Cooking a sheep's head is not a sight for the faint of heart, and many adventurous gastronomes are ready to try the dish, which is praised not only for its nutritional value and great taste, but also for its benefits to the human body. In many countries, they learned to cook the head in their favorite way, everyone can choose the recipe they like more.

Training

Before you start using the by-product, it must be carefully prepared. First of all, it is imperative to remove all the wool; for this, a fire or a burner is used. The head should turn black on all sides, for this it is regularly turned over.

Then it is placed in a container of water, a brush is taken and all blackened hair is scraped off. You will need to change the water several times, or you can do the same under the tap.

You can simply remove the skin, exposing the muscle tissue, in time it takes less time, but then the taste of the dish will be different.

Some leave the head in the same form, others cut it in half, take out the brains, and clean the internal cavity well. In the future, the brain is used in other recipes, but the tongue is not touched.

Recipes

Sheep's head is a traditional meat product that can be found in any Icelandic supermarket and beyond. In our country, this dish is most often prepared only by Muslims, since lamb, in principle, is consumed more by them.

You can simply boil the offal, for this you need to put it in a large saucepan, sprinkle with coarse salt and pour enough water. There is no need to completely cover your head with water.

When the liquid boils, remove the foam from above, cover with a lid and cook until the flesh begins to separate from the bones. On average, it takes 90-120 minutes, then it is planned to make brawn or jelly. Heads that will be eaten immediately need to be boiled for 60-90 minutes. They are served hot and cold. They are served with boiled potatoes, rice, and vegetables as a side dish.

You can make the offal in another way, for this you will need to put your head in a double boiler, after rubbing it with salt and cumin. Nearby are placed how many medium onions cut in half, as well as a small bunch of coriander and parsley. The head is cooked for 3-4 hours, or until the meat begins to fall off the bones. Served on a large platter with fresh tortillas.

In Scotland, this dish is cooked differently. Place the cleaned sheep's head in a large pot with enough water, bring to a boil.

Cut 1 medium carrot, 1 onion and half a small bunch of parsley, put everything in a saucepan. When the water starts to boil, add salt and ground black pepper. Stew over low heat for 2-3 hours. Boneless meat is taken out and served with onion and tomato sauce.

In Ireland, a boiled dish is served with potatoes, lemon and cream sauce.

It is worth saying that if in European countries this offal is not so in demand, then in other, poorer parts of the world, this is normal food for ordinary people. In Morocco, for example, boiled sheep's head is a welcome dish during Eid al-Adha, when many families prepare meat after home slaughter. Offal is often smoked here, served on the table whole and chopped.

To make a Moroccan head in a pressure cooker, you need the following products:

1 sheep's head, cut into pieces and washed thoroughly;
1 1/2 tablespoons of salt;
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin;
1 small bunch parsley or cilantro
1 onion very coarsely chopped.

Bring a large amount of salted water to a boil in a large pressure cooker. At this time, salt and cumin are mixed in a bowl. Add the meat and, using your fingers, spread the spice mixture evenly over it.

Add onion and parsley to boiling water. Spread the head in a specially designated compartment of the pressure cooker. Close the lid tightly and bring to high pressure. Then reduce the heat and simmer the meat for about two hours or until it is very tender.

Serve on a large platter with salt and cumin in separate small containers. The stew is traditionally eaten with the hands.

You can make a wonderful dish with the following ingredients:

2 carrots;
2 onions;
1 turnip;
2 sticks of celery;
seasoning - parsley, thyme, bailiff and salt.

First, you will need to remove the brain and tongue from the head of the lamb and keep it in salt water for 12 hours, regularly changing the liquid. Only then can you start cooking it.

After boiling, the head should boil for half an hour, only then spread the coarsely chopped vegetables. All rising fat is removed with a spoon, herbs are put five minutes before the dish is removed from the fire. You can optionally add round-grain rice to the broth to make it thicker.

