Have you ever tasted game meat. game meat?

Wait a minute! What does it mean? Think of the word game, meaning something with rules done primarily for fun or to pass the time – that also applies to the ritualised hunting practices of the medieval upper classes. Game animals and game birds are ones that were hunted for sport-deer, elk, pheasant, quail, and a variety of other fowl – and then eaten. So, that is why it is called Game Meat.

Nowadays the word hunting can have a negative connotation, by the way. However, it is important to point out that the game meat culture has been present in Europe for centuries. Currently this practice has, however, followed rules for the preservation of species. Meeting the guidelines of the European Community is what keeps the positive side of this practice in the old continent.

In the last years, game meat consumption has been increasing possibly due to different motivations, including the perception that it is healthier, its particular taste and flavour, and the attraction for new experiences such as tasting exotic meats. Game meat is generally considered as a healthy food due to its low fat content, favourable fat composition, and rather high protein content. This is due to the fact that the meat comes from wild animals who hunt and forage for their food, different from domestic animals like cows and chickens.

These days, bison and buffalo meat became quite popular as well. You can buy bison steaks or burgers in most grocery stores, and to order bison dishes in many restaurants around the world. Also, you can find wild boar, moose, elk, and ostrich meat worldwide to buy. In addition to that, kangaroo meat is quite common in Australia. And In Africa, this type of food is known as “bushmeat,” and refers to animals including the wildebeest, for instance.

THE GAME MEAT SEASON IN EUROPE

Many restaurants use to include in their menus the game meat when Autumn arrives, a traditional dish searched for customers who await eagerly for this season, in order to taste the game meat accompanied by a good wine. Normally a good and rich red wine, which better harmonizes with game meats and that is also used as sauces.

There is no real difference in cooking or grilling methods between game meat and domestic meat. However, because of the lower fat content, game meat may occasionally be tougher, and so it can be helpful to slow cook the meat over a low temperature to tenderise it in certain cases.

For this matter, as a flameless, long lasting and premium quality charcoal, Ecotok can be helpful on grilling and cooking the game meat, preserving its taste in as well as achieving a better tenderness. At the end, it still collaborates to preserve the eco-system once it is made from coconut shell biomass.