Whale Meat
 

I know they are extremely popular dishes in Japan and Norway. I've never had them before. Are they red or white meat? What type of whales are normally harvested for these? Do they taste more like other fish or are they similar to your average poultry (chicken, beef, lamb, pork, etc). Even though I have never tried them, I am definately not against the consumption of such animals.

You are in luck - it is Japan's whaling season!
Japan intends to kill a broader variety of whales this season for secretive 'research' purposes, before the meat is harvested and sold. Perhaps you could contact the Japanese Government's whaling agency via a website, or find info on the places where people choose freely to eat whales.

If whale meat, which reportedly is not very tasty, was extremely popular, wouldn't fishermen from other countries also be illegally killing them to supply the extreme demand?

I am against the killing of whales, supposedly protected species, for industrial-scale food production.

Interesting question, but I think you will need to travel to one of these countries to find your answer.

Can I quickly butt in here and say that although whale meat is certainly eaten in Japan, it is not 'extremely popular'. You'll have a job finding somewhere in Tokyo that will serve it to you.
Ther's a rec here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...88#post5588588

Most of the people I know who've ever eaten it only did so because of some program that encouraged(/s) schoolchildren to try it.

It's not 'extremely popular' at all, not with the general population.

My guess is that it isn't 'extremely popular' for similar reasons to why horsemeat isn't, even with people who feel no qualms about eating them. Unless you developed a taste for it growing up, it's probably not that great a culinary experience. Which could be why the government wants to expose children to their 'culinary heritage'. I actually don't really understand what the real agenda with pursuing an economically unviable and unpopular food such as Whale meat is for the Japanese government.

Blue fin tuna is overfished, it's found in the most exclusive restaurants and the price is high.

Whale meat is overfished, yet there is a restaurant in Shibuya that offers it as part of a 2,000yen menu, it's served as lunch to children at schools and you can get pieces of whale jerky for your dogs.

Any guess as to which tastes better?

Why not try some beer fed, hand massaged wagyu beef instead?

I'm not saying I am keen to sampling whale meat. Just curious to the contents and ingredients of where it came from.

Huh? Carbon? Water? Salt? Plankton??? And milk if it's young enough.

Anyway...
Lots of photos in that link I posted a link to:
http://www.kujiraya.co.jp/dish/list.html
Click on the images for more

Answers a lot of your questions (especially about colour - which will vary depending on what part of the animal is used, most will be a deep red, the skin/blubber will be white. I know Narwhal skin is rich in vitamin C, I have no idea about other whales, the only interest I have in this is tied up with learning about the traditional diet of the Inuit and other Northern peoples. If anyone knows why the traditional knives of the Inuit to slice mammal flesh are the same shape as the plectrums used to play the Biwa/Koto I'd love to hear from you!)

Has anyone tried whale milk? (Or other sea mammal milk?)
What does it taste like? How about whale milk shake?
I am definitely not against the consumption of such delicacies.

Just as I am not against the Japanese and Norwegians from consuming Whale, I am also not against Koreans consuming dogs nor Peruvians consuming Iguanas nor Texans consuming Armadillo, nor Aussies consuming Kangaroos.

Reason why whale meat is red is due to the whale not being bled. They can't bleed the animal because of its inherent size at sea.

The whale white meat is actually more fat (blubber) then meat.

As LapLap mentioned, it was kind of "forced" fed on you as part of a traditional lunch program in public school. Regular Japanese folks feel the international heat over whale killing and many of the younger generation don't feel its cool to eat it at all.

Great! Are you going to start threads on those too?

Around half of some whale species killed by Japanese in the Antarctic were pregnant.


Some research findings: What do dead foetus whales taste like? I suppose they are sold and consumed too, after the scientific testing has been completed.

What other protected species should we discuss as popular dishes?

Killing pregnant whales is 'good news', say whalers
 

This will remain news while a court case is run. I learnt a few things from this article, primarily that Japanese research is being run for the purpose of providing evidence to resume commercial whaling. Silly me, I thought it was for some other purpose!

There was a whale sighted near Sydney harbour today, one of the last of this year's whale watching season.

Whale watch news items here, for those who prefer to not eat this protected mammal, hunted almost to extinction.

I guess all the comments regarding whale meat is that some people ate whale meat forcingly meaning they ate it without knowing that it was whale and that the meat itself isn't healthy afterall. Doesn't make me want to try so anytime soon even though if the Japanese and Norwegians continue to include whale as part of their diet, I still have no objections.

:doubletake:

What comments are you referring to when you say that "some people ate it without knowing that it was whale meat"???

