1.
beef tongue; grilled beef tongue
Sliced beef tongue, usually salted and grilled over charcoal. It is the signature dish of 仙台 and a standard item at yakiniku restaurants nationwide.
Written 牛タン, with タン from English "tongue." The all-kanji spelling 牛舌 exists but is rare on menus.
Common collocations
- 牛タン定食: a beef tongue set meal (with barley rice and oxtail soup)
- 厚切り牛タン: thick-cut beef tongue
- 牛タン塩: salt-seasoned beef tongue, the standard preparation
- 仙台名物の牛タン: Sendai's famous beef tongue
Cultural note
Grilled beef tongue was developed by a Sendai restaurateur after the war and is now the city's best-known souvenir food, sold vacuum-packed at 仙台駅. Ordering it as a set with 麦ごはん and テールスープ is the local convention.