served on rugbrød with strong mustard and pickled beetroots.
- Latin America: Head cheese is very popular and is usually referred to as "Queso de Cabeza", specifically "Queso de Puerco" in Mexico.
- Brazil: In Brazil, head cheese is very popular among the gaucho population and it's commonly known as "Queijo de Porco" (Pig Cheese).
- Estonia: Sült, similar to the German or Croatian dish (the name is a loan as well), but usually less seasoned and made from higher quality meat. Sometimes carrots or greenstuff are added.
- Poland: In Poland, head cheese is referrd to as 'salceson', a name possibly derived from 'saucisson', the French word for a type of sausauge. There are several varieties of 'salceson' which depend on the ingredients: Black 'Salcesson' which contains blood, White 'Salcesson' made with a mixture of seasoned meats, without blood, Ozorkowy (Tongue) ""Salcesson"" where the major meat component is tongue.
- Hungary: A variant of head cheese is disznósajt ("pig cheese").
Trivia
This dish may have been the inspiration for William Heath Robinson's macabre drawing Remarkable case of absence of mind in a Dutch restaurant (1912), in which a diner, distracted by his newspaper, mistakes his sleeping neighbour's bald head for an Edam cheese and cuts a slice from it.
'Headcheese' was originally the name for the film and the character 'Leatherface' in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but was changed at the last minute because the writers and director thought it was a ridiculous and un-scary name.
"Head Cheese" was the name of a novelty tag-team wrestling in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It consisted of Steve Blackman and Al Snow.
External links
Cold cut | Peasant foods | Offal | Cuisine of the Southern United States | Scottish cuisine
"Head cheese"