Eating Kangaroo

[NulloModo]

Heya,

Tonight I had dinner with a friend at a new place around town called Matilda's, which does a sort of Australian theme.

I enjoyed one of the specials, which was Kangaroo kebabs. I have never eaten Kangaroo before, or even seen it on a menu until tonight. I was blown away though, the meat was so flavorful, tender, and juicy.

Is there a tradition of eating Kangaroo in Australia, or was this just some gimmicky thing they threw on the menu? (and even if it was, I have to say it is a great gimmick given how good it was).

Does anyone else here ever dine on Kangaroo? What all can you do with it?

[Gifted Gourmet]

information on kangaroo meat

then there is this ....

[Carrot Top]

Just out of curiosity, NulloModo...what was the tab for the dish? Was it similar in price to the other entrees...or do you think it was put on the menu as a 'draw'?

[NulloModo]

Well, the place has pretty good prices overall (they have a Kobe beef burger for $11.99). The dish was also $11.99. They had another Kangaroo dish, a loin in a red-wine demi-glace, going for $23

[misgabi]

There is this thread on the Australian Forum which might be of some interest.

[Adam Balic]

The Australian thread covers it well, basically there was a 'Colonial' hang-up about eating them, which resulted in them being classed as not fit for human consumption in several states. This was changed in the late 80's.

I think that many Australians would still consider it a bit 'out there' or 'yucky', but this attitude is becoming less common thankfully. Better for the Australian environment if people ate more kangaroo anyway.

[Really Nice!]

Kangaroo is on the menu in many Australian restaurants. It is very lean, only 2 percent fat so it needs to be served rare. Personally, I like the flavor and texture of it. The best way to describe it, I guess, is to say it resembles lamb.

Serving kangaroo in Australia very much carries the same conotation that serving foie gras is experiencing here in the States. A small but determined group of people want to see it off the menu.

I think it was back in '96 when I was down in Sydney that a group of people pulled up in a car in front of an outdoor cafe that had kangaroo on the menu. They put a dead kangaroo on a chair at an empty table. The words "eat me" were written in blood across the kangaroos chest. It made the front page of the SMH. No small feat.

[arielle]

I think it was back in '96 when I was down in Sydney that a group of people pulled up in a car in front of an outdoor cafe that had kangaroo on the menu. They put a dead kangaroo on a chair at an empty table. The words "eat me" were written in blood across the kangaroos chest. It made the front page of the SMH. No small feat.

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WHAT THE?!

I don't know *how* I missed that!

But yeah, there are lots of people in Aust. who think that it's weird to be eating an animal that is 1/2 of the national emblem......but then again, you can also eat emu (it tends to be on the tougher side, I'd recommend that it be marinated or braised), and that's the other 1/2! So it's not really so very weird after all!

I wouldn't call kangaroo a "mainstream" food yet, but it is becoming more common, especially in restaurants, as are other 'bush' foods like crocodile.

I like it, but then I *do* have what my husband calls "a touch of the madness"

Edited October 15, 2004 by arielle (log)

[little ms foodie]

My friend and I saw kangaroo on a menu in a lodge in the Swiss Oberland region, very strange indeed. They described it as very exotic meat and were very proud to be serving it. I ordered fondue!

Edited October 15, 2004 by little ms foodie (log)

[Really Nice!]

WHAT THE?!

I don't know *how* I missed that!

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I was married to an Australian at the time. I think it was our second trip (as a couple) down there to visit her family when I announced that I wanted to try kangaroo. My then brother-in-law returned a day later with the SMH story that was about a week old. I was told to tread carefully. As an aside, that's when I first heard about Australia's answer to U.S. television's Lassie was a kangaroo named Skippy.

[arielle]

I was married to an Australian at the time. I think it was our second trip (as a couple) down there to visit her family when I announced that I wanted to try kangaroo. My then brother-in-law returned a day later with the SMH story that was about a week old.  I was told to tread carefully. As an aside, that's when I first heard about Australia's answer to U.S. television's Lassie was a kangaroo named Skippy. 

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Skippy's friends were the envy of many an Aussie kid! Who wouldn't want a kangaroo that would 'hop to' when called?

Nicole Kidman's career began around the same time, on a kid's show called "BMX Bandits" (I think - anyone who can verify this?)

[StudentChefEclipse]

I saw some show recently on Food Network that highlighted a market in Texas I believe that specializes in "exotic" meats. On the day FN filmed there, they were offering 'roo ribs as samples. So kangaroo is available to the home cook, if they can find the actual location of the supplier.

To each their own, no?

[Al_Dente]

Imagine the turducken-like possibilities! Koala stuffed into a wallaby pouch stuffed into a kangaroo pouch.

Kowallabyroo!

[Carrot Top]

Imagine the turducken-like possibilities! Koala stuffed into a wallaby pouch stuffed into a kangaroo pouch.

Kowallabyroo!

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I do believe that you have a really good career potential as a conceptual artist...

