Sweetbread

The word sweetbread, the culinary name for the pancreas and thymus, is surely the result of an early and brilliant marketing ploy on the part of butchers everywhere. People, of course, will eat anything, but it may be easier to get them to buy and eat the pancreas and the thymus if you call it sweetbread, a delicious sounding name that blithely ignores the fact that those organs have nothing to do with bread and are no sweeter than any other part of the animal. This cunning strategy was clearly lost upon whoever gave headcheese its name, but was taken to heart by the makers of Grape-Nuts, a cereal containing neither grapes nor nuts. The word sweetbread first appeared in the middle of the sixteenth century.

This pertains to the pancreas and thymus glands, primarily from young cattle, that are consumed as a food item.

The culinary term for the glands situated in the throat and vicinity of the heart within young sheep (lamb) and cattle (calf) is known as sweetbreads. These delectable morsels are highly regarded in the culinary world for their unique texture and delicate flavor, making them a sought-after ingredient in various gastronomic preparations.