Photo and blog post by John HoffKnowing my passion for trying strange cuisine, recently my girlfriend Megan picked up an authentic Hmong dish at Banana Blossom restaurant on Lowry Ave. N. The dish features pork uterus, ear and stomach.
Keep in mind, when I say "strange" I mean strange to me. Strange to my culture. This food is not strange to the culture from which it originates and, furthermore, there is nothing intrinsically stranger about eating a pig's uterus versus a pig's rear end, what your people call "pork chop."
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It was my first time eating the uterus of any animal--that I know about, you can never be sure what's in hot dogs, I'm just saying--and, I must admit, it was not at all unpleasant. The uterus of a pig tastes not unlike the testes, which can be found in other authentic Hmong cuisine such as the "pig organ stew" available at Bangkok Market on Lyndale Ave. N.
Of course, the testes have a meatier texture compared to the uterus. Uterus is more on the slippery side. Given a choice, I'd go with the testes.
Since uterus may be "extreme cuisine" for most readers, I should mention there are a number of other dishes at Banana Blossom which are unique and interesting and hard to find, as well as a lot of standard Southeast Asian fare that's both delicious and affordable. They even have a buffet!
If you want to try interesting cuisine on a tight budget...get to NoMi! Banana Blossom is only one example. I have yet to encounter a North Minneapolis restaurant that's overpriced.
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Banana Blossom recently expanded their menu and have several new entrees available. So if you have already been, go back and try something new. If you have not yet been there, why not?
ReplyDeleteSounds like something Granny would fix for Jedd Clampett.
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