We’re not so different from leeches or lampreys.
That’s the idea behind the Field Museum’s current exhibition “Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches,” and a partnership with local restaurants called “Blood Appetit,” which runs from Feb. 19 to March 8. The inaugural culinary event seeks to raise awareness of blood’s role in food and demystify the sometimes-maligned ingredient known more for its perceived fear factor than as a source of nourishment.
“The idea was born out of this idea that although American cuisine — what may be commonly thought of as American cuisine — doesn’t feature blood as a common ingredient, blood is actually used all around the world in all kinds of cooking. So we’re hoping that this experience encourages people to look at not only blood as a culinary ingredient, but also the bloodsuckers in a new light,” Maggie Holcomb, marketing and advertising director at Field Museum, said.
Blood is used in many different cuisines in different applications, such as a thickener, coloring agent or flavor enhancer. That diversity will be on display through Blood Appetit, with about 10 restaurants representing cuisines such as Asian and Mexican in the inaugural culinary event. Some of the dishes diners can expect include blood sausage sliders from Frontier, chocolate cake from Mott Street and morcilla (blood sausage) tacos at Taqueria Chingon.
Taqueria Chingon in Logan Square puts a French spin on morcilla, chef and owner Marcos Ascencio said. Rice is often used as a filler in morcilla, but Taqueria Chingon uses a combination of bread and apples. The bread absorbs the pork blood, which gives the sausage a smooth texture and body.
The dish’s toppings will also change with the seasons; right now there’s an apple slaw, apple jam and salsa macha, a chili oil and nut condiment.
Cooking with blood is another way to reduce food waste, Ascencio said. It also takes a lot of skill to turn the ingredient into a dish that people will enjoy. Making sausage is already a laborious process but to add blood, which can be messy to handle, into the mix is another level.
But Ascencio embraces cooking with “precious blood” because it’s a craft and a way to introduce people a little wary of blood to the ingredient.
“Once we explain it to [diners], and they try it, and then there’s [some people who say], ‘Oh yeah, that’s really good.’ You have your people that like it and then you have your haters who are never going to like it. And that’s OK. But for me, I just love [making morcilla]. I love the process.”
After diners enjoy their dishes, they’ll be able to scan a QR code that will give them a discount to the museum’s “Bloodsuckers” exhibition, which features animals, insects and other creatures that feed on blood for nourishment, both real and imagined. The exhibit features a display of bloodsucking species, from taxidermy birds to mounted or fossilized insects; a replica of a barber’s bloodletting station with interactive apothecary drawers that offers a glimpse into the history of bloodletting in medicine, and a theater showing clips of bloodsucking creatures and characters from pop culture (yes, Dracula makes an appearance). It’s running at the museum until Sept. 2.
“[The exhibition] is a unique concept to people. It’s not something we often think about and so when you go through the exhibition you learn about how these creatures exist and live around us,” Holcomb said. “The idea is to raise a little bit more awareness of how humans fit into that mix in consuming blood as an ingredient and just thinking about it a little bit differently and challenging people to understand these creatures that are maybe a little bit misunderstood a little better.”
Restaurant reservations can be made starting Feb. 19. For the full list of restaurants and more information, go to fieldmuseum.org/bloodappetit. More info on “Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches” is available at fieldmuseum.org.
