chitterlings

American  

[chit-linz, -lingz] / ˈtʃɪt lɪnz, -lɪŋz /

Also chitlins or chitlings

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. the small intestine of swine, especially when prepared as food.

---

chitterlings British  

/ ˈtʃɪtlɪŋz, ˈtʃɪtəlɪŋz, ˈtʃɪtlɪnz /

plural noun

1. (sometimes singular) the intestines of a pig or other animal prepared as a dish

---

Etymology

Origin of chitterlings

1250–1300; Middle English cheterling; akin to German Kutteln in same sense

Explanation

Chitterlings are a type of food with an unappetizing origin: they’re the small intestines of a pig. Chitterlings are served boiled or fried. Many parts of a pig are used as food, but you’d think we’d draw the line with something as gross as its guts. However, you’d think wrong, because this is exactly what chitterlings are: a pig’s small intestines. Chitterlings are then boiled or fried, and they’re often filled with mincemeat. Chitterlings can come from other animals too, but they’re usually from a pig. If you eat these on a regular basis, you may know them as chitlins.

Example Sentences

Later he takes viewers to a place known as the Trap Kitchen to eat chitterlings, which leads into a faux video of his “trap” version of the National Anthem.

From Salon • Jun. 27, 2017

Department of Agriculture representative who had been dispatched to the strut returned to the White House with a gallon of frozen chitterlings specially prepared for President Gerald Ford.

From Washington Post • Jun. 12, 2017

Through collard greens, cornbread, okra, ham-hocks, chitterlings and pigs’ feet, neither can stop upping the ante.

From Economist • May 5, 2016

Mrs. B’s Home Cooking is another meat-and-three favorite, where you’ll find turkey and dressing, oxtails, smothered pork chops, fried chicken, chitterlings, collard greens, mac ‘n’ cheese, okra, corn bread and more.

From Washington Times • Jun. 6, 2015

At these affairs I drank home-brewed beer, ate spaghetti and chitterlings, laughed and talked with black, southern- born girls who worked as domestic servants in white middle-class homes.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright