Neck sweetbread is the genteel name of the meat of the thymus of a young calf. Sweetbreads are noted and prized for their flavor and texture. Sweetbreads have nothing to do with bread and they are not sweet. The thymus is known as neck sweetbread.

What exactly is a sweetbread?

Sweetbread is the thymus gland and is only available from young animals. As animals mature, the gland degenerates into a mass of connective tissue and fat. The sweetbread is collected in two separate portions, although it is a single gland.

What kind of meat is sweetbread?

Sweetbreads are an organ meat from the thymus gland and pancreas. The easiest sweetbreads to find are from veal, ris de veau; or lamb, ris d'agneau, although beef and pork sweetbreads are also available.