Rule of threes: Is Squirrel an emerging flavor?
Rule of threes: Is Squirrel an emerging flavor?
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Rule of threes: Is Squirrel an emerging flavor?
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Post #1 - January 9th, 2009, 9:45 amHi,
Three times in the last month, squirrel has been a discussion point:
1) Local chef inquired if I knew where he could obtain squirrel. While I don't know yet, I am keeping my eyes peeled for a source.
2) The other morning, there was a tease on restaurants serving squirrel. I stuck near the radio with pen in hand to learn it was restaurants in the UK. I later found the article Saving a squirrel by eating one...
These days, however, in farmers' markets, butcher shops, village pubs and elegant restaurants, squirrel is selling as fast as gamekeepers and hunters can bring it in.
"Part of the interest is curiosity and novelty," said Barry Shaw of Shaw Meats, who sells squirrel meat at the Wirral Farmers Market near Liverpool. "It's a great conversation starter for dinner parties."
While some have difficulty with the cuteness versus deliciousness ratio — that adorable little face, those itty-bitty claws — many feel that eating squirrel is a way to do something good for the environment while enjoying a unique gastronomical experience.
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British bon vivants suddenly couldn't get enough squirrel. Television chefs were preparing it, cookbooks were extolling it, farmers' markets were selling out of it and restaurants in many places were offering it on the menu.
Meanwhile gamekeepers, hunters and trappers were happy to know that the meat was being eaten, not wasted. "My lads don't like to kill an animal if it's not going to be eaten," Shaw said of the hunters who bring him game.
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This keen interest in squirrel was generated by American grey squirrels overpopulating in England squeezing out their native red squirrel.
3) This morning glancing through the drudgereport there was a mention of company producing squirrel flavored potato chips. I followed the link to a UK website for the article Cajun squirrel among crisp flavours tested by WalkersWalkers launched its Do Us A Flavour campaign last July, challenging members of the public to think up a unique flavour of crisp.
Fish and chips, crispy duck and hoi sin, and builder's breakfast have also made the finals of the public search.
Chef Heston Blumenthal and a judging panel picked the top six entries from more than one million, and Walkers turned the ideas into reality.
The crisps can be bought from all supermarkets from today until May, either individually or in a special multipack containing all six flavours.
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Meanwhile Cajun squirrel is the wacky flavour created by Martyn Wright, 26, the only man to have made the final six.
The online marketer, who lives in Hednesford, Staffordshire, was inspired to enter when he saw squirrel on a restaurant menu and he believes the public will be so intrigued that they will have to buy a pack.
He said: "This gentle Cajun flavouring will be delicious for the public and although the idea might sound bizarre, it really works. No squirrels were harmed in the making of these crisps!"
It cannot be too long before squirrel is seen here.
Regards,Cathy2
"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
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Post #2 - January 9th, 2009, 9:57 amConsidering squirrel has been linked to mad cow, I'm surprised that the wind is blowing this way. After all, cuy and nutria have yet to get their 15 minutes of fame.
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Post #3 - January 9th, 2009, 10:08 amHi,
A few years ago, there was a bit of a flurry on cuy in Chicago. Monica Eng wrote an article where her then-husband described cuy's flavor as "Fish bacon!" Practically stirs the imagination, doesn't it? I never had cuy at that restaurant Monica visited, though Cafe Salamera (RIP) did make it for a private party. "Fish bacon," never left my mind when I tasted it. It's been reported cuy is regularly cooked at Ecuadorian soccer games. I'm sure a friendly conversation might liberate some for a taste.
Maybe you read the squirrel articles more thoroughly than I did, were they eating the brain? Those things may too tiny to be worth the effort.
Regards,Cathy2
"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast
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Post #4 - January 9th, 2009, 10:15 amI've never forgotten your description (I had forgotten that it was originally Monica Eng's) but have been curious. When I last posted that piece of information, I asked my Louisville-born Mother-in-law about it, and, indeed - squirrel brains were apparently a big deal for her grandfather. Unless she's embellishing, which is always possible. However, it's apparently pretty easy to test for, at least on deer, so I suppose you could always have your squirrels scanned by the IDNR before consumption.
Of course, if squirrel becomes popular, it will then be farm-raised - I'm doubting that, even in England, they're doing anything about the squirrel population problem.
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Post #5 - January 9th, 2009, 10:26 amCathy2 wrote:Hi,
A few years ago, there was a bit of a flurry on cuy in Chicago. Monica Eng wrote an article where her then-husband described cuy's flavor as "Fish bacon!" Practically stirs the imagination, doesn't it? I never had cuy at that restaurant Monica visited, though Cafe Salamera (RIP) did make it for a private party. "Fish bacon," never left my mind when I tasted it.
