UK foodies going nuts about squirrel -- tastes like chicken
Low in fat, low in food kilometres and completely free range, the grey squirrel is, to some UK diners, about as ethical a dish as it is possible to serve on a dinner plate.
At Ridley's Fish and Game shop in Corbridge, Northumberland, owner David Ridley said he has sold 1000 - at 3.50 ($8.89) a squirrel - since the beginning of the year.
"I wasn't sure at first, and wondered would people really eat it. Now I take every squirrel I can get my hands on. I've had days when I have managed to get 60 and they've all sold straight away."
Some say squirrel tastes like wild boar. Others think it is more a cross between duck and lamb.
Amy says squirrel tastes like chicken -- if you add ketchup.
At Ridley's Fish and Game shop in Corbridge, Northumberland, owner David Ridley said he has sold 1000 - at 3.50 ($8.89) a squirrel - since the beginning of the year.
"I wasn't sure at first, and wondered would people really eat it. Now I take every squirrel I can get my hands on. I've had days when I have managed to get 60 and they've all sold straight away."
Some say squirrel tastes like wild boar. Others think it is more a cross between duck and lamb.
Amy says squirrel tastes like chicken -- if you add ketchup.
Good eats: New Jersey squirrels
Agence France Press reports today that squirrel eaters in the U.S. state of New Jersey have been told that the bushy-tailed rodents are likely safe to eat, after earlier being advised the unlikely delicacies could contain toxic metals.The Environmental Protection Agency said earlier this year it had discovered high levels of lead in a squirrel taken from near a waste dump in the Ringwood area and advised people to eat the rodents no more than twice a week.
Officials have now said the test results were an error.
The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife describes squirrel as "good table fare," offering recipes for squirrel chowder, stew and barbecue.
