14 tongue recipes

This is a favorite dish of my family's, especially on holidays like Easter and Christmas. Most people cringe at the idea of eating a cow's tongue, but actually the meat is very tender, and even if you have to close your eyes and plug your nose to try it, please do. I guarantee it won't be what you expect!

Old-fashioned potted beef tongue blended with butter, nutmeg, cloves, sage, and parsley, then sealed under clarified butter. A classic British larder spread for toast, crackers, or sandwiches.

Slow-simmered venison tongue with bay leaves, cloves, and red pepper flakes. A nose-to-tail wild game classic served hot with wine sauce or cold and sliced thin.

Delicious Pickled Ox Tongue. A classic recipe for tender, flavorful ox tongue. Slow-cooked with aromatic vegetables, served hot or cold with your choice of delectable sauces.

Old-world pickled beef brisket or tongue brined for 19 days with garlic, bay leaves, and pickling spices. A traditional Jewish deli-style corned beef you can make at home from scratch.

Old-fashioned pickled beef tongue or pork cured with salt, pickling spices, brown sugar, and garlic. Dry-rubbed and refrigerated for weeks, then simmered low and slow until fork-tender.

Fiery Sichuan chili pork stir-fried with green chiles, garlic, roasted peppercorns, and rice wine. Tongue-tingling, garlicky, and on the table in 25 minutes flat.

Rasomadhuri, Indian fried cheese balls made with ricotta, milk powder, and cardamom, soaked 24 hours in sugar syrup. A traditional sweet that melts on your tongue.

Spicy Sichuan tofu stir-fried with hot bean paste, Sichuan peppercorns, and chili oil, finished with mushrooms, water chestnuts, and green onions for a tongue-tingling vegetarian main.

Tongue-in-cheek eggplant recipe where the real secret is ditching the eggplant entirely and reaching for Kentucky bourbon instead. A classic joke recipe for eggplant haters everywhere.

Airy, melt-on-your-tongue meringue cookies scented with orange oil and fresh zest. Just 4 ingredients, virtually zero calories, and ready in 30 minutes. These diabetic-friendly treats dissolve like cotton candy.

Whipped shortbread cookies that practically melt on the tongue. Beaten with cornstarch and powdered sugar for a cloud-light, almost feathery crumb. Top with a candied cherry or pecan half.

Meringue cookies use just five pantry ingredients to make crisp, snowy puffs that melt on the tongue. Naturally fat-free and gluten-free, with a marshmallow-like interior and a delicate vanilla finish.

Silky peppermint chocolate squares that literally melt on your tongue, made with sugar-free milkcote chocolate coating and dipped for a smooth, snappy shell. Makes 8 dozen candies. A dietetic candy that tastes like pure indulgence.