Are you looking at a different thread?:confused:

i love it
 

in japan i ate whale meat the first time in my life and i have to admit i love it.
it was fried (like から揚げ）

it tastes really good, better than chicken .

http://blog.livedoor.jp/numazucat/ar.../50908983.html

here is a restaurant serving fried whale! its super delicious.

anyway, to all the greenpeace activist here, dont worry in japan whale meat isnt very popular as many people were forced to eat it in school when they were young. as it was poor times when whale was served in school a lot people dont want to eat whale to remember the time when japan was poor.

but i have eaten whale, horse, dog (and dog was a bit aciddently) but its so supertasty that i would eat it again without a blink.

about dogs, you think that you can eat all dogs.. right. no, the dogs you can eat are the ones which are very similar to fox. and well even i had to really concentrate the first time i ate it... it was still better than beef .

but still if you know its dog its hard to get your mouth to open :p

Well, Im actually Norwegian, and yes, I have tasted whale meat several times. I guess it used to be real inexpensive back in the days, while it is EXPENSIVE today... Anyways. Doesnt taste really good, I would describe it as liver...

EDIT: And its not that common. Probably as common as liver, which isnt common in the US nor Norway.

Spotted owl, it taste like chicken! :D:D:D

On a more serious note I tried whale when I was in Japan, Once and only once. I was not impressed, I am sure it taste good fried. But I am Southern and almost anything taste good fried.

Horsemeat is actually quite delicious, and it is a crying shame that extremists in the USA have been so successful in keeping it unavailable. Best steak I've EVER eaten was a bistecca di cavallo near Venice, Italy.

Liver is quite common in the USA, both in restaurants and in grocery stores.

Talk for yourself.

I've eaten 'carne equino' a few times, didn't much like it. There's never been much of a problem getting hold of it in my part of Spain. But even amongst my grandmother's generation it's not well liked. Definitely a niche market, and for good reason.

Well, I'm willing to accept not all cuts of Trigger are the same, but the steak I had (grilled MR, parmesan shaving, balsamic reduction) was excellent.

addition to this silly thread
 

I didn't know Peruvians eat iguana. They DO eat quite a lot of cuy (guinea pig). Maybe they eat those lizards in the Amazon part of Peru.

Lewis and Clarke thought the dog meat they got from the Indians was super--some of their best meals. I think at that time the native Americans mainly kept dogs for that purpose.

My wife worked with an gal from Barrow whose parents would FedEx her whale meat once in a while. She grew up eating it and loved it.

There's a very strange law about trading in whale teeth. What's strange is that whales aren't killed for their teeth ever--just a byproduct and probably not a very lucrative one.

What all this has to do with flying I can't imagine except that folks that fly a lot tend to be interested in lots of things. Including zipping through the air at 500 mpg and 35,000 ft whilst sipping a cocktail. People are surely funny.

Doh! I was in Norway a couple of weeks ago and totally forgot to try some whale meat. What makes it worse is - I love liver!

Can it be got anywhere other than Norway & Japan, or is it illegal everywhere else?

I'll bet you'd have enjoyed a prime cut of venison, goat or ostrich (or cat, yak or kangaroo) given a similar treatment.

I'm also guessing that whilst you nibbled at your Sundancer steak niche, the rest of the animal was enjoyed as pet food.

chartreuse - Iceland


Can we continue with the dog meat verdicts now?

Venison - Been there, done that. Bambi tastes EXCELLENT as either a prime cut, jerky, sausage, or chili!

Goat - tried it several time in Mexico, but not my favorite. Too gamey.

Ostrich - breast meat makes for an excellent steak/roast.

Cat - pretty sure I've had it in Korea. Host swore the meat was beef. Beef isn't that color. And definitely wasn't pork, chicken or dog. Was pretty good though.

And your point would be......??

What do you think happens to the wierd bits of the cows, pigs, chickens, fish, etc. that people seem to find more (ahem) palatable? The bistecca di cavallo a la Barbarro was excellent. I hope Rover enjoyed his share at least half as much.

They make really, really good soup (Korea).

Now back OT. Didn't care too much for whale. Beefy with fishy afternotes. Seal was not much better.

That you've been rather quick to point your finger at 'extremists'.

Thanks LapLap, I've been meaning to visit Iceland for a while and now I've got yet another reason :)

See -
Horse Meat
Horse slaughter in USA

In the USA, legislation has been forced through by monied interests who sentimentally anthropomorphise horses, and insist on imposing their views on others (not unlike many other moralistic issues in the USA, unfortunately). Interestingly, the legistlation is strongly opposed by those actually involved in the industry, such as the American Quarter Horse Association. Politicians, afraid to stand up to little girls crying about ponies, caved.

Horse is a common baby food in Italy - soled in jars at most supermarkets (as is donkey and sheep).

The problem with eating whale (as opposed to dogs or iguanas) is that whale populations take very long to restock - as whales only have one calf every few years or so and grow very old (some upto 100 years). Lastly, pregnant females are preferred for eating because they carry a lot of blubber.

