Brain sandwiches, onion rings, and German fries served in Evansville, Indiana.Photo byTim Schapker, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A fried brain sandwich is made of sliced calves' brains on bread. This type of sandwich was widespread in St. Louis, Missouri in the late 1880s, especially with the city's stockyards. I haven't consumed a lot of beef for the past decade and even if I did, a cow's brain sandwich is not on my list of things to try.

The demand for this type of sandwich has nearly diminished, but a few restaurants are still offering them. They are served battered on hamburger buns in the Ohio River valley. They are served at mom and pop venues in Evansville, Indiana.

Pig's brains

Once cow brains are over 30 months old after slaughter, they cannot be sold for human consumption in the U.S.

Because of the concern of mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), some restaurants began serving pigs' brains.

Brains in St. Louis

Schottzie's Bar & Grill serves Brain Sandwiches and has mixed reviews on Yelp. One person thought it was good while another said it had no taste. The Brain Sandwich is considered a house specialty. The fried brain is served on toasted swirl rye bread with pickles, red onions, and hot country mustard for $9.29.

Brain Sandwich.Photo bySchottzie's Bar & Grill via Facebook.

A while back, Schottzie’s was featured on Andrew Zimmern's show, Bizarre Foods.

Fergie's Bar & Restaurant is another venue that serves the fried brain sandwich. Fergie's Brain Sandwich is served Served on rye with pickle, onion & potato salad for $7.95 (if that price is current). Fergie's does appear to have a website but it's been reviewed on Yelp and Tripadvisor. This isn't a fancy venue, it's a bar with food and lots of MU Tigers paraphenalia. Fergie's is located at 1699 Lemay Ferry Road in St. Louis.

Making this sandwich at home

If you want to make your own beef brain sandwich at home, make sure you have a reputable resource where raising healthy animals is important.

Allegedly, consuming beef brain is supposed to improve your memory, mental clarity, regulate your moods, and improve the quality of your sleep.

Visit here for a brain sandwich recipe.

Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments if you've ever tried this sandwich.