Ever since I was in 9th Grade, I've been an aficionado of the niche hobby of trying rare and unusual meats, or just "exotic meats" to many. I grew up in a household where this hobby wasn't exactly encouraged, but not really condemned either. My maternal grandfather, for example, once consumed turtle soup and as a former duck farmer, has quite a bit of experience with poultry, but he isn't a fan of consuming ostrich, for example. So, where does one go about embracing this hobby?
One of the best places to obtain rare and unusual meat is Anshu Pathak's Exotic Meat Market. His market has glowing reviews among many foodies, and is a great place to obtain many different types of meat, in different cuts and flavor.
To learn about the hobby and explore what it is like, I highly recommend the blog "Cannundrums", written by Bob Cannon. I have found that Cannon is a great source of information on niche foods, and his library of articles spans from grilled Alligator to grilled Zebra ribeye. If you're interested in the hobby, but don't want to jump right in immediately, looking at some of his articles might help you decide whether this is the hobby for you.
Meats I've Tried:
- Venison- I bought some Venison at Earl's Meats, a local butcher shop, a few years ago, although I don't remember the taste too well. I consumed some Venison Jerky from Meijer recently too, although it wasn't great.
- Goat- Same as Venison, I bought some at Earl's Meats but don't remember the taste.
- Mutton- Same as Venison and Goat.
- Duck- I've ordered Crispy Duck a couple of times at China Inn, a local Chinese American restaurant. When eaten at the restaurant, it has been one of my all time favorite dishes. I have found Duck to be very meaty and oily, which is a delicious taste. My mother consumed duck when she was a child and also found that it was very greasy, although unlike me that's not something she likes. I recently ordered the dish on DoorDash and it was a disappointment. I guess it's better at the restaurant.
- Bison- One of my mother's friends once gave us a large amount of Bison, leftover from a hunting trip of her husbands. I remember that it was very good.
- Frog Legs- I once bought some frog legs and my aunt grilled them on a summer holiday. I did not enjoy the taste.
- Quail- I don't remember eating too much of it when I had gotten it, but it wasn't very good. Very small. I will soon be preparing quail again.
- Rabbit- My family's pastor, who grew up in the Deep South, cooked some rabbit for us that I had bought at Earl's Meats. I did not like the preparation, although I look forward to eventually trying Rabbit again, in a different cut. I bought some Newport Rabbit Jerky and tried that too- it was ok, but not great. The smell was atrocious, but the taste was sweeter because of the sauce.
- Ostrich- I recently consumed a pair of Ostrich steaks that I had bought from Fossil Farms. I found them to be very good, although their taste reminded me of turkey liver.
- Hammerhead Shark- My mother bought me a bag of Hammerhead Shark jerky for either Christmas or my Birthday 2019. It wasn't very good, but I think it was the preparation. I'm not a huge jerky guy, when it's coated in sauces.
- Veal- Like several other meats on this list, I had bought some Veal at Earl's Meat's a few years ago. I don't remember it too well, but I believe I liked it.
- Turkey Liver- I've had turkey liver at a couple of Thanksgiving dinners, that we have obtained from the van Kampen family. It is usually pretty good, although it has a very strong flavor and has a metallic taste to it, probably from blood.
- Chicken Liver- I've had chicken liver a couple of times, prepared with onions by the local pastor. It was very good, better then turkey liver.
- Alligator- I've had alligator jerky a couple of times, that my paternal grandmother has brought me from Florida. It was good, but all jerky usually is, when prepared that way. I am looking forward to eventually trying alligator meat in different preparations.
- Wild Boar- I had a couple Wild Boar burgers, and they had a very unique taste. It's not a great one though- they are ok, but very different and I don't think I'd order burgers again. Maybe a Wild Boar steak is down the road, though.
- Reindeer- I tried some Reindeer Jerky mixed with Beef recently. It was absolutely awful and I ended up throwing most of it away. It was the most atrocious Jerky I'd ever had. The taste, smell, everything- terrible. I am interested in trying Reindeer again one day, but as steak or back strap or something real.
- Camel- I have tried Camel Jerky, and Camel Milk Chocolate. I remember the chocolate was alright.
- Python- I recently tried Python Jerky- it is very tough.
- Pork- I frequently eat pepperoni on pizza and sausages, but recently I consumed a pork tenderloin. It was good and moist, but there wasn't too much flavor to it. Christmas ham is also an excellent dish.
- Swordfish- I tried Swordfish Jerky recently. It was very fishy, both in smell and texture.
- Kangaroo-
I have multiple exotic meats currently shipping to me, specifically: Alligator, Bison, Camel, Elk, Emu, Guinea Hen, Nilgai antelope, Pheasant, Squab, Venison, and Yak. I have currently some roast Eel, Quail eggs, and imitation Crab, that will be tried at a later date. Some of the meats shipping to me, I have already tried, but these are different cuts- for example, a Bison Sirloin Steak instead of burgers. I have also recently received some ground Venison from my mother's pastor, and that will be tried as well.
A lot of people object to this hobby on either moral or personal grounds. Personally, I find most objections to be quite baseless. What exactly is the difference between a cow and a kangaroo, other then what we personally find to be a cute animal? Both of them can be consumed, in very flavorful and healthy preparations. As a committed Socialist, I of course support increased animal welfare measures. I do not support the torture or mistreatment of animals, and support many measures to reduce suffering, such as minimum amounts of space for animals, abolishing factory farming, ending fur farming, and banning live export of animals for slaughter. That is part of the reason why I support increased consumption of exotic meats. If I shoot a black bear or a bobcat while hunting and harvest it for its meat and fur, that is definitely more humane then eating beef that has been slaughtered on an enormous industrial farm.
External Links:
- http://cannundrum.blogspot.com/ Cannundrums
- https://www.exoticmeatmarkets.com/ Exotic Meat Market
- https://www.fossilfarms.com/ Fossil Farms
