Beef tendon. It is that flexible part of the cow's body that connects the muscles to the bones. It may be a tissue but, given its purpose, is strong and, well, quite tough, too. Cooked the proper way, however, slow and over low fire, the toughness disappears and a whole new flavorful tenderness emerges. It takes on a good mouthfeel and bite at this point and becomes a rare, savory treat for the palate.

Contrary to what some believe, beef tendon isn't fat. Beef tendon is abundant in collagen, which can stimulate muscles and bones, promote skin vitality and have anti-aging effects on the human body. It is beneficial for individuals who experience fatigue, weakness, lower back pain and knee discomfort, as well as strained muscles and veins. Additionally, it can aid in the prevention of wrinkles in women.

In terms of nutritional composition, 100 grams of beef tendon contains 30.2 grams of protein and 0.3 grams of fat. It also contains calcium, phosphorus, vitamins B1 and B2, iron and carbohydrates. Its benefits include liver replenishment, muscle and blood strengthening.

Unfortunately, the difficulty in preparing tendon wins out too often. Given today's harried lifestyle and the amount of catching up that has to be done after being slowed down by the pandemic, very few households can afford the luxury of time to prepare tedious dishes.

Tendon Central

This is where Tendon Central, a new discovery of World of Flavors, comes in. It is all about ready-to-eat beef tendon dishes.

"My love for all things tendon was the main motivation for Tendon Central. I still remember when I was young and my parents would take us out to eat, both here in Manila or in Hong Kong, we would always order Braised Beef — some would have tendon in them and some did not. The ones with tendon tasted a lot better. Since then, every rare chance I saw tendon on the menu, I made sure to order it," says Carter Yu, the brains behind Tendon Central.

He adds: "It was during the pandemic that I really craved for good tendon but could not find any store selling it. So I had to be innovative and started to cook tendon dishes at home. I came up with some really good ones, which we just shared with some friends who also liked tendon. It was like our ayuda to friends, and we got good feedback and encouragement to bring our tendon dishes to market. So we did."

Tendon Central now sells fresh frozen ready-to-eat beef tendon dishes vacuum-packed right after cooking to retain their freshness. There are four variants available: HK Style, Curry, Kaldereta and Chinese Herbal Soup.

HK Style Tendon was the first variant that Carter developed and perfected as his take on his childhood favorite, Braised Beef.

"Our HK Style Tendon is a marriage of Chinese adobo and Pinoy pares, a comfort dish that's best served with rice or noodles. Our regular patrons would always order extra sauce to make a big batch of beef tendon noodles for the family," explains Carter.

Curry Tendon is made with a mild type of curry that even kids would love. Cooked with turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, garlic and cumin, then balanced out with coconut milk which renders a natural sweetness to the dish, it is best paired with rice or mixed in with those squid balls you have saved from your last merienda.

Kaldereta Tendon was born out of Carter and his brother's common love for Kalderetang Kambing. It was one of the more tedious variants to make, as you won't be eating chunks of garlic, onion, bell pepper or olives, but they are all in there. No instant mixes and no powders. All these aromatics are blended together to create a rich kaldereta sauce that is good until the last drop.

Chinese Herbal Soup is the newest variant in Tendon Central's roster of tendon dishes. Carter created it after being down with a flu and wanting something nourishing and delicious. "My maternal grandmother used to cook this kind of soup but using ox tail, so I thought why not tendon?," says Carter.

Tendon Central vacuum-packs its products in two serving sizes — Sharing, which has a total serving size of 700 grams, composed of 500 grams of pure beef tendon (no meat) and 200 grams of sauce; and Solo, which has a total serving size of 275 grams, composed of 200 grams of pure beef tendon (no meat) and 75 grams of sauce.

Tendon Central sells these tendon dishes online via Facebook @tendoncentral or Instagram tendon.central, or Viber, call or message 09178337827. They also have a collab with El Mundo Café at U Hotels Makati in Poblacion.