With a global population of about 7.9 billion people, you can expect that we consume different foods.
To most people, it may be strange, but we have dogs, foxes, and cats meat lovers.
Particularly in China, there are annual dog festivals, and at such times, your dog could turn into dinner for your family.
Don’t you believe me? Keep reading to understand what I’m saying.
Let’s talk about the cats.
Again this may be strange for you, but it’s not strange for some of us. We do enjoy domestic cat meats. You see, for most people, cat meat became a popular choice when poverty docked in.
Also, during wartime, when you don’t know what to consume, you will find that most people eat everything, and that’s what happened when people began cats. Nonetheless, there are countries where people eat cats regularly and as regular meat.
Notice then that the only thing that makes the cats and other pets not consumed as they used to is because the world has made them pets today.
This, however, doesn’t mean that you won’t find countries where they still enjoy domestic cat meats.
While countries like Taiwan made a law to ban and fine these animals’ buying and eating, we still have many other countries eating the meats. So yes, there are people who eat cat meat.
Which countries eat cat meat
Notice that the eating of the cat and dogs is every day on the menus of various Asian countries.
China
The eating of cats is not widespread in China but in Guangdong and Guangxi, which are in the southeastern side of China.
Don’t forget, though, that the number of people consuming the cats is not known. The older generation believes that the cat meat will keep you warm during winter.
Statistics show that China consumes about 10 million cats and dogs in a year, and this is according to the on BBC News the countries where people eat cats and dogs for dinner.
I know you will wonder where they get all this cats from, and of course, they come from the different parts of China.
Usually, they come from Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, where we even have cat collectors.
Notice, though, that the whole process is not easy. Today we have activists who fight for animal rights, which makes it hard to consume the cats and dogs as they used to back in the day.
Korea
In this country, though, the cat meat was medicinal, and they liked to brew it to a tonic that they use for people with arthritis and neuralgia.
So in recent years, they have turned into eating it as cat soup for its medicinal value. The truth about it, though, is that not many people consumers cats like they do dogs.
Nonetheless, you will find a few middle-aged to older people consuming the cats for health benefits, particularly helping arthritis.
So, of course, you notice that they still eat the cats but not as much as they do dogs. Notice, though, that the country is not known to farm cats for consumption, which means they sell stray cats. So, the eating of cat meat is not as condoned in this country.
Vietnam
Well, the eating of cats is not new in Vietnam. They often take the stray cats and dogs to consume.
Note, it’s illegal to eat cat meat but still, to date, we have people eating the cat meat.
They are still set in the restaurant menus. There’s a belief in northern Vietnam that cat has the aphrodisiac properties.
So even with the present-day Covid 19, we still have massive sales of the cat and dogs from the belief that the meats will give positive health benefits.
India
Cat meat is consumed in parts of India and particularly Chennai. Today we have the people of Narikuvar hunt for stray cats to consume it.
Malaysia
Cat meat is not illegal in Malaysia. The Vietnamese have been selling meats into the towns of Malaysia for ages.
Japan
Well, during the Edo period, you would notice that people eat cats. Now eating cats in Japan is effective in health.
They believe that it will help you with bronchitis, lung disease, hemorrhoids. Notice, though, that the Japanese like to make soups.
Italy
During world war 2, the famine rocked the country, and they started to eat the cats. But they do not like to talk about it, and they even criticize those who eat the meat.
So we still have a few people from Vicenza, Italy, who consume cat meats in Italy.
Other countries with people taking the cat meats secretly or those who ate it during the wars and famine are as follows.
- Peru
- Argentina
- Belgium
- United kingdom
- Denmark etc
How does the cat taste like?
The cat is light red, and to make you understand a bit of the taste, you will have a blend of pork tastes and a blend of transparent fish mixed in. Surprisingly it does have a slightly sour after taste. This taste is perfect for most cat eaters.
Do Chinese restaurants have cat meat on the menu?
Unfortunately, most people have always believed that the Chinese use the cheap meat in the restaurant.
For ages, we have had people say ‘don’t eat meat in the restaurant’ just because they will serve you weird meats like a cat, rats, and such like meats. All this, though, aren’t facts, and it’s unfair that we become victims of such.
The west is quick to judge what doesn’t align with their belief system but who said we needed to be the same? Diversity is the essence of life. You notice that people only do things from experience.
In the 1950s, China went through the worst famine of time. The famine lasted about three years, and I believe it was then that a lot of people died, and the remaining ones ate anything, including cats and dogs.
It was so bad, and that was the reason why people started to eat dogs and cats.
