When I lived in Illinois, fried pigs ear sammidges were a local delicacy,
as were fried carp sammidges.
Pigs feet are better than fried pigs ears.. both are better than stewed
chitlins. But menudo is better.
T.
-----Original Message-----
From: Don Cooper
Sent: Jul 2, 2007 10:32 PM
To: [email protected]
Cc: texas cavers
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Yummy for your Tummy!-OT
Maybe one of youse gourmands can lay to rest something I've wondered about
for a while now:
Crispy baked pig ears were one of my Chow Chow's favorite things in the
whole world.
Trying to take one away from her - was the only way she would ever have
tried to bite me.
Nothing anyone could do would piss her off more than interfering with an
porcine ear-fest.
Removing her kibbles or anything else was only an minor annoyance - not
even evoking a growl.
Are pig ears really that tasty? Or is it just a dog thing? And do they
taste anything like fried pig skins?
-WaV
On 6/25/07, Andy Gluesenkamp <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> SW,
> A few comments on consuming Cavimorpha:
> I have dined on Cui several times in Ecuador. I would say that guinea
> pigs (and all other mammals) require proper cooking to be enjoyed. The
> traditional method for cooking cui requires cooking the de-haired, gutted
> carcass in three different pots of oil. I forget the exact order but the
> oil baths are at different temperatures and serve to cook, seal, and crisp
> the cui. Fantastic when cooked properly (and served straddling a big bowl
> of fresh potatoes in chicken broth), terrible when not (soggy, dark rat
> meat, ugh).
> I was majorly turned off by the tepesquintle I ate (nasty greasy, dark
> meat with hairy nipples served over a pile of dirty, I mean dirty, rice)
> but then again, it all depends of the cook.
> Porcupine meat looks and smells good when it is fresh but they are a
> pain to clean, especially when freezer-burned and I haven't skinned many
> that were fresh enough to eat. I've had beaver mole (I'm talking about the
> kind with big teeth) and it was ok but I'll take a nice fat guinea pig and a
> sack of potatoes any day.
> best wishes from one who is more gourmand than gourmet,
> Andy
>
> *[email protected]* wrote:
>
> I believe that I can speak with some authority in regard to eating rats
> and bats. I've already posed concerning eating bats in Borneo. Bats are
> easily the most disgusting thing I have ever put into my mouth, particularly
> when stir fried in a wok with wings, feet, head, and fur intact. Remember,
> the flavor of guano comes from the fact that it comes from bats, not because
> it is excrement.
>
> Rodents are another story, some are extra yummy, some are not.
>
> Standard rats are not particularly yummy, even when lab raised, as they
> have a very strong "gamey" taste. I know this because I once hosted a big
> "herper" party here at Weazelworld that featured rats as the main course.
> After all, turnabout is fair play, and the guests had collectively fed over
> a million rats and mice to their snakes.
>
> The Gourmet Rodent, which is conveniently located near my home, is the
> world's largest rat farm. At any given time they have hundreds of thousands
> of rats and mice, all raised for the purpose of feeding snakes. I wanted
> nice fat gourmet rats, but unfortunately the management refused to sell them
> to me when they found out who would be eating them (themselves and all of
> their friends). They were also concerned that a horde of Chinese cooks with
> bent cigarettes, dirty aprons, and cleavers might storm the place once word
> got out.
>
> This forced me to go to Hogtown Herps, a decidedly downmarket
> establishment whose hygienic standards cannot be discussed on a polite
> listserve such as this. There I purchased several fine braces of jumbo rats,
> and a big basketfull of thumb sized pinkies.
>
> The jumbos were skinned, gutted, and barbecued, whereas the pinkies were
> rolled like little cocktail sausages on the grill.
