The tendons of certain meat animals (particularly beef tendon) are used as a food in some Asian cuisines, including the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese traditions. Tendon is tough and fibrous prior to cooking, but becomes soft after a long period of cooking. In some cases it may be boiled, for as long as eight hours, while in other dishes it is prepared by deep frying. It contain large amounts of collagen, and after boiling or stewing, it is sometimes described as mimicking the mouthfeel of high-fat cuts of beef despite its low fat content. One author described the taste of deep-fried tendon as being similar to chicharrón (fried pork belly).