Anyone up for some cow’s stomach?

The other night, my roommate and I went into a grocery store to buy some ground beef and found a little more than what we were bargaining for. In the meat display, there were several packages containing black masses of “meat.”  I asked the guy working the counter what it was. His answer: “cow’s stomach.” Um, no thanks, I’ll pass. While we were trying to hide our shock while asking him if he actually ate cow’s stomach, another worker came over and commented “Conjo no,” which in English means “It is beautiful.” They like to say that here a lot, especially when it relates to food. It can be said as a statement or as a question, differentiating between the two simply by voice inflection. I did not think it looked beautiful, nor do I think it would taste beautiful. In all fairness, I guess I shouldn’t judge it before I have tasted it. Who knows, it could be good (though I doubt it). All I know is, if I ever have to eat it, I hope I don’t know what it is until way after the fact. Ignorance is bliss, right?

A little animal science knowledge for you:

You will often hear that cattle have four stomachs, but actually they simply have four parts to their stomach. Judging by the black color and the papillae that were clearly evident, I would venture to guess that what we saw in the store was the rumen. I have included a picture of the four parts of the ruminant (grass eating animal that chews cud/”ruminates”) stomach for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy : ) The part in the bottom right corner was most like what was in the store.