Beuschel

Beuschel is finely sliced lung and heart simmered into a tangy, caper-and-cream sauce. It's Vienna's classic offal ragout, born from the same waste-not tradition that made Tafelspitz a whole two-course meal out of boiled beef — Beuschel is what happens to the parts of the animal that don't make it onto a fine roast.

What it actually is

Lung and heart poach gently until tender, then slice into very fine, almost matchstick-thin strips — the texture has to be delicate, since large chunks of offal read very differently from a properly prepared Beuschel. Those strips simmer in a roux-thickened sauce sharpened with lemon juice and capers, finished with cream to round out the sourness, until the sauce clings to every strip.

The meat has to be sliced thin, almost shredded. A version with large, chunky pieces of lung or heart misses the texture Beuschel is actually built around — the fine slicing is what lets the tangy sauce coat and season every bite evenly.

How it's served

• Hot, in a shallow bowl, with a bread dumpling to soak up the sauce.
• As a main course, traditional lunch fare at Viennese Beisln.
• With the sauce tangy and cream-finished, not plain or watery.

Writing it on a menu

• Flag dairy from the cream in the sauce.
• Say plainly that it's made from lung and heart, since some guests will want to know exactly what offal is used before ordering.
• Note that the meat is sliced very finely, part of the traditional preparation.
• Mention if a different offal mix is used, since availability and regulations around lung vary by country.