Eating Gator And Snake Where The Wild Things Are-

This will be a first for Foodie Pantry in the sense that I'll be writing about the other white meats - the exotics. A few foodies out there have tasted everything from gator to rattle snake to all sorts of wild game. It's an outre cuisine that may require an acquired taste. Everything supposedly tastes like chicken (or so I've been told). Big game is also a foodie fantasy (providing it's not endangered) where the food is beyond exotic.



Gator meat is probably more widely eaten in the South , especially in Louisiana more than anywhere else. I checked a web site entitled http://www.1800exoticmeats.com/ where the critters are also sold for all sorts of dishes. Alligator can be dipped in batter and fried or stir fried.It can also be blackend and served with a kind of sassy rice as well. It actually tastes "just like chicken". Personally I 'd rather see these guys in a nature show than on my plate. There is also a cadre out there who love rattlesnake meat. This foodie here will never try it. I hate snakes. Period. They''re part of that creepy ewww factor yet some other foodies enjoy the taste which is again like chicken and slightly chewy. The Southwest is full of rattlesnake chili recipes.



If you're squeamish like me, you may want to stick to trying bison and elk. Buffalo burgers are a staple of many restaurants and they're better for you than beef. Elk is like venison and surprisingly low in fat and cholesterol It has a mellow sweet taste that would go well with delicate sauces and gravies. Ostrich meat is big and so popular that even diners offer it in burgers. It's actually better for you than turkey or chicken.

If you can stomach (pun intended here) eating critters, then gobbling gator and snake is for you. If you're not ready to walk entirely on the wild side then head over to some of the tamer versions of big game. You might like them and ditch the conventional foods or you may be running back to chicken ,turkey and beef - you know the tamer foods.