The tough, chewy cartilage found in meat that you usually can't eat.
From Old English 'gristel,' related to Old Saxon 'gristel.' The word originally meant something with a grainy texture, describing the hard, fibrous tissue in muscle.
Gristle is actually collagen—the same protein that keeps your skin elastic and your joints flexible. When you chew that tough meat cartilage, you're encountering the protein that literally holds your body together.
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