Variety meats is the American term for offal — the edible internal organs and extremities of slaughtered animals: liver, kidneys, heart, tongue, tripe, sweetbreads, brains, and feet. The name is a euphemism that makes the category sound more appealing, though offal remains a hard sell in mainstream American cooking. Nutritionally, variety meats are powerhouses — liver is among nature’s richest sources of vitamin A, iron, and B12 — but they also concentrate cholesterol and any contaminants the animal encountered, and some are high in purines. Their use is growing again through nose-to-tail cooking and ethnic cuisines that never abandoned them. Proper sourcing and thorough cooking are the safety essentials.