Chomposaurus is back, but in a different place! We spent the week moving from lovely collegiate Boston to the big meaty apple of New York City. So get ready for reviews of even crazier meats here in the eating capital of the USA.
Regular posts will begin again on Monday. Next week will include reviews of Trader Joe’s Turkey Jerky and some Antelope Steak.
And no, that’s not me in the picture. But it is someone who I’d like to high-five.
The comic really doesn’t have much to do with meat, but it’s such a good idea.
It’s hard to say anything that the picture doesn’t say. Order yours – along with your Sausage Hot Wheel – from Wisconsin today!
I kid you not. This article – from a reputable U.K. newspaper – contains a recipe for Squirrel Pasty. Made from grey squirrel, a.k.a. what you see in parks across the United States, because England’s red squirrel is endangered. I’m not sure which to be more upset about – the fact that squirrel meat is “selling like hotcakes,” or the fact that the squirrels could soon be coming from here.
Ok, ok. England has a healthy supply of greys that can probably satisfy their urges for pasties and melts for years to come. But you never know when the squirrel burrito or the squirrel curry will take off, and the redcoats will come a’knockin on the cash-strapped Park Service’s door. Although I suppose healthy squirrel exports might help our economy. I will try and put on a patriotic face… but I don’t want the furry little nutgobblers from my local playground ending up as someone’s drunken snack in Northumberland.
I’m going to have to try this recipe. Who could resist having a bacon vodka tonic with their burger? Or if you’re feeling really adventurous, put some jalapeno-bacon vodka in your bloody mary:
When ordering beef online or in a high-end restaurant, you’ll frequently see the word “Wagyu” used. What does this mean? Is it the same as Kobe beef? Yes and no. Kobe beef is the most famous variety of Wagyu: other varieties include Mishimi and Ohmi, along with American Kobe and Australian Wagyu. All of the varieties are named for the region where they are produced. Remember, saying “Japanese Wagyu” is redundant because “Wagyu” means “Japanese-style Cattle.”
Sadly, most of the Wagyu info on the web, except for the wikipedia article, seems to have been cut and pasted from the same poorly-written source. But I found one great source of information: the Kobe Beef FAQ, hosted on good ol’ Geocities. Go there to learn the history of the market for Wagyu in America and Japan, and why it’s so hard to find.
One thing I can tell you: Wagyu beef is like no other. It’s beautifully marbled and is very low in saturated fat. Is it worth the price? You will have to decide – but you should definitely try it for yourself.
Do you crave pasta even when your hellish diet prevents you from eating carbs? Fear not, for scientists in New Zealand have invented meat spaghetti:
While testing the binding strength of meat, Mustafa Farouk unexpectedly found meat spaghetti – made from sheep or beef but transformed into colourful spaghetti-like strips.
“It tastes like meat and it can look like meat but we can actually change the composition of the product quite a lot so we can mask the meaty flavour,” Mike North from AgResearch says.
And with busy families demanding more convenient yet healthy foods AgResearch believes it is on to something. Kids love spaghetti but for many parents it’s hard to get them to eat meat – so the meaty, protein saturated, pasta version could be an innovative way of providing youngsters with vital nutrients and iron.
The article stretches the need for meat spaghetti a bit. What parent has trouble getting their kids to eat meat? Haven’t they ever heard of chicken fingers? But I do believe there is a market for meat spaghetti, especially among the young and the fit who are tired of eating a Chipolte Bol for their carbless lunches.
“Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made”
A much disputed quote, often attributed to Otto von Bismarck or Winston Churchill. Research indicates that the lawyer-poet John Godfrey Saxe may have uttered it first. No matter who said it; we shall prove it untrue. Behold! A fascinating look at making sausage in Romania, complete with graphic pictures. At left you see a sausage mistress blowing through the intestines to check for leaks.
Don’t be afraid of what you eat. You should know what’s going into your body.
Chomposaurus correspondent at-large P. Sundae recently partook of Switzerland’s national treasure – and no, I’m not talking about knives or Nazi gold – during his hike up the Schnebelhorn, near Zurich. You see, there is nothing the swiss love more than their sausage. And the most popular sausage there, by far, is the cervelat. The Swiss eat 160 million of them per year, which is quite impressive for a country of 7.5 million people.
Yes, that’s right. That cervelat’s got cheese and bacon stuffed INSIDE of it. That’s how they like to eat it. Traditionalists will even cut a cross into either end of the sausage so it curls open like a beautiful star of meat.
The sausage itself is made of a mixture of beef, pork and spices. Most sources suggest garlic is the primary spice, although it varies based on the producer.
Currently, though, there’s a cervelat crisis in Switzerland. The type of cow intestine used to wrap the sausage, called Zebu, is produced only in Brazil. Unfortunately, EU rules have prevented the import of any beef products from Brazil due to their lack of adequate precautions against mad cow disease. It’s estimated that, if imports don’t resume, the Swiss will run out of sausage by Aug 1, 2009 – Swiss National Day, the number one day for sausage consumption in the country. As the New York Times reports, this has left even reserved Swiss in a state of despair.
So go enjoy your cervelat while you can. And when you’re grilling, don’t forget the chocholate banana for desert:
Chomposaurus Meaty Feed
