Rib cage
The rib cage is the arrangement of ribs attached to the vertebral column and sternum in the thorax of most vertebrates, that encloses and protects the heart and lungs. In humans, the rib cage, also known as the thoracic cage, is a bony and cartilaginous structure which surrounds the thoracic cavity and supports the shoulder girdle to form the core part of the human skeleton. A typical human rib cage consists of 24 ribs in 12 pairs, the sternum and xiphoid process, the costal cartilages, and the 12 thoracic vertebrae.
Spare ribs
The term comes from Low German "ribbesper" (referring to pickled pork ribs, cooked on a spit), the parts of which refer, in order, to rib and spit.
Spare ribs have also become popular in the American South. They are generally cooked on a barbecue or on an open fire, and are served as a slab (bones and all) with a sauce. American butchers prepare two cuts:Spare ribs are usually consumed individually by hand, with the small amount of meat adhering to the bone gnawed off by the eater.