If the boiled head is not too attractive, then you can make it smoked. To do this, you will need to first prepare the offal, remove the skin or singe the wool, rinse well. Before cooking, rub the meat with a mixture of spices and sunflower oil, you can use barbecue sauce.

The head is packed in a bag so that it marinates well for three hours, at which time a smokehouse is being prepared. Cooking time averages 4 hours, core temperature up to 350° F.

As a tree, chips from fruit trees are used: cherry, apricot, apple tree, since their smoke has a unique aroma, but does not convey bitterness to the meat. However, periodically you need to release it, because the meat can be spoiled. If the head begins to smoke heavily, you can wrap it in the process with foil.

Lamb's head is easy to cook at home using a simple oven. It is baked whole, can be cut into two halves or smaller parts. You will first need to coat the meat well with spices and put in the oven for half an hour so that it is fried. Now they cover the head with foil so that the juices do not evaporate, but remain inside, and simmer for another three hours.

As a rule, the head can be sold already prepared or not in the market. In the second case, it is cheaper, but if there is no free area where you could singe it, it is better to spend a little more money, because if you do this in an apartment, then you can not be surprised at the discontent of the neighbors.

It is advisable to use not only allspice, but also other spices. Garlic goes well with lamb, which will drown out its aroma a little. Given the peculiarity and size of this offal, it is rarely baked, more often boiled or smoked.

You can cook an amazing soup on a fire, using the head as the main ingredient, add ordinary products to it: potatoes, onions, carrots, herbs, spices. It is better to take the time to cook, it is better to overcook than undercook, as it will not be easy to separate the meat from the bones.

For information on how to singe and cook a ram's head, see the video below.

This is a special old dish. The boiled head of a ram is served only to the most respected people and elders. This is the way it is at the festive table among the Uzbeks, and among the Kirghiz, and among the Tatars, and among the Kazakhs.
Kazakh-aul is a small settlement near Tashkent, where Kazakh families have lived for centuries. Clean streets, large houses and numerous outbuildings, flowers, livestock, tandoors - everything is traditional. Numerous children greet you, even if they see you for the first time. And this is also traditional. They are taught this from an early age.
We arrived in Kazakh-aul for Sunnat toy - a special rite of initiation for Muslim boys. And expect a big holiday. I certainly looked forward to the culinary holiday. He took place…
In a huge courtyard, some kind of action was constantly taking place, so I didn’t even always have time to react. Even the day before, I asked the owner to call me when some key moments take place. The owner did not forget, and "fixed" his younger brother to me, who did not get tired of looking for me and bringing me to the right place and at the right time.
- Lil-opa, let's go - he touched my sleeve, - There!, - he showed his hand towards the summer kitchen. I turned around and from afar I saw an elderly man bringing out a dish with a lamb's head.
- Calla-pocha!!
Yes, you can say that. Calla-pocha is sometimes called this way of serving a wonderful offal. Although there are other varieties.

The prepared head and legs are placed in a saucepan, poured with cold water. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam. Next, spices are introduced and immediately salt. Simmer for a long time over low heat without a lid. Hours 5-6. The meat should separate easily from the bones.
If the finished head has cooled down by the time it is served, it is lightly roasted in the oven. I must say, the fried boiled head is much tastier. The photo shows how soft and boiled the meat is.

The head and legs are laid out on a large lagan. Along with the dish, a meat cutting board, a large knife and cloth napkins are served on the table.

So, a boiled head on a lagan. Where will it be served?
Of course, to that large and elegant trestle bed, where old people and respected younger people sit. Respectable people means those who have achieved a certain success in life.

Aksakals sit by seniority. The most honorable places are at the end of the trestle bed. Side seats for those who are respected, but younger.

So the head is on the table. Respected younger people decide who will carry out the process of butchering the head.

The decision is made, the choice is made and the process has begun. The meat is slowly and deftly removed from the bones. The head is cut into small pieces and laid out in the plates of the elders. Old people say that such meat is very useful and literally prolongs life.

