{"id":519261,"date":"2010-04-07T12:58:34","date_gmt":"2010-04-07T16:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marksdailyapple.com\/?p=11889"},"modified":"2010-04-07T12:58:34","modified_gmt":"2010-04-07T16:58:34","slug":"bone-marrow-delicious-nutritious-and-underappreciated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/519261","title":{"rendered":"Bone Marrow: Delicious, Nutritious and Underappreciated"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"boneMarrow\"If you\u2019re truly interested in consuming the original Primal brain food, look no further than bone marrow: perhaps the first reliable source of large, fatty animal products our scrappy ancestors were able to procure. Yes, before we became spear-using cunning tacticians surrounding, stalking, and out-maneuvering large prehistoric ungulates, we feasted on the bones of fallen prey. Or, more accurately, we feasted on what lurked inside<\/em> the bones (and the skulls, for that matter). Animal fat<\/a> and protein improved the quality of our diet by making digestion less energy intensive. Bone marrow, especially, was highly caloric and nutrient dense, allowing early human ancestors to divert metabolic resources away from the costly digestion of roughage and toward bigger, costlier brains. This spurred the increase in hominid brain size that we still enjoy today.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

That was around two million years ago, when Homo habilis used rudimentary stone tools to strip and smash bones. He was small and relatively diminutive – too small to take down big game – but he could hoist a big smashing stone overhead once the apex predators had gone. And he could probably fend off the hyenas, the vultures, and any other scavengers dead set on sucking the marrow. In fact, we may have learned about the delicious, nourishing paste by watching vultures drop femurs from the sky<\/a> and pick out the marrow.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s clearly something special (nutritionally) about bone marrow. Animals go for the marrow, instinctively, for example. Wolves given access to full deer carcasses gravitated toward those bones with \u201chigh marrow yields,\u201d<\/a> taking care to \u201cdestroy the epiphyses\u201d where the marrow was most plentiful. When I toss my dog a big smorgasbord of raw bones, organs, and muscle meat, he heads straight for the marrow before anything else, every single time. It goes marrow, liver, heart, muscle meat. It’s interesting to see what the high-powered, raw senses of a nearly obligate carnivore chooses when determining which animal product is best to eat.<\/p>\n

As for the nutritional content, consider this data<\/a> (PDF) on standard \u201cAfrican ruminant marrow\u201d, courtesy of Loren Cordain. Three and a half ounces of the stuff contain 488 calories, 51 grams of fat<\/a> (mostly monounsaturated, as I understand), and 7 grams of protein<\/a> \u2013 extremely dense. I can understand why we were driven to come up with new methods of obtaining it. The way wild animals and traditional cultures prized it as much or more so than other fatty, rich cuts suggests that there\u2019s more to marrow than just the fat.<\/p>\n

As we all know, meat, especially fatty meat, contains more than just a lopsided macronutrient ratio. Meat, or any animal product, really, is the best, densest source of fat-soluble vitamins around. Liver, heart, brains, ribeye are all prize cuts for their taste, their nutrition, and the various bioavailable micronutrients that come loaded in every delicious bite. Plus, marrow isn\u2019t just static stuff inside the bones. It fulfills a role. It fulfills many roles, actually. It\u2019s made of osteoblasts (which form bone cells using minerals), adipocytes (fat cells), fibroblasts (which form connective tissue), and osteoclasts (which are responsible for bone resorption). I was unable to obtain detailed info regarding the mineral\/vitamin content of bone marrow, but if it\u2019s involved in bone and connective tissue formation\/resorption, there are probably some choice components that make consumption particularly advantageous.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s another reason \u2013 a big reason, actually \u2013 why animals of all stripes are drawn toward bone marrow and why you should head down to the butcher for some bones: the taste. A subtle, creamy nuttiness, sometimes a bit sweet, always extremely rich, is not to be casually disregarded. The taste is incredible, either eaten straight up with a touch of sea salt or as part of a rich, hearty stew. Its high quality fuel imbued with vitamins and minerals, but it\u2019s delicious fuel that\u2019d be worth eating even if it were devoid of nutrition. Luckily for us, though (and counter to what we\u2019re taught about nutrition), what appeals to our taste buds on a basic level usually also nourishes. Marrow may be a \u201csinful treat\u201d for most, but it deserves to be a kitchen staple for Primal eaters.<\/p>\n

