An edible animal organ that is most often removed from the mouth of beef, veal, lamb, and pork for use in making various meat dishes. While beef tongue has the best flavor, all types of tongue meat are fairly tough and should be braised for longer periods of time to tenderize the meat. Available fresh, smoked, or pickled, tongue can be served hot or cold, accompanied by a sauce or in a baked dish, and is often ground or sliced and sold as deli meat for sandwiches.