Regional Delacies

     Stumbling along the Haymarket open air market was quite a revelation, but what I found along one side of the event on the Blackstone Block was truly amazing, and a little bit unnerving as well.  In addition to the stalls that sell fruit and produce every Friday and Saturday are a row of basement shops that I can only assume are open also throughout the week.  They are owned and operated by various ethnic groups that cater to the many immigrant residents of Boston.

 

     As I peeked down the stairs of one I was invited for a tour by a very gregarious Lebanese woman wearing a white butcher's apron.  She proudly showed me around the small subterranean market past the items like the freshly made baba ganoush and stuffed eggplant that people were ordering and enjoying at small tables.  We walked past the seafood on display and around the meat counter back to the walk in cooler.  Opening the door she showed off the freshly slaughtered goats for sale next to this sign:

 

     I was filled with incredulity.  But I was not prepared for what I saw next as I turned to find my way out of the store.  There in the cooler case were various animal parts for sale, some I could not recognize but others I could.  Beside each other were hoofs and heads, I can only assume from goats and other cloven animals.

 

     It never occurred to me that a roasted goat head would be considered a delicacy, but after some research I discovered that it is a prized meal in many parts of the world.  Here's what the Great Falls, Montana Prairie Star had to say in a recent column (Jan, 9, 2013):

     "Goats are one of the earliest domesticated animals.  They produce food, milk, hides, and fiber.  They are very important animals.  Goat head (is) traditionally cooked using onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, chilis, herbs and other seasonings...it may also be salted, smoked and dried for later use." 

     I can only assume that is what I saw in that cooler case.  Needless to say I did not purchase one for culinary research.  But if you'd like the recipe, just click on Goat Head.