When I was growing up in Appalachian Kentucky, my family ate nearly everything available with only two exceptions, muskrat and opossum. We were always told that both were "nasty" and we shouldn't eat them. Since then I have eaten both although it has been a long time since I ate either. The firs time I ate muskrat was about 28 years old and working as the broodmare and yearling foreman on a Thoroughbred farm in Lexington, Kentucky, known as The Stallion Station. Our maintenance foreman was an African American man named Harvey "Bull" Jackson. I will always remember Bull for a variety of reasons but one of the fondest memories I have of him involves the first time I ever ate muskrat. Bull and I had to come in every Sunday morning with one man each to help us and do the bare minimum work on the farm. My helper and I had to check on all the horses, do the feeding and turn out or put up whichever horses needed to be moved, and do any treatments for sick horses. Bull and his helper had to check fences, water lines, etc. and do any necessary repairs. We got in the habit of meeting for breakfast in the tack room at the foaling barn which had a good table, a hot plate, a sink, and hot and cold running water.
One Sunday morning Bull came in with a big platter of meat all cooked up and set it down on the table and said "I brought breakfast. Sit down and eat." When I looked at the meat, I knew it was some kind of wild meat and thought it was probably groundhog which I love. I've written about eating and cooking groundhog in more than one place on this blog. I grabbed a leg, took a bite, liked it a lot but could tell that it wasn't groundhog. "What is this, Bull," I asked. He responeded, "Ruth cooked that. Eat that. It's good." I finished the first leg, grabbed another and asked again, "What is this, Bull?" I got the same answer, "Ruth cooked that. That's good. Eat that." I knew Bull's wife Ruth and knew she was an excellent cook so I kept eating. Finally, when he saw that I was enjoying the meat, he told me, "That's muskrat. I went out last night to the ponds and shot some muskrats. Ruth cooked them up for supper and we had that left over. You like that don't you?" I told him that I did like it and we finished the pan of meat. I've been a muskrat lover ever since but I have not had the opportunity to eat a lot of it.
In my recent blog post about eating groundhog, linked above, I made reference to a cookbook I have called "The L. L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook" which had a couple of groundhog recipes which I mentioned in that blog piece. It also has recipes for muskrat along with several other species of animals which most people don't eat but which I have found to be very good grub as we say in the mountains of Appalachia. In their introduction to the section on muskrat the authors of the cookbook say: "In New Orleans and other eastern cities whose restaurants serve muskrat in season, this delicious meat is often listed as "marsh rabbit" to avoid the stigma attached to the word "rat". It is a pity that the name puts off some people, for the tender, fine grained meat is excellent fare." The authors of that cookbook are absolutely correct. I have only been to New Orleans on two occasions and have never seen it on a menu where I have eaten. I would love to try it in a commercial kitchen there someday. I also know that in the Detroit, Michigan, area muskrat is commonly eaten and is generally thought to have been rooted in Catholic culture. History says that in that area "tradition has it, it was during these early years of the 19th century that the humble pastor of Ste. Anne Parish in Detroit, Fr. Gabriel Richard, lobbied for a special dispensation to the region’s residents to consume muskrat throughout the Lenten season." I have also heard it told that in the Detroit area muskrat is commonly served smothered in sauerkraut or with sauerkraut as a side dish. I've never been in Detroit in my adult years although I have spent several weeks in Michigan over the years in other parts of the state and have never seen muskrat on a menu in the state. I would love to attend the Lenten dinner described in the article linked above.
My L. L. Bean cookbook has four recipes for muskrat. The first describes oven roasting muskrat in much the same way Ruth Jackson cooked hers and similar to the way my family has often cooked both groundhog and raccoon. Their second recipe is for "Marsh Rabbit" New Orleans Style. They claim this recipe can be used equally well for rabbit, squirrel, groundhog, and beaver. That recipe mentions "deglanding" the muskrats prior to preparation and I would agree with that idea. Muskrats are so named because they have musk glands near their rectums and exude musk for purposes of defense, marking territory, and attracting mates and the musk can be quite strong in adult males. Skinning of muskrats, beavers, or any other mustelids should be done with careful attention to removing those musk glands without damaging them and infusing the meat with the musk. This second recipe contains several vegetables including carrots, onions, and green peppers. It also include a quarter pound of diced ham. This recipe is also heavily spiced with a combination of red pepper seeds, cayenne, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, parsley, salt, and pepper. It is intended to be simmered for 1 1/2 hours in a Dutch Oven or heavy casserole dish. Between the many vegetables and the diverse collection of spices, it appears to me that muskrat should become so well disguised that it's distinctive natural taste could well be lost. The third L. L. Bean recipe is much simpler and called Braised Muskrat. The only additives are onions, thyme, 1/2 pound of salt pork, and a touch of salt and pepper. It seems that this recipe would be much more natural in flavor and true to the real muskrat. The last L. L. Bean recipe is called Basic Sweet-Sour Recipe For Braised Muskrat Or Other Furred Game. It is reputed to good for several other animals including beaver, squirrel, groundhog, and raccoon. I have a bit of an issue with any recipe for any product which makes any claim leaning toward its being universally applicable to anything that creeps, crawls, or flies too low over the supper table. It also includes onions, green pepper, and lard for flavoring. The spices are salt, pepper, theyme, 1/4 cup sugar, dry mustard, and vinegar. Once again, this recipe seems to be attempting to mask the natural flavor of the muskrat.
There are also numerous recipes available on the internet for muskrat ranging from braised and baked to stewed and fried. If you love wild meat, muskrat should never be avoided. It is good, pretty, red meat with a nice color and taste. You can find a recipe which appeals to your individual taste and try it. It is well worth eating. Just ask any devout Catholic in Detroit.
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