Try a Raccoon
On Termites, Parakeets and Other Invasive Species We Might Be Better Off Eating
Colonies of Egyptian geese, muskrats, turtles, grey squirrels, crayfish and raccoons have established themselves in northern Europe, after being imported into our ecosystem by human activity. These introduced species affect local biodiversity, driving out vulnerable indigenous species, spreading diseases, devouring crops, grassland, and undermining dikes. At the same time, we raise animals for consumption on an unsustainable scale and usually under inhumane conditions. So what if we learned to eat the trouble-makers instead?
Writing with humour and panache, Joël Broekaert offers us a moral alternative in this fascinating culinary venture. Instead of importing cultivated crayfish from China at enormous cost to the environment, why don’t we fish them out of our waterways? And what if we stewed the geese we shoot around airport runways? How can we turn the ecosystem’s plant and animal disruptors into tasty dishes?
Broekaert explains the reasons certain animals taste like they do – wild animals, for example, move around more so have less fat and strong dark muscle tissue – and how best to cook them. Cut muscle fibres crosswise in strips if you want tender meat. Blend a knob of cold butter into your crayfish bisque before serving. Pick the tender shoots of Japanese knotweed and cook them like rhubarb. Turn raccoons into German sausage, harvest kelp for wakame, or try out the Belgian recipe for ‘water rabbit’ (muskrat).
Broekaert shows us how a win-win situation is possible. By eating the invasive exotics, we can restore nature.
“An intriguing search for animals and plants that aren’t actually welcome in our natural environment.”
“The thought-provoking Try a Raccoon demonstrates simple opportunities to combine sustainable food choices with the restoration of indigenous nature.”
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