Another interesting point. We stood at the cauldron with pilaf and talked with the oppoz. A young man ran up to us with a ram's skull in his hand. It turned out that the elders asked to “open” the bone marrow. And the young man ran to an experienced oppoz for advice on how to do it.
Oshpoz showed a barely noticeable strip at the base - a junction that needs to be hit with a large knife on something hard. Next, break the junction into two parts with your hands. The young man successfully coped with the task, and took the “opened” delicacy back to the aksakals.

Serving a boiled ram's head to the elderly is one of the oldest rituals. Fortunately, it has survived to this day, and is invariably repeated on most holidays in Uzbekistan. However, I often hear from young bearers of traditions that they do not understand this dish and do not like it. I note that it really tastes specific. Calla-pocha can be tasted in many teahouses on the outskirts of Tashkent, and you can check the taste.
It would not be surprising to hear such reviews about the dish from Europeans living in Uzbekistan. But for those who grow up with these traditions, the squeamish attitude towards calla pocha is at least strange.
Maybe in order to understand this amazing taste of boiled lamb's head, you need to grow old and really want to live?

Tags: Kazakh cuisine, Uzbek traditions, Festive dishes
Number of impressions: 38623

This is a special old dish. The boiled head of a ram is served only to the most respected people and elders. This is how it is at the festive table among the Uzbeks, and among the Kirghiz, and among the Tatars, and among the Kazakhs.
Kazakh-aul is a small settlement near Tashkent, where Kazakh families have lived for centuries. Clean streets, large houses and numerous outbuildings, flowers, livestock, tandoors - everything is traditional. Numerous children greet you, even if they see you for the first time. And this is also traditional. They are taught this from an early age.
We arrived in Kazakh-aul for Sunnat toy - a special rite of initiation for Muslim boys. And expect a big holiday. I certainly looked forward to the culinary holiday. He took place…
In a huge courtyard, some kind of action was constantly taking place, so I didn’t even always have time to react. Even the day before, I asked the owner to call me when some key moments take place. The owner did not forget, and "fixed" his younger brother to me, who did not get tired of looking for me and bringing me to the right place and at the right time.
- Lil-opa, let's go - he touched my sleeve, - There!, - he showed his hand towards the summer kitchen. I turned around and from afar I saw an elderly man bringing out a dish with a lamb's head.
- Calla-pocha!!

Yes, you can say that. Calla-pocha is sometimes called this way of serving a wonderful offal. Although there are other varieties.

On major holidays, when a ram is slaughtered, the head and legs are boiled separately with spices. Processing components is not an easy process. First, the head and legs are scalded with boiling water, cleaned of wool. The hard parts of the hoof are removed from the legs. All this is thoroughly washed.
Remove, literally knock out the teeth of the upper jaw. The lower jaw is separated at the joint. It is considered dirty and is not used. Next, the eyes, tongue and brains are removed. The "dirty part" of the auricles is cut out. Everything is again thoroughly washed and scraped.
The prepared head and legs are placed in a saucepan, poured with cold water. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam. Next, spices are introduced and immediately salt. Simmer for a long time over low heat without a lid. Hours 5-6. The meat should separate easily from the bones.
If the finished head has cooled down by the time it is served, it is lightly roasted in the oven. I must say, the fried boiled head is much tastier. The photo shows how soft and boiled the meat is.

The head and legs are laid out on a large lagan. Along with the dish, a meat cutting board, a large knife and cloth napkins are served on the table.
So, a boiled head on a lagan. Where will it be served?
Of course, to that large and elegant trestle bed, where old people and respected younger people sit. Respectable people means those who have achieved a certain success in life.

Aksakals sit by seniority. The most honorable places are at the end of the trestle bed. Side seats for those who are respected, but younger.

So the head is on the table. Respected younger people decide who will carry out the process of butchering the head.

Maybe in order to understand this amazing taste of boiled lamb's head, you need to grow old and really want to live?

