In France, for Rosh Hashanah and Passover, tongue, with its velvety texture, is often served with a sweet-and-sour ginger sauce. In some homes the tongue is put on the table as a symbol of the wish for success in the New Year. Spicy-sweet sauces often accompanied pickled meats in Alsace, where sugar was first used as a condiment rather than as a dessert sweetener. By the time the meat had been pickled, desalted, and then cooked, it had lost much of its flavor, so sugar, ginger, and other spices ensured a good taste. Jews have a long history of treating tongue, an often scorned cut of meat, as a delicacy. It is preserved and pickled in a salt brine with garlic, pepper, spices, sodium nitrite, and sodium erythorbate. The tongue is then boiled, the skin peeled off, and slices of meat are served with a sauce.

　　

Ingredients

10 to 12 servings

　　One 4-to-5-pound pickled beef tongue

　　3 onions, quartered

　　6 bay leaves

　　3 teaspoons whole peppercorns

　　1 teaspoon whole cloves

　　

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

　　1 onion, peeled and diced

　　Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

　　1/2 teaspoon ground mace

　　1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

　　1/2 teaspoon allspice

　　10 gingersnaps, crumbled

　　2 to 3 tablespoons cider vinegar

　　1/2 cup raisins

　　1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds

　　4 or 5 thin lemon slices

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

　　

Step 1

Fill a pot with cold water. Add the tongue, onions, bay leaves, peppercorns, and cloves. Bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, allowing about 20 minutes per pound, until the meat is tender when pierced with a knife. Allow the tongue to cool to room temperature in the cooking water. Using a sharp knife, peel off the outer skin and any extra fat or gristle. Return the tongue to the cooking water, cover, and refrigerate. This may be done a day in advance.

　　

Step 2

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a medium-sized frying pan. Sauté the diced onion until golden. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, the mace, cloves, allspice, and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, and add the gingersnaps, cider vinegar, raisins, almonds, and lemon slices. If the sauce gets too thick, thin with a little more water. The sauce may be made a day in advance; cover and refrigerate.

　　

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the tongue from the cooking water, and place in a roasting pan. Brush with the sauce, and bake for 45 minutes, basting the tongue occasionally. Cut the tongue on the diagonal into slices about 1/4 inch thick, and serve garnished with the parsley and the sauce on the side.

　　Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous