The fifth quarter

The fifth quarter: a culinary journey into the world of offal

While many are accustomed to enjoying more familiar cuts of meat such as filet, sirloin or ribeye, there is an entire culinary world hidden in the less celebrated parts of the animal.

The "fifth quarter" is a term used to indicate all those parts of the animal that do not belong to traditional cuts.

What is meant by fifth quarter?

The term fifth quarter identifies the offal of the animal, everything that is not included in the other cuts of meat and which therefore remains mysterious.

The importance of the fifth quarter is hidden in the taste that these particular cuts of meat are able to give to the dish in which they are the absolute protagonists.

Fifth quarter: why are offal called that?

The beef is matured in half-carcasses, that is, two halves. Each half is made up of a front quarter (neck, shoulder, chest) and a rear quarter (thigh, loin). It is from these four quarters that the pulp, the actual meat, is obtained, prepared after the maturing process. There are parts of the bovine that do not require maturing: the organs and the less valuable parts, which today are put aside as "waste", but which in the past and for some of us still remain delicious and tasty parts.

The origin of the name fifth quarter

What are offal called? Offal is also defined as a hidden or mystery cut, this is because it includes most of the internal organs and everything that is not part of the four main cuts of the animal.

What part is the fifth quarter?

Specifically, they fall into the fifth quarter: tripe, kidneys, heart, lungs, diaphragm, liver, spleen, small intestine, testicles, breasts, brain, tongue, tail and legs. Therefore, an extra quarter, compared to the others from which the meat is obtained.

Strong flavor, intense taste, defined aroma. The prominence of offal is identified not only in the preparation of the dish, but also - and above all - in the chef's ability to bring an inviting dish to the table. Here the desire to (re)discover tradition and the need to renew a course is inextricably combined with imagination.

The fifth quarter, an ancient and modern cut

The art of transforming these often overlooked parts into succulent dishes is a culinary tradition rooted in the history of many communities.

The origin of the name is to be relegated to a popular saying that still has a lot to teach today: "Nothing is thrown away in the kitchen!", this also applies to master butchers who have chosen to distance themselves from the reality of intensive farming to satisfy a profession linked to the times of nature.

In fact, it is slaughterhouses like those of the past that have allowed us to (re)discover offal and, thanks to the inventiveness of chefs and the proliferation of recipes linked to tradition, (re)discover the unique flavor of these particular ingredients.

The link with one's origins, the desire to identify and the need to increase the added value of one's cuisine has meant that many restaurants have included the fifth quarter in their menu, thus removing the idea that offal is a dish to be offered only in second-class restaurants such as taverns.

Reinventing the fifth quarter

The ever-growing interest that revolves around street food has allowed industry experts to create a common thread between tradition and the dishes to be presented. In fact, offal can be prepared in a myriad of ways, such as grilled, stewed, fried, braised or even in moist ragù. This is why more and more often we find dishes that we used to find on our grandmother's table in street stalls: the Lampredotto in Florence and the Pani câ meusa in Palermo are two famous examples.

The desire to rediscover the aromas and flavors of the past finds its maximum expression also in the kitchens of great chefs who choose to offer simple ingredients combined with refined and revisited products: Venetian-style liver and Milanese tripe represent the typical dishes of the local culture which acquires enormous prestige thanks to offal.

To know more:

• How do you cook the heart?
• Recipes with beef heart: ideas from the world
• The properties of tripe: the noble waste
• 5 recipes with veal spleen

Our online offal proposal

Carne Genuina is a peasant reality that, alongside the philosophy based on respect for the animal, chooses to offer its customers healthy, genuine and top quality products.

Thanks to the newfound importance of the fifth quarter, many television shows offer recipes with offal as protagonists, but to obtain a tantalizing dish full of flavour, capable of bringing back memories of the aromas of the past, you need to choose top quality ingredients.

The imagination of the recipes is accompanied by the preference to respect the cooking times, just like our grandmothers did: pots on the stove and (almost) endless waiting. In fact, only in this way can some foods give the best of themselves and offer unique, authentic and unforgettable flavours.

The secret to bringing the fifth quarter cooked to perfection to the table is to prefer simple combinations, such as vegetables, which help to enhance the flavor without increasing it excessively. Respecting tradition means offering simple dishes with few ingredients which, thanks to their peculiarities, manage to amaze diners. Try adding an original touch starting from a typical recipe from your region: you too will surely notice the variety of proposals that include an element of the fifth quarter!