SubscribeWould You Eat a Squirrel?
We're all becoming more conscious not only of the nutrients in our food, but of the wider environmental factors involved in what we eat. Concepts like "food miles", "organic", "sustainable" and "locally produced" are often on our minds. But just how far would you go?
In Britain, we've come up with a novel way to deal with the long-standing problem of grey squirrels - we're eating them.
The Guardian reported that:
The grey squirrel, the American cousin of Britain's endangered red variety, is flying off the shelves faster than hunters can shoot them, with game butchers struggling to keep up with demand.
Grey squirrels have long been considered a pest as they displace the native red squirrels, and some sellers of squirrel-meat believe that this is a factor in consumers' willingness to eat squirrel. David Ridley, who owns Ridley's Fish and Game shop in Corbridge, Northumberland said:
Eat a grey and save a red. That's the message.
The green credentials have also been made much of in the press, and the Guardian suggests that:
It's low in fat, low in food miles and completely free range.
I'm definitely in favor of healthy, locally sourced food, but I'm probably sticking with my vegetables from the greengrocer's for now, rather than branching out into squirrel. I rather like seeing squirrels - grey or red - in the local parks, and would balk at being served one at a dinner party!
Anyone tried squirrel? Is it something you'd like to try, or do you, like me, find it hard to imagine eating one of those cute bushy-tailed creatures?
Funny you mention that! My dad and brother have always been big hunters when I was growing up and I can remember a few occasions that they would shoot a squirrel or rabbit in the backyard and serve it in a cassarole for dinner. I would always say how good the meal was - notknowing until after dinner what I had just ate. As a little girl it freaked me out, but I would be willing to give it a second go!
P.S. Just be careful of the bb's!!
ReplyWell here in Tassie they export Possums for consumption, so I guess if people will eat possums they will eat squirrels...its a bit like rabbit, kangaroo, emu, deer etc - don't tell me what it is and I will probably enjoy it - no way I could eat those cute cuddly things if I knew what they were...........
Replycute little lambs... poor little chickens... we already eat so many cute animals... why balk at another?
ReplyHm, precisely my thoughts...
ReplyAnd mine, too.
ReplyI'd give it a try if I was offered some, but I don't think I'd seek it out. I, too, would rather see them running up trees in the park.
ReplyWhen I lived in Alabama as a young child, we had no food. My mothers boyfriend and his brother went out and shot some squirrel so that we could eat. The meat was tender, almost like the saying "Taste like chicken", just wish they would of taken the pellets out when they were cleaning it. That wasn't fun finding a pellet.
Replyhey, if people enjoy it more power to them. Living in suburbia where squirrels and deer have no natural predators (other than cars) we have an overflow of squirrels and they eat every bud off of my mom's flowers and the trees (they even knawed on the siding on the house). My mom had my dad start trapping squirrels with a have-a-heart trap last summer, he caught 56 in 3 months. It'd be a better solution for someone to eat them rather than my dad dropping them off on the other side of the highway.
ReplyThat's the sort of thing that's at the heart of this initiative; your father wasn't actually dealing with the overpopulation problem, he was just offloading it on somebody else. Not try to be a jerk there; he was doing what he though was best. But if you eat them, they don't come back...
I remember reading a story about an island that had a terrible rat problem, so they started eating them. Worked a charm. I wish I could remember what country that was.
I would eat a squirrel. What difference between that and any other mammal?
ReplyAround here, skunks are much more of a nuisance. Maybe chicken-fried skunk shold start showing up on the menu...
ReplyThat meat might be a bit...musky for my taste. I'd try it, but I doubt it's tasty.
ReplyIt was Paris during the French Revolution.
You can't eat rats!
ReplyI don't think I would go out of my way to eat a squirrel. Maybe if it became common practice...
ReplyWe had a summer home in the piney forests of Louisiana. My father was quite a hunter. It was not uncommon for him to start hunting right before the crack of dawn, bag about 8 squirrel, and then have them pan frying in the kitchen for breakfast when we crawled out of bed.
Squirrel is delicous and healthy as are most game meats.
Thanks for a wonderful memory!
Replyhaha, completely free range.
ReplyYea I'm gonna have to pass on squirrel for now, ewwwww.
ReplyIt sounds a lot better than eating something from a factory farm. It's a great idea.
