[Sca-cooks] Marrow substitute

[Volker Bach]

Am Mittwoch, 4. Mai 2005 12:28 schrieb Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius:

> >I didn't think that marrow or beef bones with marrow in them was
> >particularly hard to get these days. But I haven't tried to get it.
> >I thought it was nerve tissue, such as brains, that was a problem.
>
> The impression I get (and maybe someone from outside the US will
> correct me if I'm wrong about this) is that there are much tighter
> controls on all meat processing in general, and probably less
> butchering is done on site at the point of sale, and meat buying is
> more like the American supermarket experience than it used to be,
> even more so, perhaps, than in the US. As a result, there may be more
> neatly wrapped steaks and roasts, and less assorted offal lying
> around on any premises where you buy meat, and the people looking for
> things like marrow, flead, or unusual organ meats probably lose out.
>
> This is all speculation, though; I haven't been in a European butcher
> shop or supermarket lately, but this is the sort of thing that
> happens when government regulation increases.

That, and the price war. There are precious few butchers left, and those there 
are often don't carry 'yucky' stuff any more. Yes, there still are 
traditional butchers and I can get real marrow in appreciable quantities, but 
it would be on the other side of the city and expensive. If I ever make a 
dish that uses marrow as a main ingredient (or cook for a group where the 
ingredient costs are shared) I'll do that. But it isn't worth it where the 
recipe calls for marrow as one ingredient among many. 

Giano