On this current trip to Japan we stayed one night at a beautiful ryokan in a tiny village in Nothern Kyushu. What brought us to this remote inn was their specialty - suppon, or soft-shelled turtle. They raise the turtles and craft a full kaiseki meal around nose to tail turtle, including organs, sashimi, karage, sukiyaki, and hotpot (nabe). The nabe is common enough around Kyoto and elsewhere, but I’ve never seen this full use of the whole animal. The food was delicious, fascinating, and a revelation. The grilled liver, fat for the winter, and eggs were standouts. Some pictures below.
It made us think about what foods are pretty common in other countries and regions that are not really eaten at home in the US, and are not all that challenging. Not famously difficult foods, just seemingly normal stuff we don’t eat. Horse is another meat that is widely eaten elsewhere, but not at home. I thought a new thread could be interesting. Not necessarily US specific.
Probably the most common one is horse. I grew up with that being readily available in Sweden in the 70’s. Today, sentiments have turned away from it as steaks, but it’s still very common in cold cuts. Confusingly, we call it Hamburger Meat, but it’s horse. You can buy this in any shop:
Growing up (1960’s) in very rural Minnesota area my grandfather was a trapper. Primarily muskrat, mink, fox, along with snapping turtle. Can’t recall where the end turtle product went (somewhere south…Louisiana?). Interesting though was due to the loss of (considerable) income we would have it once a year during the holidays. It was usually paired with Goose, Duck, Pheasant, Venison…great memories!
Creole as well. Probably more commonly found restaurant wise. It’s such a staple that when turtles became a little difficult to obtain “mock” turtle soup using veal became common.
They eat some in Canada, but I haven’t seen it in the US.
There’s a store in Alaska that says they can do custom orders of it. But it’s stupendously expensive.
I’ve eaten reindeer venison in Alaska and Europe. Most often as sausage, but fresh, too. Moose is my favorite game meat, but to eat it fresh you have to catch one or be around when someone else does. I’ve been around when others have.
I refuse to eat bear and other land carnivores (yes, I know that bears are omnivores that eat literally everything, including things that aren’t food).
There is still a horse meat butcher in the Bastille/Richard Lenoir Sunday market in Paris.
There was a famous restaurant in Monterey, Gallatin’s, that served all sorts of exotic animal proteins. I ate turtle there for the first time as a child. I remember trying to talk my parents into ordering an entire bull’s head, but they refused!
Alaska Sausage, not far from ANC, sells reindeer sausage. They process game and fish for sportsmen and restaurants, and sell retail, too. Great products.
