Tongues can be cooked fresh, or they can be pickled, smoked, and dried. Dried tongues, whether ox or reindeer, require a great deal of soaking, and should always be put in soak overnight. Tongues fresh from the pickle only require three or four hours to soak.

Boiled Tongue

Put the tongue, after it has been soaked, into cold water in a saucepan, with an onion and a dessertspoonful of mixed sweet herbs. Let it boil till tender; when done, remove the skin, and fasten it down with a couple of forks and a piece of string into the proper shape for it to be eaten cold - viz., somewhat like a lady's high-heeled boot. When it is cold, glaze and ornament it. (See Glaze.) The skin will easily peel off when tender. Time to boil a large smoked tongue, about five hours; a small smoked tongue, about three hours and a half. A large unsmoked tongue, about four hours; a small unsmoked tongue, about three hours. A fresh ox-tongue, about one hour and a quarter.

Sheep's Tongue

Sheep's tongues can be boiled, and served hot with brain sauce. (See Sheep's Head and Sheep's Brains.) "When the tongues are salted they can be treated just like ox-tongues, only they will not take more than an hour to boil. They can be served hot with boiled fowl or rabbit.

Sheep's tongues make a pretty dish if arranged in a ring with the roots in the centre. The tongues should be brushed over with a little glaze if they are wished to look very nice. Pile some mashed potatoes high up in the middle; or some green peas. Pour some brown gravy (see Gravy) round the tongues, and serve very hot.

How To Glaze And Ornament Tongue

(See Glaze.) - Glaze the tongue with some good bright glaze. Tie a paper frill round the root, which must be trimmed and cut square with a knife. A flower cut out of a turnip to resemble a camellia, tied to a few fresh bay-leaves, may be stuck in the root. A little ornamental work can be put round the tongue on the glaze as follows: - Roll a piece of notepaper up like a funnel. Melt a little clarified butter, and pour it into the funnel; by holding the funnel near the tip you can let the butter run out in a very thin stream, or by drops, or you can stop it altogether. A little curly ornamental ring can be placed round the tongue by this means, or little white drops, as big as a small pea, placed round the edge, keeping the drops about half an inch apart. Surround the tongue with plenty of fresh green parsley, and avoid putting it on too small a dish.

Tinned Sheep's Tongues

Sheep's tongues are now sold in tins; they can be warmed up, and treated as above, taking care to reserve all the jelly in the tin to help to make the gravy.

Tinned tongues also make a nice dish cold. Place them in a ring, glaze them. Pile up some "macedoines," or some cold boiled carrot, turnip, and peas in the middle. Make a ring of Tartar sauce round the outside of the vegetables on the end of the roots of the tongues.

Sheep's tongues tinned are very nice curried. Simply warm them up in curry sauce. (See Curry Sauce).