Eat Kangaroo, Save the Earth?
According to Dr. George Wilson of the Australian Wildlife Services, we should switch from eating beef to kangaroos to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike cows and sheep, who produce harmful methane gas, kangaroos produce almost no methane gas. They also have cleaner poop and produce lean, free-range meat!
But what does kangaroo tastes like? "It tastes excellent, not unlike venison—only a different flavour," says Dr. Wilson. If you've eaten kangaroo before, what do you think of it?
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21 Comments:
I'm all for it.
I've already started buying Boer goat as a regular meat source from a friend of mine who raises them to sell.
So I could eat kangaroo.
Jim Glover at 11:22AM on 08/17/08
I was in Australia a year or so ago, on a tour group that consisted of about half domestic tourists. We ended up at a restaurant which specialised in Kangaroo dishes. With only one or two exceptions, the Aussies refused to eat 'roo. One likened it (as well as emu) to "an American tucking into a nice roast Bald Eagle." I've had a weird feeling about it ever since.
rheogs at 11:35AM on 08/17/08
I forgot to add, before the aforementioned incident, I had eaten kangaroo sausages and they were quite delicious. A little gamey; enough to be interesting without being overpowering.
rheogs at 11:38AM on 08/17/08
I'm telling you... it's only a matter of time before we run out of new types of animals to eat and satisfy our curiosities... then we'll start eating each other.
FastFoodCritic at 12:23PM on 08/17/08
I dont get hung up about the methane gas blah blah. It can be harnessed and power the whole dairy. Lots of places do it. So who cares.
I can see how it would creep out an Aussie. I've never tried it but given the chance I would at least once.It's my goal to always try new stuff at least once. 'cause you never know till you try...
jdshd at 12:51PM on 08/17/08
I had a kangaroo burger in Australia 20 years ago and can tell you it was one of the best iI have ever had. Get me a source and I will gladly eat me some hoppers.
pksmash at 1:36PM on 08/17/08
I remember there was a push by Australia a couple years ago to rename Kangaroo meat to make people want to eat it more (think Deer = Venison). They called it Australigus, I believe. That doesn't sound like a type of meat I'd want to eat. Kangaroo meat, possibly. Not Australigus though.
DanielJ at 1:54PM on 08/17/08
I'm not ready to eat kangaroo.
My mind is considering all the ways that Madison Ave. can get the advertising all wrong for persuading consumers to buy and eat kangaroo meat. "Put some 'roo in your stew" is only the tip of the iceberg.
holdthemayo at 4:34PM on 08/17/08
I don't think it would require any advertising. Heck, I've said elsewhere I'd eat dog if it was served interestingly. In the US, most people don't have many ties to kangaroos, buffalo, ostrich, llama as pets to make them to endearing. We have Bambi and people still eat deer. I'm sure people would eat it if it wasn't exhorbitantly priced.
Cassaendra at 4:49PM on 08/17/08
For the record I am very interested in eating kangaroo and bald eagle. Just sayin.
unarata at 7:40PM on 08/17/08
Like another commentor, I spent alot of time in Australia, and, although 'roo mince (ground), fillets (steaks) and roasts (no translation required) can be found in Woolies (Woolworth's) and Cole's supermarkets, most Ozzies won't touch the stuff, particularly as they are in love with the meat of the cow, most famously the rump steak. My girlfriend, who is from the land down under, and I probably had a 'roo roast once a week...the lack of fat is a hinderance, unless you are a very good, or better, saucier; luckily, I am a professional chef...
iwannacook at 7:41PM on 08/17/08
I had it a year or so ago.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/m750/515579002/in/set-72157600271166410/
It was kinda beefy, I enjoyed it.
Duc_m750 at 10:14PM on 08/17/08
@unarata -- Was that a joke?
FastFoodCritic at 11:26PM on 08/17/08
That's messed up.
How about we reduce the problem by...oh...I don't know....not eating meat at all?
Smoosh at 9:27AM on 08/18/08
eating kangaroo is what turned me vegetarian for a year after visiting australia. I eat meat again, but it does not include kangaroo meat. (kind of chewy and tough, to be frank)
swaaaan at 12:43PM on 08/18/08
I didn't like kangaroo meat too much. It reminded me of low grade beef, all fleshy and chewy....
Moosie82 at 1:08PM on 08/18/08
Like beef, but gamier; a strong, dark flavor. Edible, but not my favorite.
When I was in Oz I also had crocodile (like chicken) and a camel burger, which was excellent.
tech9803 at 1:25PM on 08/18/08
It wasn't bad. "Gamier" is also the word that occurred to me, in comparison with beef. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat it again though.
luiskatigbak at 8:27PM on 08/18/08
Apparently there is a kangaroo overcrowding problem in Oz too, plus I think you are right, iwannacook, the love of beef runs deep in Aussie culture. My boyfriend is Aussie so we head out for a steak once a week to satisfy his "need" *lol* I think eating kangaroo meat makes sense but it does have that "cheap meat" image in Oz, but overly exotic and expensive overseas. Hopefully that will change eventually.
Yu Ming Lui at 10:00PM on 08/18/08
I had a "Australia Coat of Arms" dish once. It had Kangaroo, Emu, and Croc.
The Emu was the best. The Kangaroo was chewy, we actually joked that we must have gotten the pouch.
Geeka at 6:33PM on 08/20/08
hey everyone..
well Im an Aussie and i eat roo all the time its a family fav.
most ppl make the mistake of cooking roo like beef but u cant due to the lack of fat if u do u dry it out and make it tough and gamy...yuck!
We have too many roos here (to the point the goverment had to cull some near my place a few months back due to a lack of food and dangerous numbers) and they are healthy (less fat more protein)
so hey eat roo eat the bald eagle if u want (i thought it was endangered? and if so please dont.) Im not upset up it and alot of other aussies arent either.
cartoonmouse at 2:22AM on 10/07/08