Eating animal heads makes a comeback in China

Eating animal heads is making a comeback in the cuisine of Beijing. The New York Times reports that serving heads, preferably heavily spiced, is the latest repast to enjoy a growth in popularity. 

This isn’t novelty food; rather, it’s much-loved local street food with deep cultural roots, which has spread from the provinces into China’s biggest cities.

Reporting from Beijing, the paper's Craig S. Smith tells how, thanks to China’s decades-long economic boom, the increasingly cosmopolitan, educated and urban-bred young are drifting away from their rustic culinary roots. But that same boom is driving a culinary revival, with chefs rediscovering dishes that hadn’t been seen for decades.

While pig heads, goat heads and even dog heads are eaten in China, the reigning triumvirate is fish, duck and rabbit, each of which has restaurants devoted to its preparation.