My father made a wonderful tongue & beans soup; must have been 45 years ago. Little brother and friend come home, I tell them, "You've got to try Dad's soup!" They both raved about it, until I mentioned the meat was cow tongue. Years later I was still catching flack about that little incident. But he'd grown up on a farm and meat was meat; I thought it tasted great.
Right until the 90s in the UK you could get ox tongue in the deli of nearly all major supermarkets here (nicely sliced) - I loved it long before I realised what it was.
I grew up on a very small farm, but I'm sure many non farm folk were eating it back then too.
I don't balk at tongue (last ate it grilled at table) but you won't catch me eating brain. I have a deep horror of prion disease that precludes developing an appetite for nerve tissue.
Lengua tacos are delicious! But I once tried pig's ear at a korean street food cart. It felt like chewing on an ear. I still wish I had never tried it.