ReplyMy relatives in Alabama would eat all sorts of wild game when they didn't have money to buy a lot of food...my grandma fondly talks about eating rabbit, squirrel, possum, venison, wild geese, raccoons, etc. If you season it and cook it properly, it tastes pretty good. I've had squirrel before and it tastes pretty good...fairly mild, but tougher than chicken. It's kind of a good idea to eat what's available I guess. I would think a lot of avid bird lovers would love this idea...squirrel revenge, lol.
ReplySquirrel is good. Pan fry 'em with some butter.
ReplyCousin Eddie heard they were high in cholesterol.
I'd eat a squirrel, sure. As long as I didn't have to skin and dress it that is. They probably are pretty tasty, and although they may remind some of rats, their diet is very clean in comparison - nuts, seeds, that sort of thing.
ReplyYeah, that's the only problem with small game...the amount of meat you get vs. the amount of work you have to put into prepping it is kind of a pain. But it takes up less space than say, butchering a hog or something.
ReplyWell, before moving down here to Australia, I thought the idea of eating kangaroos was weird. Now, it's my favourite meat (hence my screen name). So, I guess if you've got to cull animals that have become a nuisance, why not eat them?
Sigh... I miss squirrels. Grey ones are native to the area where I grew up and are one of my favourite animals. I even used to have a grey squirrel costume (which I guess I'd better not wear in the UK any time soon).
ReplyEven if I weren't a vegetarian, I could never eat a squirrel. I used to have one as a pet and he was the sweetest thing. Definitely not food material.
ReplyI dunno, a lot of people have guinea pigs as pets but they're used for food in a lot of South American countries. I've had them roasted before...they're pretty good.
ReplyI'd rather not eat another mammal at this point. I have no problems with fish or chickens though.
ReplyThat's because fish don't have any feelings.
ReplyUmmm, ok. They do, but whatever helps you sleep at night. I ran the aquatic section of a local pet store, and fish feel and think just as much as any other animal. Just because they live in water makes no difference.
And I still eat sushi.
ReplySquirrel tastes very good.
ReplyThey're a total pest and people wouldn't call them cute if they had them living in their garden. They kill the trees by stripping the bark, they chew anything in their path. They've eaten electrical cables, washing line...you name it, these little blighters ruin everything.
People see them in a park bouncing along and they say "Aaah, look at that lovely squirrel" Then they go home and don't wander far enough of the beaten track to see all of the dead and dying trees!
ReplyWhat the hell how can you eat a Squirrel? Thats fie. And by the way it's small, like you can find a meat on hear.
ReplyI was forced to eat squirrel as a child by my great white hunter of a father. Not pleasant memories I'm afraid.
ReplyCant say that i will be lining up for this dish next time i am in London. I am Australian and we have started eating Kangaroos!
ReplyI'd rather eat something with meat on it.
ReplyAnyway, it must be something like eating a rabbit, which also isn't something that I would cook or order. I am also sceptic about the diseases an animal like that might have. There is no hygienic control for them.
Im with anna....is that bad? :)
and who are we (the royal) to judge huh? I mean were I a vegetarian I mightcould...but Im not.
Replyso I shant.
Mmmm! I am just crazy about squirrel and rabbit, but my all-time fave is deer meat - deer burger, deer steaks...). The only problem with squirrel is that there's not much meat per, but it's more meat than is on a rabbit. I'm waiting to try groundhog (my uncle says it's delicious). Some people eat oppossum and raccoon, but I'm afraid to try those since those are the only animals my dog won't eat.
ReplyIf only all the people are thinking of healthy food and having a healthy body is a treasure.
ReplySquirrels are rodents. Would you eat a rat? Yuk!
Replyrats eat whatever they can find. so do coons. in that sense, youre right, and i dont know many people who eat coons. squirrels eat nuts and seeds, never meat. therefore, while classified as rodents, theyre safe to eat. youre judging them based on size. some people eat snails.
Replyin mississippi this is no big deal. probably because during reconstruction the north didn't let much food in so people started shooting what they could eat.
ReplyNo way IN HELL would I eat a squirrel! I hate even eating cows, and do so very minimally. I am not a full-on vegetarian but I draw the line at cute, cuddly, little animals I'd have as pets. No lambs, rabbits, deer, or squirrels in my freezer!!! Humans are so barbaric. (Yeah, I know animals eat each other, too, but they can't exactly plant a vegetable garden or pick up a box of macaroni from the grocery store.)
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