The fifth quarter

The Fifth Quarter: A Culinary Journey into the World of Offal

While many are accustomed to enjoying the more familiar cuts of meat such as tenderloin, sirloin or rib eye, 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 the traditional cuts.

What is meant by fifth quarter?

The term fifth quarter refers to the animal's offal, everything that is not included in the other cuts of meat and which, as a result, remains mysterious.

The importance of the fifth quarter is hidden in the flavor 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 aged in halves, that is, two halves. Each half is made up of a front quarter (neck, shoulder, breast) and a back quarter (leg, loin). It is from these four quarters that the pulp is obtained, the actual meat, prepared after the maturing process. There are parts of the bovine that do not require aging: the organs and the less valuable parts, which today are set aside as "waste", but which in the past and for some of us still today, remain delicious and tasty parts.

The origin of the name fifth quarter

What is offal called? Offal is also called a hidden or mysterious 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, the fifth quarter includes: tripe, kidneys, heart, lungs, diaphragm, liver, spleen, small intestine, testicles, udder, 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 protagonism of offal is identified, not only in the preparation of the dish, but also - and above all - by 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 dish are inextricably linked to imagination.

The Fifth Quarter, an Ancient and Modern Cut

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

The origin of the name can be traced back to a popular saying that still has a lot to teach us today: “In the kitchen, nothing is thrown away!” This also applies to master butchers who have chosen to distance themselves from the reality of intensive farming to indulge in a profession tied to the rhythms 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 bond with one's origins, the desire to identify oneself and the need to increase the added value of one's cuisine has meant that many restaurants have included the fifth quarter in their menus, thus distancing themselves from the idea that offal is a dish to be offered only in second-rate restaurants such as osterias.

Reinventing the Fifth Quarter

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

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

For further information, here are some of our dedicated articles:

• How do you cook the heart?
• Beef Heart Recipes: Ideas from Around the World
• The properties of tripe: the noble waste
• 5 recipes with veal spleen

Our online offal offer

Carne Genuina is a farming business that, alongside its philosophy of respect for animals, 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 the protagonist, but to obtain a tasty and flavourful dish, capable of bringing back memories of the scents 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) infinite waits. Only in this way, in fact, some foods give the best of themselves and offer unique, authentic and unforgettable flavors.

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