Les Abats: French Offal, Organ and Variety Meats & Dishes Names

Tripes, chicken hearts, brains… one of my students’ biggest fears when going to France is ordering one of these variety meats, or organ meats (referring to the internal organs and entrails of animals).

As disgusting as this may sound to some, many of these meats are considered a delicacy, and are indeed common in French cuisine.

1 – How do you say Variety Meats in French?

Offal (organ and variety meats) are called “les abats” (pronounced “lé zaba”) in French.

2 – How do you say I don’t want to eat Offal in French?

To say that you don’t want offal, say:

Je ne veux pas manger d’abats (pronounced “daba”)

To say: does this dish is organ meats based, say:

Est-ce que ce sont des abats ? (pronounced dé zaba)

To say: is there organ meat in this dish, say:

Est-ce qu’il y a des abats dans ce plat ?

3 – List of Common French Offal / Organ Meats

1. “le foie” – liver
   This is the most common one since it’s often used grounded in pâté etc…
   Most French people would not even consider “le foie” as an offal when used in charcuterie… And of course, “le foie-gras” is one of France most famous pâté…
2. “le rognon” – kidney
3. “le pied” – feet
4. “la queue” – tail
5. “la langue” – the tongue
6. “le museau” – the snout
7. “les ris de veau” – sweetbreads
8. “les tripes” – stomach
9. “la cervelle” – brain
10. “la moelle, les amourettes” – marrow
11. “le gésier” – gizzard
12. “le sang” – blood
13. “les os” – the bones (used in savoury jelly).

4 – Much Less Common French Offal / Variety Meat

1. “le rognon blanc, les animelles” – testicles
2. “la joue” – cheek
3. “la fraise” – part of the stomach
4. “le gras-double” – part of the stomach
5. “l’oreille” – the ear
6. “la tête” – the head
7. “la crête de poulet” – chicken crest

5 – List of Other Organ Meats, Rarely Used in French Cuisine

1. “le coeur” – heart
2. “la rate” – spleen
3. “la mamelle” – udder
4. “les poumons, le mou” – lungs

We really don’t eat these – a butcher may give you some for your cat…

6 – Common French Variety Meats Dishes Names

As you will be happy to see,  only a few dishes have names that don’t reveal their content… most of the time, once you know the words of French variety meats listed above, you’re safe since they will clearly appear in the title:

Example :
Tripes à la mode de Caen – tripes prepared in the way of Caen
Pied de porc en gelée – pork feet in a savoury jelly.

Now I’m not going to list dishes that clearly state they are offal based: they are easy to spot and would be too numerous to list.

I’ll list common French offal dishes whose names are ambiguous.

Beware of local specialties which might not be listed here: always ask what is in them.

1. “la farce” (stuffing): It is very common in France to add liver to the stuffing of birds and other dishes.
2. “le boudin: blood sausage (note that “le boudin blanc” is made with white meat in a gut, like any sausage)
3. “l’andouillette” (warm) et “l’andouille” (cold) : stomach sausage: they both have a very, very strong taste.
4. “le fromage de tête” – has the word tête but I thought it was worth mentioning since the word “fromage” can really be misleading. It’s a pâté made with head meat.
5. “le tablier de sapeur” : dish made of stomach
6. “Les tripoux” : dish made with tripes
7. “le vol-au-vent”, also called bouchée à la reine or timbale financière : the best ones may have “ris de veau” inside, and they used to have chicken crests.
8. “la salade périgourdine” or “la salade landaise” – will probably have green salad with poultry livers and gizzards
9. “le tournedos rossini” – a filet mignon with a piece of foie-gras on top
10. “la sauce périgueux” – uses the fat around the foie-gras
11. “la gelée” – jelly, often savoury in France. Most commonly made with bones and blood, but there are also many alternatives to make “gelée” including vegetal ones.
12. “La potée” – A common cabbage, potatoes and meat dish.  In the really traditional version, it includes “pied de porc” (pig’s feet) but you’ll probably only find it if you eat it at someone’s home or in a VERY traditional restaurant. Ask the waiter.
13. “Les paupiettes” (a thin veal meat stuffed) – Commonly held together via butcher string, it might sometimes be held together with “crépine” (or ‘caul’ – the lining of a pig’s insides)

7 – Offal Hater? Be Cautious With French Charcuterie

In the “charcuterie” world (see my post about French charcuterie), you are pretty likely to run into some use of offal, so if you don’t want to risk it, stay away from all pâtés, terrines, sausages, cold cuts unless you know exactly what you are ordering.

8 – French Cultural Tips About Offal

Many French people don’t like “les abats”, and usually, the French are aware that foreigners may not be OK with them as well.

So don’t worry, it’s unlikely someone would serve you “des tripes” at home on your first meal with them.

However, “un paté” with some grounded liver in it would be very common and most French people would not consider that as organ meat since it’s so common in French – and international cuisine.

Try it! You will probably not notice it at all.

However, if you really don’t want to eat offal, say: “je ne veux pas manger d’abats (pronounce it “daba”)” and if this includes liver, add: “même pas de foie s’il vous plaît” (not even liver please).

French gastronomy includes many, many things – you’ll have plenty of choice, including some vegetarian options, so don’t be afraid, and if you can stomach it, I encourage you to be bold and get out of your comfort zone. You’ll never know if you like it until you try it, and if you don’t like it, then there is always excellent bread and butter on the table :-)

On the contrary, you are eager to taste some of these dishes, here is a page of recipes made from offal: http://allrecipes.fr/recettes/abats-recettes.aspx?page=1

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