If you prefer to think that's the ONLY reason, fine. I'm just saying that it really isn't that tasty a meat (even you enjoyed it once it had been coated in dairy umami/MSG) and I doubt it would have become that popular anyway. There's not much of a history of 'sentimentally anthropomorphiing horses' in Spain, yet it rarely features on menus there. People in Spain have the choice, and they choose other meats.

My point is exactly that it should be a matter of taste, rather than legislation. In the USA, it has become a legislative matter, rather thaqn one of personal preference.

I can't stand cooked spinach, and once had a fern that meant a great deal to me because of from whom it was a gift. That doesn't mean I should pull out the stops to outlaw leafy green comestibles though. If you like them, more power to you. If I don't, that's also OK.

For the record, and back OT - even though I've tried whale (not that good) I do not believe it should be a harvested animal. Endangered trumps individual tastes and preferences.

I have a friend who tried it in Japan solely to piss off the tree hugger type they were having dinner with who was annoying him. He wasn't a huge fan, but it had quite the desired effect. Raw horse is apparently much better.

I recall reading that whale milk is extremely fatty (in the range of 50% fat) and would therefore probably be quite unpalatable to humans if drunk by the glass. Not, of course, that it would be particularly easy to milk a whale. :)

I would not normally choose to eat whale, either, but I note that missing from this discussion are the legal whale hunts and the consumption of whales by aboriginal peoples in North America. Many southern foods are prohibitively expensive, and native mammals, including whales, are considerably more nutritious than what is trucked/flown up from the south. Really, what's the greater affront to urban ethics -- eating whale, or eating a greasy, unhealthy $50 bucket of KFC that was probably made with factory-farmed pullets? I certainly won't turn down muktuk if I am offered some when I travel to some of the more remote northern communities this fall.

I try not to get emotional over the killing and consumption of sea mammals.

There is a film that will be released in a few months that covers aspects of this 'industry' that cannot be excused.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-b...0080330x1.html

As some dolphins are called pilot whales, the border between the two species is quite smudged.

Putting aside my personal abhorrence of this practice, and ignoring that the selection process and killing methods go against the officially prescribed and sanctioned ones, there is a compelling reason for humans not to be eating these animals (I doubt many of us would know the difference between dolphin or whale sashimi), the mercury levels in the meat are reportedly through the roof, comparable to levels found in fish from Minamata bay.

I was impressed by how nice dog soup is, although I probably wouldn't order it of my own accord given the treatment the animals suffer before hand.

As for whale, I have no problem with people eating any animal as long as the kill is a) sustainable b) humane. Commercial whaling appears to be neither of these things.

I'll add my vote to horse meat too. Oh and kangaroo is probably one of my favourite meats, but only when it's cooked properly which is pretty rare.

You do know that Kangaroos (some species) are vermin and damage crops.

Hmm wonder what impact the whale population have on the annual plankton harvest...

Australians do not eat Bilby's - a cuter smaller version of a Kangaroo (kind of - we have weird creatures here) - it is a protected species so we are not allowed to. They also don't eat the Koala - also protected. Seeing a theme?

Interestingly some NZers were suggesting the commercial farming of the Kiwi as it's numbers were dwindling and by farming it you could create a sustainable population...

A friend of mine tried it in Japan. Said it came in a can. Said it tasted like bacon. Said he was embarrassed to admit to it.

That's all I know about it, albeit second hand.

Hehe anyone who leaves urban areas of Australia will immediately know that the kangaroo certainly does not need protection. Although I do remember being on a property when I was about 12 roo hunting and being shocked at how inhumanely some of the guys killed the joey's one guy grabbed it by the legs and swung it head first into the tray of the ute until it was dead.

I had it at an Izakaya here in Kyushu.....It was served sashimi style and I remember it being rather bloody.....It is available at most supermarkets around here...It is not expensive!

Had a project back in High School involving Native Alaskan Culture. So as one of the things I brought in was seal. It didn't really go over that well, but was ok. It was battered and fried, and extremely smelly, like bad fish. Tasted fishy too and had the consistency of liver. Not many students tried it :(

I was in charge of a Scouting event last year in ANC (OA Section W-1B Conclave) and since the location was unique, (Had people from the West Coast, OGG & Japan fly up) I contacted a friend of my Dad's who lives in BRW, and he arranged for a cooler full of muktuk to be Goldstreaked down to us in ANC. The stuff was quite strong too, and very chewy. Lots sampled a piece of it... not many liked it. But it was the experience.

My favorite exotic animal has been beaver. I especially enjoyed the fatty tail.

my understanding is that in japan there are now fewer and fewer people learning how to prepare whale meat.

I haven't looked recently, but in the past one could definitely buy canned whale meat. For that matter one can also buy canned horse meat (commonly sold in most any supermarket), and some may have unknowingly already partaken of canned horse meat as it's sold under the name of "New Corned Beef" (but it's anything but beef).