Tongue is the muscular tongue of a slaughtered animal — most often cattle (ox or beef tongue), but also lamb, pork, veal and sometimes goat — eaten as offal and prized for its rich, deeply savoury flavour and fine, tender texture once cooked. Simmered or braised until the rough outer skin peels away, it slices into smooth, almost buttery meat that turns up worldwide, from Mexican tacos de lengua and Jewish deli tongue to English pressed ox tongue and Japanese gyūtan.