what is a sweetbreads
What Are Sweetbreads? ccording to the Larousse Gastronomique, sweetbread is the culinary term for the thymus gland (in the throat) and the pancreas (near the stomach) in calves, lambs and pigs. Larousse further states that thymus sweetbreads are elongated and irregular in shape while pancreas sweetbreads are larger and rounded. But sweetbreads are neither sweet, nor are they bread. The word sweetbread was first used in the 16th century, but the reason behind the name is unknown.