Whenever I have a hankering for "Fish Bacon" I get a salmon skin roll at my local sushi restaurant. It does the trick for me.Steve Z.
“Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
― Ludwig van Beethoven
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Post #6 - January 9th, 2009, 10:28 amThey did bring back the squirrel-cooking parts back in the latest edition of Joy of Cooking...
coincidence?
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Post #7 - January 9th, 2009, 10:33 amThis New Yorker article (abstract) from 2000 convincingly challenged (I think) the squirrel brain-CJD link.
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Post #8 - January 9th, 2009, 10:42 amHi,
I will never forget watching a woman holding a plastic newspaper sleeve pick up a roadkill squirrel. This was a very busy road slick with rain and frankly as much as I was curious, I didn't want roadkill added to my obituary. While I hope she was eagerly chasing dinner. Others have advised the squirrel tail is very desireable for making fishing lures. I'll stick to my fantasy.
Regards,Cathy2
"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast
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Post #9 - January 9th, 2009, 11:44 amHey, I'm not about to dis eating critters both great and small, be they farmed or free - and if anybody gets a pot of really authentic burgoo going, I'm there with a spoon! Just, like Cathy2, find that the timing of all this is interesting, since squirrel came up earlier this year.
Personally, I think with reasonable precautions, the fear of CJ is a bit overblown: worldwide, there is approximately 1 case per million population per year. What I'm curious about is why we aren't testing food for it more: seems to work with deer. Though squirrels were implicated, there isn't any indication that checks were made of the squirrel population in Kentucky.
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Post #10 - January 9th, 2009, 11:48 amI would have a hard time eating squirrel. My grandpa spent the last years of his life befriending the squirrels in his backyard - they came down to be petted and responded to their names and everything. After witnessing pet-like squirrel behavior, it would be too much like chowing on Benji chops.As a mattra-fact, Pie Face, you are beginning to look almost human. - Barbara Bennett
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Post #11 - January 9th, 2009, 4:34 pmSuzy Creamcheese wrote:I would have a hard time eating squirrel. My grandpa spent the last years of his life befriending the squirrels in his backyard - they came down to be petted and responded to their names and everything. After witnessing pet-like squirrel behavior, it would be too much like chowing on Benji chops.
Me too! I feed them and they come running when they hear me call them. They have names. They may be pests, but they're MY pests. I have enough trouble eating cow. Never squirrel.
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Post #12 - January 9th, 2009, 8:54 pmOur raccoons have names too...
And they only tip over the mean neighbors garbage.
I can't believe I just admitted that.
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Post #13 - January 9th, 2009, 9:30 pmMhays wrote: What I'm curious about is why we aren't testing food for it more: seems to work with deer.
A few weeks ago, outside a deer brain testing facility.
"Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
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Post #14 - January 9th, 2009, 9:43 pmDavid Hammond wrote:
A few weeks ago, outside a deer brain testing facility.
U.S Deer Brain Inspector: "Yup. It's in there!"Steve Z.
“Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
― Ludwig van Beethoven
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Post #15 - January 9th, 2009, 9:47 pmAre they testing its spleen, too?
At first I thought this picture was just a bizarre roadkill, but The State of Michigan's website offers directions on how to do it - using a tablespoon and scissors. NOTE: the link is graphic, NOT for anyone who may be offended by hunting or animal slaughter. Wow.Last edited by Mhays on January 9th, 2009, 10:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #16 - January 9th, 2009, 10:04 pmOh, I really could've done without that picture. A little warning next time...
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Post #17 - January 11th, 2009, 7:47 pmThe squirrels around my house in Kansas City get fat and *very* sassy on the pin oak acorns every Fall. They have quite enough fat on their little bodies to smoke up beautifully. We've come to really look forward to the 'season'.
GeoSooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick!
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Post #18 - January 11th, 2009, 10:12 pmGeo- Do you really smoke 'em or are you just kidding? I don't think I'd mind eating squirrel - esp if they're acorn-fattened...
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Post #19 - January 12th, 2009, 8:40 amOh, I absolutely smoke 'em. In the Fall they're quite fat. Haven't done it for a couple of years, but I most certainly have enjoyed the little rascals. I've got a sight on my Crossman .177, so I just sit on the back deck, wait for a downward shot, and ¡plink! ¡plink! a couple of times and there's tomorrow's dinner.
Doesn't taste like chicken.
GeoSooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick!
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Post #20 - January 12th, 2009, 11:40 amMany, many years ago I dated an avid hunter for a brief period of time. He brought home a "mess of squirrel" one time and asked me to cook them up. Since he didn't have any cookbooks (or much in the way of pantry items) at his house, I just used Shake & Bake (for chicken -- they don't make it for squirrel, to my knowledge).
I ate it, but frankly it was a lot of work to get the little bit of meat off those tiny bones. I probably wouldn't do it again.
