Sweetbread

[3] As the thymus is replaced by fibrous tissue in older animals, only pancreatic sweetbreads come from beef and pork.

In Henri-Paul Pellaprat's classic Modern French Culinary Art, which was published in English in 1966, he includes six different recipes for sweetbreads, including versions with cream sauce, with ham, presented in pastry cases, and à la Florentine.

[7] In the 1961 classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume 1, Julia Child and her co-authors also include six recipes for sweetbreads, with variations of cream and mushroom sauces, a version à l’Italienne including ham and mushrooms, and a gratin with Swiss cheese.

[9] Sweetbreads are a component of the Creole cuisine of Louisiana, with recipes included in some of the earliest cookbooks published there.

[12] One common preparation of sweetbreads involves soaking in salt water, then poaching in milk, after which the outer membrane is removed.