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Is beef tongue Cargill's next big thing?

By Dan Haugen | 01/30/09

A division of Cargill is finding success selling items that were previously "slaughterhouse leftovers" such as beef tongue, heart and oxtails.

The variety meats are being sold under the Rhumba Meats brand, Cargill's first foray into the branded beef market, Fast Company writes.

It's an attempt to sell to the nation's booming Hispanic population, which Cargill anticipates will represent the next big wave of buying power.

Since it started selling the line at chain grocery stores in June 2007, sales have more than doubled, the company says.

So what does beef tongue taste like?

"[A] lot like pot roast," "a little gamey," with a tofu-like ability to pick up the flavor of whatever it was cooked with, says Fast Company's Ben Paynter.

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Comments (3)

Submitted by David Brauer on January 30, 2009 - 11:50am.

When I was a kid, we had beef tongue every once in awhile. It's actually pretty tasty - like a hot dog - and fatty as hell.

Submitted by Jim Johnson on January 30, 2009 - 2:05pm.

My Jewish wife cooks beef tongue anytime we can find one. I believe it is something of a tradition with the Jews. As a Scandanavian I think it's great. Boiled with Pickle spices it is a heck of a lot better then Ludevisk.

Submitted by William Levin on January 30, 2009 - 9:44pm.

Yes, beef tongue is a Jewish delicacy, if you can find it. One of my pleasures in life is going into a deli (not in this town, where you cannot find the stuff) and asking the waitress for a tongue sandwich!