“Squirrel finds new popularity among British diners”

Today’s post continues this blog’s running theme on the crazy meats that people eat. I’ve blogged before on whale burgers, horse steaks, and insanely large burgers. The latest entry in this category: squirrel. The New York Times ran a lengthy feature on the resurgence of squirrel on Britain menus, the byproduct of a squirrel management campaign. The article says:

in farmers markets, butcher shops and elegant restaurants, squirrel is selling as fast as gamekeepers and hunters can bring it in

Not all is rosy with the growth of squirrel meat. People differ on whether it tastes good (one critic described it as “a greasy texture and unpleasant taste”), it’s apparently a lot of work to separate meat from bone, skinning a squirrel is “difficult and unpleasant,” and squirrel brains contain a variation of Mad Cow disease. If those reasons aren’t good enough to take a pass on squirrel, let’s not forget the fact that squirrels are just rats with fluffy tails.