From rodent to roadkill, should we be eating more of these meats?
Grey squirrel is being cooked up as an Indian dish. What else could we get onto the menu?
The Cinnamon Club restaurant in central London made headlines after it introduced a grey squirrel curry onto the menu.
While many people might balk at the idea of eating squirrel, I think that the recipe sounds rather good (disclaimer: I haven’t tried it). It takes squirrel legs and shoulders, marinating them in coriander, cloves, garlic, chilli and pineapple juice, before roasting in a tandoor oven.
Squirrel meat contains plenty of iron, about four times as much as beef, and has less calories per 100g than chicken or beef.
An MP who tried the restaurant's new dish said he was surprised how much meat was on a squirrel.
It’s only a temporary feature on the menu until later this month – but what other unusual meats might we consider sinking our teeth into?
Rats
The initial reaction might not be great, but rats are pretty similar to squirrels, albeit a bit less fluffy. Rat meat is considered a delicacy in Togo apparently, and though each is small, rats can grow to be massive.
They are normally thought of as a pest but if they were farmed, could they be a good source of food?
Seagulls
Some might experience a sense of gratification in eating a seagull, particularly if you’ve had one divebomb your chips in the past. Of course, because of their somewhat varied diet, you may be dubious about what one might taste like.
But I can’t help wondering if seagulls in areas less populated by humans might make a decent meal, although I must make it clear that killing them is illegal in the UK. It’s also against the law to disturb their nests or block the birds’ access to it. But I think it’s strange that they’re covered by this protection since they’re so common. And often so fat. Due to eating my chips.
Blackbirds in a pie, rooks in a salad
Wild birds in general are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. However, that didn’t stop a pub on the Isle of Wight selling rook salad for a little while in 2011 – until their supplier was arrested and formally cautioned.
Of course, the nursery rhyme Sing A Song Of Sixpence mentions "four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie". Apparently it was an amusement in the Middle Ages to stuff live birds into a pie to see them released when it was cut. However, a quick online search also reveals that blackbird pie may also have been made with the dead variety – here's an old (untested in recent years) recipe featured on the Exmoorian blog.
In the present day, game birds are slowly gaining more popularity in the UK, and I think we’ll be seeing more on our tables as time goes on. They’re easy to cook and absolutely delicious though they are out of season right now. Venison remains in season until the end of March though. Read our guide to game to learn more and put your new knowledge to use later in the year.
Roadkill
Roadkill is a legitimate food supply, providing you play by the rules, and was endorsed in 2013 by the president of the RSPB Miranda Krestovnikoff in a TV programme. I’ve eaten pheasant from the roadside several times (fresh, recently hit, obviously) and I’m not only fine, but it tasted really good too.
There seems to be a popular myth surrounding roadkill, that if you hit the animal yourself you’re not allowed to take it. But the Crown Prosecution Service told The Ecologist a couple of years ago that it’s not illegal, and not a crime, to eat animals accidentally killed on the road by a vehicle. I stress the word accidentally.
Hitting animals on purpose isn’t on, but if it’s an accident… well. The animal will only be eaten by other animals, so why not chuck it in the stew pot?
Although if it's a larger animal like a deer, it will present a hazard to other drivers and you should report it to the police so it can be cleared off the road.
Neigh way?
Of course there's also horse meat, which was eaten far more often here in the last century. There’s an understandable taboo built around the meat because of the animal’s status as a pet in the UK, but elsewhere in Europe it’s a meat that’s enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Would you ever try it?
Insects
I’m really interested in this one; a huge proportion of the world’s population eats insects, and they take far less resources to farm than large livestock such as pigs and cows. They’re also nutritious and have a high mineral content, making them perhaps a more sensible option than wild birds. The main hurdle is the squeamishness factor. Could you eat an ant? How about a locust?
Keep an eye out for an upcoming feature in which we’ll be trying out these critters for ourselves and reporting on the taste.
What other meats do you think we should eat but don’t? What about vegetarian foods that we overlook? Let us know in the Comments below.
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