There are spreadable meats, like pâté and terrines, that are considered downright chic. So much so that their appearance on a charcuterie spread or picnic basket tells you the host pulled out all the stops to make the nosh special. Head cheese typically doesn't make that cut.
Despite the fact that it is essentially made with the same things that pâté or terrines are made of, its unappetizing-sounding name keeps many people away. Head cheese is a perfect example of nose-to-tail eating, which more and more people are embracing as a sustainable and delicious way to eat. Yet, poor head cheese hasn't been given its due.
The dish is made primarily from the meat bits that come off of a hog's head when it is boiled, thus the "head" title. As far as the "cheese," goes, some believe it refers to the fact that the meat mixture was poured into cheese molds to cool and form. Others assume it is based on the texture of head cheese, which some describe as being similar.
In point of fact, head cheese is a type of aspic, or savory, jellied product typically made with meat, and has nothing whatsoever to do with cheese. Some aspics, however, like this , have nothing whatsoever to do with meat. Nothing cheesy about it Head cheese has been around since the Middle Ages, where it was popular amongst the peasant populations in Europe.
They would take the less readily consumable bits of an animal and make use of them. In the case of head cheese, they would boil a whole hog's head. During the .