Bones are cheap, and most people that buy them buy them for their dogs. You\u2019ll even see marrow bones marked as \u201cdog bones\u201d in shops. Personally, I\u2019m glad they\u2019re an underappreciated food. If people think of them as dog food, they stay inexpensive. Dogs crave them, love them, but they can\u2019t really spur demand and constrain supply. They alone can\u2019t drive the prices up. So, for the time being, marrow bones, even the grass-fed stuff, remain highly affordable.<\/p>\n

Look for broad bones with big thick tubes of marrow. The bones themselves are great fun for making stock afterwards, but you\u2019re paying for the marrow, so make sure you pick some meaty ones. I\u2019d skip Whole Foods. They charge about four bucks a pound for marrow bones, and they\u2019re from conventional, grain-fed cows. If you\u2019re buying grain-fed, you might as well buy them from a local grocer for a couple bucks or, better yet, from an Asian grocer for less than a dollar per pound. Grass-fed is best, of course, and the best way to get quality grass-fed bone marrow bones is from local or online farmers. Try Eat Wild<\/a> if your farmers\u2019 market meat guy doesn\u2019t carry any. A few of the bone-in cuts will also have a nice shot of marrow, so keep that in mind.<\/p>\n

The simplest, best way to prepare marrow is to roast the bones upright at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Fat will leak out the bottom, and you want to eat it all, so use a pan, or at least catch the drippings with molded foil. When the marrow begins to slightly bubble, it\u2019s ready to be eaten. Thicker bones may need a bit more time in the oven, or you could do what I do and eat it slightly pink. Buy from a trustworthy, reputable source and you\u2019ll be fine. Use a narrow spoon or fork to scrape out the marrow (you can even use a dedicated marrow spoon<\/a>, if you can find one) and top with a bit of coarse sea salt. Serve with a small parsley, shallot, and lemon juice salad to cut through the creaminess of the marrow.<\/p>\n

\"4406988299<\/p>\n

Getting every last bit of marrow out can be hard for beginners. The interior of the bone isn\u2019t smooth, but rather rutted and uneven. If your spoon or fork isn\u2019t fulfilling its duty to your satisfaction, use a combination of applied suction and probing tongue. The suction will loosen any stubborn bits, allowing the tongue to snap \u2018em right up. Another option entirely is to forgo the cutlery and apply suction directly to the loaded bone. It\u2019s a tricky move, because you\u2019ve got to strike a balance between warm enough to slide out and hot enough to burn your mouth, but if you\u2019re able to master the preemptive slurp, nothing compares to a mouthful of gelatinous marrow.<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t tried it yet, get out there and buy some marrow bones. Beef is standard, but any other large mammals will work. And the next time you do a big bone-in roast, whether it\u2019s beef, veal, random African ruminant, or lamb leg, treasure the bone. Don\u2019t dump it into the stock pot right away. Instead, lay it out lovingly on a flat, sturdy surface. Slice it lengthwise if you\u2019ve got the means; otherwise, take a sledgehammer or a big rock and reduce the bone to pieces. Pick the shards clean and suck them dry. Then, and only then, may you toss them in the stockpot (although seeing as how those shards went spelunking in your mouth, you may want to limit the resultant soup\u2019s ultimate audience).<\/p>\n

Sucking on marrow bones seems to unlock latent primal (small \u201cp\u201d) urges in all of us, but that\u2019s okay (as long as you avoid it as a first date meal). If you find yourself turning progressively more feral as the marrow disappears from the bone, don\u2019t worry. Even vegetarians have been observed scrounging, slurping, and gnawing at the remains of a bone marrow meal. When it comes to getting the last delicious bits of bone marrow, total paleo reenactment is the only justifiable course of action.<\/p>\n

Are you a fan of bone marrow? Never tried it? Share your thoughts in the comment board. Thanks, everyone!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get Free Health Tips, Recipes and Workouts<\/a> Delivered to Your Inbox<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/h4>\n

Related posts:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Calorie Restriction and Bone Loss<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. 10 Delicious DIY Salad Dressings<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Your Belly Bone’s Connected to Your Brain Bone<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you\u2019re truly interested in consuming the original Primal brain food, look no further than bone marrow: perhaps the first reliable source of large, fatty animal products our scrappy ancestors were able to procure. Yes, before we became spear-using cunning tacticians surrounding, stalking, and out-maneuvering large prehistoric ungulates, we feasted on the bones of fallen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-519261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519261\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}