Now to the question, do Chinese restaurants have cat meat on the menu? Well, not every restaurant, but some sell cats, and it will be listed for you to know you are eating cats. So they don’t do it secretly.
Do people eat dogs?
Yes, some people do eat dogs, and in fact, it’s much more common than eating cats when it comes to dogs.
In countries like China, where we have dog meat festivals in Guanxi, you can ensure that we aren’t about to stop eating dogs.
Nonetheless, not everyone eats dog meat, but we still have a large population consuming it. Other than China, though, other different countries still eat dogs.
Which countries still eat dogs?
China
The consumption of dog meat hasn’t just started. A Chinese emperor loved the stewed dog with the turtle shells, and as you would expect at the time, they made it as he liked.
Well, to date, we still have the meat especially presented when eating some hot pot. There’s a belief that dog meat, just like the cat one, will make you feel warmer, and it’s the reason why it’s still popular.
For Cantonese, dog meat is just a favorite. So it’s no wonder when listing where you will find the meats, you will have Guangdong, which is the home province of the Cantonese.
Each year in the city of Yulin, in June, thousands of dogs are slaughtered for their meats.
Does China sell dog meat in the restaurants
This answer is a yes.
However, it’s not going to be in every restaurant rather specific ones. So don’t expect to have dog meat while you order beef, for example. There are specific restaurants only selling dog meat.
They will make the different delicacies using dog meat. So when you visit such restaurants, then you should know you will be eating dog meat.
One of the most typical chain restaurants that focuses on dog meat is the one they call “Sunshine fragrant meat.” Most people who go for meat in this restaurant say they offered the best casserole dish.
However, there’s also another restaurant by the name “Han river dog meat restaurant.” In this restaurant then you’re going to find all things dog meat.
South Korea
When you’re talking of dog meat, notice that it’s not as easy to find it here; in fact, there’s dog gaming for the same reason.
With the animal welfare associations, they still haven’t managed to crack down all the dog meat lovers. While the welfare pressure is working to stop this culture, it’s still not done yet.
In this country, dog meat is edible all year round but more so during summer. So to them, when you eat dog meat during the hot summer days, then you will manage to beat the heat. Mind you: the dog business rakes in a whopping 2 billion dollars yearly.
Vietnam
In Vietnam, you can bet to eat dog meat at any time of the year. They will collect the stray dogs for consumption.
There’s a high demand for dog meat; no wonder we have the rocking black market business. Usually, they will make stews, casseroles, barbecue, and many more.
Parts of Africa
There are places that dogs are a staple in Africa too. For example, some states in Nigeria consume dogs, other places in Ghana, Cameroon, and the democratic republic of Congo.
However, most of these areas began to eat the dogs when they noticed that they couldn’t afford some meals, so they ended up eating dogs.
French Polynesia
Here we are talking about the islands like Tahiti. Notice, though, that they used the dogs as a source of meat for long.
Today whenever there’s not enough meat, you will notice that the people like to sell the dog meats instead.
Switzerland
If you are from the alpine region, you will know that this is one of the standard practices to eat dog meat. However, here they have a specific type of dog meat they prefer from rottweiler dog. Notice, though, that if you’re in the Rhine valley, you will consume a lot of meat.
Japan
It’s not as common as it is in all these other places discussed, but they do have restaurants focused solely on serving dog meat.
So you may have just a few Japanese eating this meat but not a vast majority.
How does dog taste like
I know there’s a lot of stigma about this meal but let’s get out of the stigma and agree to the fact that some people eat dogs. This one is red meat that is fatty style.
Notice, though, that it has a rich fragrant too. The dog meat is more like a blend of mutton and beef together with other meat flavors. It’s just outrightly good.
If you’re a big fan of knowing the different flavors, you will have to use your tongue because the meat, like any other meal, cooks differently depending on where you are at.
The truth then is that there’s so much judgment upon different people who eat this meat, and if this weren’t the case, then you would have had so many people eating it.
How to cook dog meat
You know it will always depend on where you are. Different countries cook dog meat differently. The easiest way to make it then is to cook it using the barbecuing method, where you have the meat cooking over charcoal.
In most cases, this never alters the dog meat except for imparting the smoky flavor onto the meats.
If you are in Vietnam, then you’re going to cook the meat in seven different ways. You can use the steaming method, grilling, stewing, or frying it in the lemongrass with chili.
This shows you then that it doesn’t matter where you are, then you can cook it using the methods already discussed while adding the great spices to make it even better-tasting as you would like to.
