Eating only a few select cuts of meat from animals can get tiresome over time. Nowadays, people go to great lengths to prepare and serve all sorts of parts from livestock, poultry, and fish on the dining table. However, some parts are absolutely inedible, as they can affect human health and even lead to food poisoning.
Fish "Black Skin": Most fish have a layer of black membrane on both sides of their abdominal cavity. This is the most pungent and earthy-tasting part of the fish. It contains large amounts of histamine, lipids, and lysozyme. Ingesting histamine by mistake can cause symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
Pork Blood Neck: This refers to the bloody part below the neck, which is mostly lymph nodes and fat. This area contains significantly more harmful substances and pathogenic microorganisms than other parts. Additionally, the meat nodules on a pig's neck, known as "meat dates," should not be eaten. When consuming, these gray, yellow, or dark-red nodules should be removed because they are full of bacteria and viruses, which can easily lead to illness if consumed. The same applies to beef and mutton. A common folk belief is that sow meat, especially the sow's teats, should not be eaten. This has no scientific basis. It's just that sow meat is quite tough and is rarely used in home cooking.
Chicken Head and Comb: The comb in particular should not be eaten. There is a Chinese saying: "A ten-year-old chicken head is more toxic than arsenic." Why does the toxicity of a chicken head increase with its age? This is because chickens ingest harmful heavy metals while pecking, and these heavy metals accumulate in the head over time.
Chicken and Duck Necks: This part has very little meat, but it has a relatively high concentration of blood vessels and lymph glands. It's fine to eat it occasionally as a treat, but you should note that the skin should be removed, as lymph glands and other detoxifying organs are concentrated in the subcutaneous fat of the neck. Some people have a habit of biting into duck necks, but be careful not to accidentally ingest the trachea inside the neck bone, as the trachea is involved in gas exchange and can easily harbor bacteria.
Chicken or Duck "Tail": Also known as "chicken butt" or "poultry rump." This refers to the area at the top of the tail where the long tail feathers grow on poultry like chickens, ducks, and geese. The meat is fatty and tender, and its scientific name is the "cloacal bursa." This area is a concentration point for lymph glands. The macrophages in these lymph glands can ingest bacteria, viruses, and even carcinogens, but they cannot break them down, so they all accumulate in the tail. The tail is like a repository for all kinds of filth.
Sheep "Suspensory Ligament": Also known as "hoof pearl," it grows between the hooves and is a viral tissue resulting from a pathological condition in the sheep's hoof. It is typically串珠-shaped (bead-like) and must be removed before consumption.