>
> No one asked for seconds on the jumbo rats, but the pinkies were held in
> higher esteem by those who like extra greasy little weenies, which is
> exactly what they looked and tasted like. Unfortunately I had failed to gut
> them, thinking their little milk filled tummies to be of no importance. I
> quickly learned that the head and thorax were crunchy and good, whereas the
> bellies were a bit soggy with a taste not unlike that of a used diaper. So
> it was that a young lady passed through the crowd with a silver platter full
> of the little pinks. I selected a particularly succulent one, then bit down
> on the head and chest. As I did so a jet of hot baby rat shit squirted out
> of the abdomen and landed in the eye of another passing young lady. She was
> temporarily blinded and not at all pleased. Next time I will shop at the
> Gourmet Rodent where I have an account, and without revealing my intentions.
>
>
> Caviomorphs are a different story. Check your rat for a tail. If it has
> one you may wish to pass, but if it doesn't then chow down! Next time you
> are in either Ecuador or Peru exploring the caves east of the Andes make it
> a point to try Cui, a regional delicacy that is barbecued and sold in fine
> restaurants (such as they are). Here in America they are erroneously known
> as Guinea pigs. Rest assured that none have ever been to Guinea, or anywhere
> else in Africa. They are the only truly domesticated rodent, and do not
> exist in the wild. Beware the hideous piercing shriek as the Cui
> contemplates it's fate on the plate. A dish fit for an Incan Sun God! When a
> Quetchua with a plateful of chewy Cui yells out "Pachamama!" it is merely
> enthusiasm for his dinner and praise for the gods, not an insult to your
> mother.
>
> But there is something better yet, the Tepezcuintle as it is known in
> Mexico, or Gibnut in Belize, is the world's best bite. The real name is
> *Agouti paca*, which is extra confusing because the completely different
> Caviomorph animal commonly known as the Agouti is actually in the genus
> *Dasyprocta*. It is a yummy fast moving rabbit like creature, but not
> nearly as yummy as the *Agouti paca* which rather resembles a Schmoo*.*
>
> Nothing can equal the Gibnut! In Belize it is also known as the Royal
> Rat due to the fact that when The Queen came for a visit that is what she
> was served. It is a big fat chubby Guinea pig like creature weighing up to
> 25 lbs, every ounce of which is yummy.
>
> First you must acquire the Gibnut, so take your gun and dogs, then march
> through the jungle at night, being extra careful not to step on a Tommygoff
> (also known as a Terciopelo, equis, quatro narices, etc), because if you do
> there will be no dinner for you. I once smoked a Gibnut to death in its
> burrow with several Mayan Indians, a more traditional method.
>
> Once in hand, simply take your Gibnut and pour hot water over it. The
> hair will all fall off to reveal the succulent white fat layer which makes
> the world's best chicharones. Other than certain of the more unsavory gut
> items, and the hideous beefworm maggots in the skin, the entire animal is
> delicious! Do with it as you will. Not even Belizeans, whose National dish
> is called "Bile up" can screw up the cooking of a Gibnut.
>
> Belizeans rarely eat Gibnut because to do so they would have to go out
> into the jungle at night, which they will not do for fear of Tommygoffs,
> Duendes, Sisimites, and other spooks, so as a result Gibnuts are still
> common there. The Gibnuts feed the "Tigers" and the Tigers further terrorize
> the Belizeans who then emigrate to Los Angeles. So it is that the ecosystem
> remains balanced.
>
> Then there is the Capybara, another Caviomorph. A friend of mine found
> one dead on I-10 here in Florida. It weighed 120 lbs. Despite that, it
> should not be confused with the Chupacabra which eats you.
>
> Anyone for Chinese?
>
> Sleaze
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
> See what's free at AOL.com<http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503>.
>
>
>
>
>
> Andrew G. Gluesenkamp, Ph.D.
> 700 Billie Brooks Drive
> Driftwood, Texas 78619
> (512) 799-1095
> [email protected]
http://home.infionline.net/~tbsamsel/ <http://home.infionline.net/%7Etbsamsel/>
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