Lamb's head is a mushroom, otherwise called a ram, or curly curly. It belongs to the genus Grivola and belongs to the Fomitopsis family. It usually grows in forests with broad-leaved varieties of trees. As a rule, the sheep's head (mushroom) is found in maple or oak forests. Less commonly, it can be found in forests where chestnuts or beech grow. The season for lamb's head starts from August and lasts until the very end of September.

Where does this mushroom grow?

This species grows at the base of trees. Often the diameter of the fruit mushroom body reaches eighty centimeters. Moreover, a sheep's head (mushroom) can weigh up to 10 kilograms. It also has an unusual appearance and structure for most. Its fruit body consists of a large number of individual caps, which have a diameter of up to four centimeters.

The caps seem to be connected in one base and thus form the fruiting body of the "ram's head". The ram mushroom is edible. It should be especially noted that it is most desirable to eat young mushrooms. In cases where the fruit cap has blackouts, it is better not to collect them and not to use for culinary purposes.

Conversely, the light shade of the "ram's head" hat indicates its suitability as a food product. It is worth noting that in the middle lane it is most often found on sale in a dried form ready for use. What is noteworthy is that the mutton head (mushroom) is listed in the International Book as an endangered species. Despite this, today these mushrooms are very popular and in great demand in Asian countries, especially in Korea.

Mushroom lamb head: how to cook?

Specialists in the field of cooking classify the ram mushroom as an edible mushroom of the fourth category. This means that it is suitable for eating only after heat treatment. Most often, these mushrooms are boiled or fried. In addition, they are ideal for making various sauces, as well as broths and soups from a wide variety of ingredients.

In addition, fillings for dumplings, as well as other flour products, are made from it. It is also worth noting that the ram mushroom is also used as a seasoning. To do this, the "sheep's head" is dried, and then crushed to a state of fine powder. The resulting spice has a specific flavor and can be added to both first and second courses.

How is it different?

"Lamb's head" has a specific taste with nutty notes, which not everyone will appreciate. In Asia, the ram-mushroom is served marinated, but such a dish turns out to be "an amateur". In turn, fried mushrooms, filled with sour cream sauce, will appeal to most of those who have treated themselves. In specialized stores, you can find this variety of mushrooms cooked in Korean, like carrots. And no matter what dishes you want to try cooking, you will need to boil it in salted water for about 20 minutes, this time is enough to prepare the lamb's head mushroom. Any recipes with it can be used where mushrooms are needed, but it is important not to interrupt its taste with other ingredients, but to emphasize it.

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Kohlrabi stuffed with mushrooms

Remove the core from kohlrabi so that the walls are 0.5 cm thick, fill with minced mushrooms, grease the cut tops with protein, put on kohlrabi and tie the kohlrabi with a thread. Brown the chopped onion in sunflower oil, put the kohlrabi on it, pour the broth from the cube, cover and simmer in the oven until tender.
To prepare minced meat, pour milk over the buns (just to moisten them). Clean the mushrooms, cut into slices. Put to stew in sunflower oil with finely chopped onions. Then add finely chopped parsley and pepper. Remove from fire. Squeeze the soaked buns, chop and put them on the mushrooms, pour in the milk squeezed from the buns, add flour, crackers, eggs, melted animal or vegetable fat, salt and mix well. During frying, you can put a little ground cumin in the mushrooms.
To prepare the sauce from butter and flour, prepare a light flour dressing, dilute it with kohlrabi juice, add sour cream, lemon juice, a little sugar and salt to taste. Put the chopped onion into the sauce.

For 4 servings:
8 small young kohlrabi, 1 tbsp. l. sunflower oil, 1 bouillon cube, salt to taste.
For minced meat:
0.03 l of sunflower oil, 30 g of onion, 300 g of mushrooms (champignons, porcini, chanterelles or any other), 1 tbsp. l. wholemeal flour, 0.15 l of milk, 2 eggs, 2 buns, 40 g of animal or vegetable fat, 2 tsp. breadcrumbs, parsley, ground black pepper, salt to taste. For sauce:
40 g butter, 60 g fine flour, 1 small onion, 200 g sour cream, lemon juice, green onions, sugar, salt to taste.