[arielle]

Imagine the turducken-like possibilities! Koala stuffed into a wallaby pouch stuffed into a kangaroo pouch.

Kowallabyroo!

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Nice!

[Really Nice!]

So kangaroo is available to the home cook, if they can find the actual location of the supplier.

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Yes, Seattle's Exotic Meats sells many different cuts of it.

[VeryApe77]

Back in the days that seemingly everyone in England was scared to eat beef (when was that, 97? 98?) the supermarkets started selling more unusual meats like Kangaroo. I bought some once, mainly for the novelty. Sadly, I was 19 and, like most students, knew next to nothing about food.

I remember liking it, but would like to try it again.

Edited October 15, 2004 by VeryApe77 (log)

[Adam Balic]

I think it was back in '96 when I was down in Sydney that a group of people pulled up in a car in front of an outdoor cafe that had kangaroo on the menu. They put a dead kangaroo on a chair at an empty table. The words "eat me" were written in blood across the kangaroos chest. It made the front page of the SMH. No small feat

Yes, unfortunately this can happen. Currently, we boycott the 'Whole-foods' place in the UK as it had a poster claiming that they were responsible for the removal of kangaroo from British supermarkets. Sadly an attempted conversation on the relative merits of the negative animal welfare issues v positive enviromental impact of eating kangaroo failed.

[arielle]

Yes, unfortunately this can happen. Currently, we boycott the 'Whole-foods' place in the UK as it had a poster claiming that they were responsible for the removal of kangaroo from British supermarkets. Sadly an attempted conversation on the relative merits of the negative animal welfare issues v positive enviromental impact of eating kangaroo failed.

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And does Whole Foods (same as Nth American chain?) sell other forms of meat? Are they convinced that the methods of raising and slaughter of these animals occurs in a way that is somehow more humane than the slaughter of kangaroos?

To be honest, I don't know what the major source for kangaroo meat is (ie: just where the 'roos are living and how they are killed) but at times there is a major problem with overpopulation of the wild animals, and they have to be culled.

And as one of my friends said once: it's actually less humane to eat free-range and organic stuff and avoid the battery hens etc because you're killing the *happy* animals!!!!

[irodguy]

Last I remember from talking to Aussie friends was that they considered Roo a varmint basically. This has been a few years ago, but not that many.

There was of course also the Mc'ds Roo meat in their burgers issue a few years back. Who knows if they do it now they might be able to advertise it for health reasons.

[Adam Balic]

And does Whole Foods (same as Nth American chain?) sell other forms of meat? Are they convinced that the methods of raising and slaughter of these animals occurs in a way that is somehow more humane than the slaughter of kangaroos?

To be honest, I don't know what the major source for kangaroo meat is (ie: just where the 'roos are living and how they are killed) but at times there is a major problem with overpopulation of the wild animals, and they have to be culled.

Whole Foods (UK) doesn't sell meat products to my knowledge.

RE: Kangaroos. Like all issues it isn't black and white. Kangaroos are not farmed, they are 'harvested' by being shot. The species likely to be eaten are the Eastern and Western (less so) Greys. These particular marsupials are perfect for taking advantage of locally abundant resourses, the niche that the occupy is similar to grazing ruminants, so the European introduction of sheep has caused a large increase in the numbers of these specific kangaroos. When there is a lot of food about the females will have a joey on the ground, a younger one in the pouch and another on the way. There populations can very quickly increase and just as quickly crash.

This is an issue of management, in terms of slaughter for meat, well if you shoot a female there is a good chance that she has young. Some people would consider this and ethical issue. On the other hand ruminants are very bad for native vegetation. They have not upper front teeth so they tend to rip out the native grasses, roots and all. Kangaroos nip of the grass, leaving it to live another day. Loss of native vegetation = loss of native animals etc.

Consumption of kangaroo meat could be seen as a way of managing native grasses etc, but I doubt that kangaroo meat will ever be consumed to the level that this would become practical, so the amount of impact it would make is open to question. On the other hand, I feel that every little bit helps, if not directly, then to make people more aware of the issues associate with what they eat and further more, kangaroo numbers have to be managed for their own benefit, so I come out on the side of encouraging consumption of this meat. It would be better if there was a better system of determining how the animals were harvested etc though.

[Placebo]

A good friend of mine made kangaroo a few monthys back and said it was great.

[lannie]

Had kangaroo sausages while in Perth. They were sold in the local supermarket. The meat was dark, lean, and slightly gamey.

There is an abundance of kangaroos running around, so most cars in Australia have 'Roo Bars' (an extra bumper for the front) in case they run into stray kangaroos on the roads.

[arielle]

There is an abundance of kangaroos running around, so most cars in Australia have 'Roo Bars' (an extra bumper for the front) in case they run into stray kangaroos on the roads.

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most?

[Adam Balic]

Australia is about the same size as the USA or Western Europe, not all of it is a hop with kangaroos. We ate them all.