Do people eat foxes?
As we had already suggested, humans eat all the weirdest things; as you would expect, humans are different. Well, we do have hunters in the world.
So the answer to the question is, Yes, we have people who eat foxes. I know this raises many questions, including whether the foxes are safe and if they even taste good.
The only reason anyone would be reluctant to eat them is that they come to contact with the dead animals and sometimes consume them.
If you fear being sick because of eating it, know that you always need to tenderize and sanitize it using salt water and let it soak for hours.
Now, remember there’s cultural diversity, and therefore we have many people whose culture will never taste the fox, but today we are here to learn about the eating of the fox.
What does fox eat?
I know this is a question everyone wants to know before they start eating it. Foxes are wild animals, and they will eat cooked or raw meats. If you however have the caned pet foods, then they will eat even those.
Remember, the fox is carnivorous, and they will enjoy the savory meals as well. Sometimes they will eat any other canned meats.
What does the fox taste like?
Anyone who is not a fan of eating the game meat will not enjoy the taste, especially the texture. One thing you want to remember is that the meat is going to be generally tough. Additionally, it tastes gamey. I should also mention that it’s potent meat.
One thing is true that the fox tastes different to different people. Notice that some people say that its raw meat is a little repulsive, and it smells like raw fish. However, when you cook the meat, you will realize that it tastes and smells more like lamb or goat.
How to prepare it
Remember, this meat will need tenderizing, and if possible, you will need hours of soaking to make it tender. It’s not meat you get from the shop and start to cook immediately. If you do this, then you will not manage to chew it as it’s pretty hard.
The first thing you ought to do is soak the meat for about 12 hours, and then you can rinse it before you start the other following process. Remember, you need to make the brine solution to soak the meat. This process is essential to sanitize the meat too.
Remember, the fox consumes even the dead meat, which means it can consume sick meat, which may cause illnesses. This is why the sanitizing step is essential. The process will then stop the gamey taste to some extent too.
For even better tastes, you should add the spices to the brine solution as it’s soaking. So you can add rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, pepper, apple cider vinegar, and your other favorite spices. But before you even start cooking it after 12-24 hours, you will need to rinse it first.
To cook it
Of course, there will be different methods you can use to cook this meal, but the most common one is:
Once you prep the meat in the above step, you should rinse it clean to remove the excess salt. Remember this step: if you cook it without getting rid of the excess salt, you will have inedible meat.
The first thing then is to heat the pan and then add some oil to use in cooking. Next, add the onion to saute. Now add the meat and let it absorb the onion flavor, so then you should saute it for a few minutes.
Now add your spices, such as rosemary, bay leaves, ginger, garlic, pepper, and lemon juice, then keep stirring it.
Next, add a cup or two of water and then cover it letting it simmer for about thirty minutes. You can also add the kale and let it cook, but once you have finished cooking, drain out the excess liquid and set it cooking on.
Finally, beat the eggs and set the remaining lemon juice to the eggs, and keep whisking. Take the cooking liquid and add it to the egg mixture and stir it to incorporate well.
Now serve your fox meat over your bread and then dip it to the liquid before eating it.
Is it dangerous to eat foxes?
I know some of this meat we have been in survival mode to have to eat. So let’s say it’s not the very best meat, but this doesn’t stop people from eating it.
The truth is that it comes with the tougher meats, and of course, the whole cooking process is tedious because you have to go through steps to get rid of toughness and gameness.
The truth then is that not many people go for the wild anyways. So I will say that it’s not on the top of the list of the best meats to eat, even when talking about the game meat.
Is it true that the fox is stinky?
We already talked about this. When you first slaughter the fox, the truth is that it stinks, and it will bring about the foul scent. But as you start to soak it, then it will reduce the rancid smell.
Generally, foxes stink as they like to feed on garbage and dead animals. When you cook it right then, it will slightly lose the scent, retaining the game flavors.
Should you eat the foxes?
I mean, this is going to be a personal decision how you would like it? Would you like to eat it, okay? But I would say it’s both okay to eat and not to. If you don’t mind game meat, you will have learned how to make it nicely tasty.
Should you eat cats and dogs?
I would say then that again this is a personal decision. To date, some people still eat the two, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
If you don’t eat it, then it’s okay, and if you do, don’t feel guilty for it. I’m just not one to condone the collective bargain mindset.
We are all diverse, and we shouldn’t do things the same. But, as I said, diversity is the spice of life. If you like cat meat or dog meat well, that’s good; if you don’t, still good.
