Here is the thing: In many of the things we need to look for in these thousand words writes, we may encounter many topics that are a bit strange. It is not like these can’t be researched at all; but it is weird to see that they are a thing to actually research. In a way, that is what Internet is all about.
And sometimes, the weirdest things you may find on the Internet are the things you normally would not think to eat. One of those things that probably appeared on this batch is beaver; yup, the little animals that make dams on a river.
Today we are going to take a look about eating a beaver, if it is possible at all and, more importantly; what does beaver taste like? Rest assured that most of the investigation shows that this animal is normally trapped for good reasons you are going to see next.
Why would you eat a beaver?
Time to start with one important question about these animals. If we are going to be answering what does beaver taste like; you may be wondering, why on Earth you would do that? Why would you eat a beaver?
First up, you need to know that beaver meat is not bad for you and so, it can be eaten. In fact, compared to your regular beef, it is way healthier. It is also a cheap meat to eat if you are in an area with lots of them; especially when they are categorized as a plague.
Some people say that the best part of the beaver body to eat is the tail. There are some that even claim that it tastes like roast beef, which is insane! But however, there are some people that despite these claims, says this kind of meat tastes like a tree trunk.
And speaking of when it is totally fine to eat beaver, sometimes they are considered invasive species in certain habitats. When this happens, the people around the area set some traps to catch the beavers; (or if local authorities allow them, they hunt these animals) and use the meat, the skin, etc.
It would seem that, after reading that you could hunt or set traps for beavers, one is being cruel to animals. But in some circumstances, the beavers could be detrimental to the balance a certain animal population in a given area. Controlling the numbers by doing these activities does help.
Can you eat beaver tail?
In the search for answers to what does beaver taste like, you probably have asked yourself: if beaver can be eaten (because it can), could you do with every part of the beaver body? What about the tail? Can you eat beaver tail?
The short answer is yes. In fact, some believe it is made mostly of fat when cooked; even though is pure meat, a very softer one. Inside is a good source of many nutrients including protein, iron, and vitamins A and B.
There are some recommended ways to cook the tail of a beaver; one of which requires to insert a stick or pole in the place where the tail was cut. Then, hovering and rotating the tail over a fire to make the skin dry up. You can then remove the dark skin and go on to boil the tail into a pot with water for about an hour, maybe more.
After this time has passed, the meat on the beaver’s tail would be softer and tender, making it very easy to cut, even with your hands. This is supposed the softest meat you could ever encounter and you can accompany it with your favorite sauce, or just salt and pepper.
Can beavers cause an ecosystem issue?
You may be thinking: What does this question have to do with what does beaver taste like? Why are we even talking about ecosystems and beavers? Can beavers cause an ecosystem issue?
Well, it does have many things in common, many things that are very related that all of them end with the control of the species. And what better example of this that the issue beavers cause in the far south of Argentina, in Tierra de Fuego.
Many, many years ago (around 1946) 26 pairs of beavers were introduced in this area that is shared with Argentina and Chile. Since then, these animals became a plague that impacted negatively the ecosystem of the zone.
It is not like they are more destructive than a human can be; but, since they did not have competitors and predators around, their population exploded displacing other animals and affecting the trees and water sources of the island.
One option they choose was to set traps and use the beavers for food; for their castoreum, and their skin, controlling the population by doing so. Even the EPA said that the meat on these animals is safe for human consumption; plus, it has a great nutritional value.
Since 2006, the Argentinians have made the so called “Festival del castor” (or “Beaver’s festival” in Spanish). Here, they prepare many dishes with the use of parts from the beaver body. You could get roasted, grilled, boiled meat of beaver and many other gastronomic ideas. You could even get hamburgers made of beaver meat!
Conclusion
To end up this topic about what does beaver taste like, we did not expect to find too much information about the taste of the meat of a beaver, since it seems a very exotic animal to be eaten. Turns out, it is as “normal” (fairly normal) than eating a goat or a sheep.
When it comes to taste, it is said that the beaver tastes like roasted beef which is amazing; but, some argue that the animal may taste like eating a tree’s bark with some sauce over. In any case, the meat is way healthier than your traditional beef, and it is a suitable alternative to it according to the EPA.
And speaking of the EPA, in some instances it is necessary to control the population of beavers to avoid them damaging an ecosystem like it happened in Argentina, where even a festival was set in order to promote the meat of beavers as a way to control said populations.
