Calf's Foot

Calf's foot is the lower leg of a young bovine, typically skinned and split at the hoof. Rich in collagen and connective tissue, it melts into a silky, gelatinous body when simmered; the meat is mild and sparse. Cooks use it to set aspics and terrines, enrich broths, and give body to braises; it is sold whole or split, fresh, blanched, or frozen.

Culinary traditions across Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America have long simmered calves' feet for stock and jelly, from British calf's-foot jelly to French pot-au-feu and Mexican caldos. Processors obtain the cut as a standard by-product of veal fabrication, and butchers often split it to improve extraction.