# What is the Spanish word for "cow brains?"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 17, 2004, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852 "2004-06-17T13:34:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mrs.McDonald](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.McDonald)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/1 "2004-06-17T13:34:51Z")
If you’re at a restaurant in Mexico, what is the word for “brains” that would appear on the menu?
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/2 "2004-06-17T13:47:27Z")
According to babelfish, it’d probably be “cerebro de la vaaaaaaaca”.
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/3 "2004-06-17T14:31:05Z")
The most likely “brainy” thing you’d see on a menu is _tacos de sesos_. Recipe at the bottom of [this page](http://es.geocities.com/ciudaddelaesperanza/Tacos.html) (in Spanish).
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/4 "2004-06-17T14:32:47Z")
(More generally, _sesos_ means brains in the culinary sense.)
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/5 "2004-06-17T16:26:29Z")
Another term I see at the local taquerias is “cabeza” or head. I don’t know exactly what that’s referring to, but I’m assuming they’re not serving up skulls. A burrito around here is roughly the size of a 16-oz can of beer, so a skull wouldn’t fit. 😛
Ahhh… some Googling turns up that cabeza is beef cheeks. I never bothered to look before now, as this gringo gets enough quizzical looks when he asks for carne desebrada. (similar to well-cooked, falling apart pot roast in a spicy chili sauce)
As a side note, if you’re at a restaurant or taqueria and see things like sesos, cabeza, lengua (beef tongue) and birria (goat) on the menu, you’re probably in a decent place. One that can’t be bothered to have anything beyond beef, chicken and cheese probably isn’t much more advanced than Taco Bell.
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### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/6 "2004-06-17T17:04:50Z")
> [@Colophon](#):
>
> (More generally, _sesos_ means brains in the culinary sense.)
Interestingly, it’s related to our word “sense”.
We have Sp. _peso_ from latin _pensum_ (“weight”)
so it makes sense that we also have
Spl _seso_ from L. _sensum_ (??). I’m not sure of the exact Latin form, but I’d bet my next paycheck that it’s pretty close to that.
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### Author:  [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/7 "2004-06-17T18:33:11Z")
Brain is \*cerebro \* in Spanish. However, when talking about animal brains and not referring to anatomy we usually use _sesos_. Cow brain is _sesos de vaca_, no _sesos de la vaca_, as the latter implies that you refer to the brain of a particular cow. Although quite rare we eat goat brain around here, we also eat [tripes](http://dominicancooking.com/recipes/specialoccasions/mondongo.htm) (just as the Spaniards) and other less than elegant body parts.
I’ve tried them.
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### Author:  [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/8 "2004-06-17T20:46:35Z")
I gather from context that it is “anglos”.
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### Author:  [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/9 "2004-06-17T20:48:50Z")
cow: female
cattle: male or female
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2004, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/10 "2004-06-18T01:25:13Z")
Just a guess… is the OP playing the “Where are you?” contest in Conde Nast’s Traveller magazine?
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### Author:  [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2004, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/11 "2004-06-18T02:59:21Z")
> [@Mighty\_Girl](#):
>
> Brain is \*cerebro \* in Spanish. However, when talking about animal brains and not referring to anatomy we usually use _sesos_. Cow brain is _sesos de vaca_, no _sesos de la vaca_, as the latter implies that you refer to the brain of a particular cow.
Or _sesos de res_, “res” being an alternate word for referring generically to bovine meat.
> [@](#):
>
> Although quite rare we eat goat brain around here, we also eat [tripes](http://dominicancooking.com/recipes/specialoccasions/mondongo.htm) (just as the Spaniards) and other less than elegant body parts…
Yum. Mondongo.
Another personal favorite of mine: _Gandinga_. It’s a stew of, in my brother’s definition, all what’s inside the pig that you don’t use for sausage.
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### Author:  [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2004, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/12 "2004-06-18T04:48:58Z")
Just _sesos_ would probably be the most likely form. Beef brain being the most commonly consumed.
_Tacos de cabeza_ can be from any part of the head. That includes the brain _(de sesos)_, the lips (_de labio_), the eyes (_de ojo_), the tongue (_de lengua_), the ears (_de oreja_), the cheeks (_de cachete_), other meat scraped from different areas (_de carnaza_) and a few others. You order whichever pleases you.
The _taco de cabeza_ stands are easily recognizable. The different cuts of meat are placed in a type of steam tray and covered with a large white towel. Some carts or stands are adorned with a bleached cow skull complete with horns.The tortillas are heated using steam. Usually they are served with chopped fresh white onion and cilantro and a _salsa verde_. Tongue is probably the most popular filling and usually gets sold out before the others. In fact the demand is so high for beef tongue that Mexico imports large amounts from the USA.
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### Author:  [@Daver914](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daver914)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2004, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-spanish-word-for-cow-brains/250852/13 "2004-06-18T10:36:01Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#):
>
> Tongue is probably the most popular filling and usually gets sold out before the others. In fact the demand is so high for beef tongue that Mexico imports large amounts from the USA.
And with good reason. When I was young, I went to visit some of my cousins (on the Mexican side of my family). My aunt was cooking some meat in a pan, which she proceeded to slice up and serve as sandwiches. It was delicious, incredibly tender, and I finally asked her what it was. When she said it was tongue, I stopped chewing briefly, but then decided it was too good to stop. In all seriousness, I don’t ever remember having a more tender cut of meat.