offal

[aw-fuhl, of-uhl]

noun

1. the edible organs, or organ parts, of a butchered animal; organ meat.

   Our top three sellers in offal are beef kidney, liver, and tongue.

2. the parts of a butchered animal that are considered inedible by human beings; discarded viscera.

3. refuse; rubbish; garbage.

   Before the agent comes to appraise the house, let’s get someone to haul away all this offal in the backyard.

offal

/ ˈɒfəl /

noun

1. the edible internal parts of an animal, such as the heart, liver, and tongue

2. dead or decomposing organic matter

3. refuse; rubbish

Word History and Origins

Origin of offal¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English offal, offail, orfal “waste material, entrails,” equivalent to of off + fal fall; compare Dutch afval “waste”

Word History and Origins

Origin of offal¹

C14: from _off + _fall , referring to parts fallen or cut off; compare German Abfall rubbish

Example Sentences

Said King, whose real name is Brian Johnson, is a massively muscled fitness influencer who built a nine-figure supplement company by promoting what he describes as an “ancestral lifestyle” revolving around ingesting raw offal.

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“Sometimes, people just didn't have enough money to buy a good cut of meat. So these throwaways were all offal that you were able to get for pennies and then feed your family.”

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After the turn of the millennium, a new generation of diners rediscovered offal as high-end restaurants and chefs offered "nose to tail" dining.

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The beef spicy noodle with pork blood and the rice soup with pork intestine, stomach, tongue and pork blood are big draws here, but I’m not the biggest fan of offal.

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But let 2024 be a year of leaving your comfort zone: Try his La Beacon Batchoy egg noodles with pig offal and fermented shrimp.

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