Suzy" There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life."
- Frank Zappa
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Post #21 - January 13th, 2009, 8:18 amMy husband's mamaw and papaw (East Texan for Granny and Gramps) ate a good deal of squirrel back in the day. They struggled much to send their kids off to college, and one of the sacrifices was that they had to eat plenty of this rather poor-quality meat. I imagine they'd find it comic that sophisticated urbanites would actually eat it on purpose.As a mattra-fact, Pie Face, you are beginning to look almost human. - Barbara Bennett
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Post #22 - January 13th, 2009, 9:15 am"Sophisticated urbanites" ?? Whozat? [looks around the room] Don't see any of them 'round here!
GeoSooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick!
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Post #23 - January 13th, 2009, 9:17 amGeo wrote:"Sophisticated urbanites" ?? Whozat? [looks around the room] Don't see any of them 'round here!
Geo
Comparatively speaking. I mean, I think I am safe in assuming that most of the people here have indoor plumbing.As a mattra-fact, Pie Face, you are beginning to look almost human. - Barbara Bennett
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Post #24 - January 13th, 2009, 1:12 pmA neighbor of my Mom’s in Evanston has……dispatched
quite a few squirrels this past year. If I’d known there was a market for them, I would have had them save a few.
The most dangerous food to eat is wedding cake.
Proverb
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Post #25 - January 13th, 2009, 1:20 pmMike, tell your Mom's neighbor that I really, really appreciate it - and he/she can come squirrel-cotching in my 'hood anytime they want (but don't tell anyone else.)
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Post #26 - January 13th, 2009, 2:24 pmMhays--mightn't that be a whole new activity for Sparky to get into? I mean, squirrel-cotching and preparation, a sophisticated urban field with a great future!
GeoSooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick!
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Post #27 - August 16th, 2012, 9:47 amMike Sula finally wrote up his experience with squirrels! Chicken of the trees: The rural eastern gray squirrel has long been a valued food source, but what about its urban cousin?
During Super State Fair weekend, I found some time to read Cooking Plain, Illinois Country Style by Helen Walker Linsenmeyer. Squirrel popped up as an ingredient in quite a few recipes. Mike Sula's adventures pursuing 'the chicken of the trees' is quite fitting.Cathy2
"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast
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Post #28 - August 16th, 2012, 11:48 amSadly, at least here in Evanston, we can't harvest the little buggers for a nice Brunswick Stew.Evanston City Code wrote:9-4-5: 7. No person shall slaughter any hen, or any other animal, within City limits. Nothing in this section is to be interpreted as prohibiting any establishment that is licensed to slaughter, from slaughtering for food purposes any animals which are specifically raised for food purposes.
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Post #29 - August 16th, 2012, 12:35 pmAs Cathy posted above, Mike Sula has a typically thoughtful, well-written and well-researched piece about squirrel in The Reader this week . . .at ChicagoReader.com, Mike Sula wrote:At some point we stopped eating squirrels in this country. Certainly the very first Americans ate them in abundance, as did the first European settlers, who cleared the ancient forests and issued bounties on the rodent plagues that ravaged their crops; in colonial Pennsylvania authorities offered hunters three pence per squirrel killed. It was the colonists' skill in bagging them with their long-barreled rifles that gave them an edge on the Redcoats during the Revolution.
In the mid-1800s mass squirrel cullings occurred in Indiana, Ohio, New York, and Kentucky. They often took the form of hunting contests in which thousands of animals were killed. Surely those squirrels wound up in the pots of community feeds. Different regions have different names for the massive stews simmered for harvest celebrations, some of which are still held today: the Brunswick stews of Virginia, the burgoos of Kentucky, the booyahs of Wisconsin, and chowders of southern Illinois. The recipes were similar, a thick, slow-cooked mishmash of meats and vegetables, more often than not featuring squirrel as the most important protein source. A well-circulated formula for Kentucky Burgoo Stew in the 1939 cookbook Fine Old Dixie Recipes calls for an astonishing 600 pounds of squirrel meat, "1 doz. to each 100 gals."
Chicken of the trees
=R=By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada
Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
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Post #30 - August 16th, 2012, 7:16 pmnr706 wrote:Sadly, at least here in Evanston, we can't harvest the little buggers for a nice Brunswick Stew.Evanston City Code wrote:9-4-5: 7. No person shall slaughter any hen, or any other animal, within City limits. Nothing in this section is to be interpreted as prohibiting any establishment that is licensed to slaughter, from slaughtering for food purposes any animals which are specifically raised for food purposes.
Does fishing count? What about cooking a lobster at home? Or clams or mussels? Aren't they considered "animals"? Is there a technical definition of slaughter? Jeez..."Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Miles Kington
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