Crocodile meat: taste, benefits, features

Modern humanity is, as they say, in step with the times. People want to try new things and conquer the unknown. This desire also affected culinary art.

Recently, exotic crocodile meat has become very popular. Undoubtedly, it does not cause aroused interest in countries where these reptiles traditionally live. But in our country the crocodile meat is the desired delicacy that any gourmet dreams of seeing on his table. However, it is not possible to find this exotic in ordinary stores. Even in the capital, you can not always find a restaurant where you can eat dishes made from crocodile meat, let alone small towns.

What it is and what it looks like

What does the crocodile meat look like, what is the flavor of its taste? These are, perhaps, the two most common questions that arise in people who have not yet tasted exotic delicacies.

Meat of a reptile is very similar to chicken or turkey meat. It is very gentle and pleasant to the taste. The color also has a whitish, like a chicken breast. It is low in calories, so it is a welcome "guest" on many European tables. Meat crocodile is suitable for cooking various dishes. It produces surprisingly rich and rich broths and soups, aromatic curries and steaks. Even pies and pies are prepared in some countries with crocodile meat stuffing.

Caloric value

Crocodile meat is the leader in the list of various types of this product. It contains a higher percentage of protein (21 g) than in chicken (18 g) or beef (19 g). This product also has the lowest fat content (2 g). If to compare, then 100 grams of chicken contain 10 g of fat, in beef - about 16 grams, and in pork - more than 30 g.

As for calories, the crocodile meat also wins here. A hundred grams of the product contains only about one hundred kilocalories. This is much lower than in the most popular dietary meats.

Beneficial features

In addition to the fact that reptilian meat is considered an excellent source of protein and contains an insignificant amount of cholesterol, it is also a storehouse of vitamins and minerals such as:

• The whole group of vitamins B (especially a lot of vitamin B ₁₂ ).
• PP.
• FROM.
• A.
• N.
• Calcium and potassium.
• Cobalt and phosphorus.
• Nickel and magnesium.
• Zinc, copper and iron.
• Sodium and selenium.

But the greatest advantage that crocodile meat has is its ecological purity. It is proved that there is no chemical effect on the reptile, in contrast to domestic animals or birds.

What crocodiles you can eat

So, we figured out what the taste of the crocodile's meat is, what it's good for the human body. It remains to be seen whether all crocodiles can be eaten and where such a large amount of reptile meat is taken, if it is known that many species are protected by law.

Experts say that you can eat only about a dozen kinds. Inedible crocodiles are much more than edible. Only an experienced specialist can understand the quality of meat. But among the edible reptiles there are often species that are under protection. There are only a few species of reptiles that a person, roughly speaking, can kill and eat.

By the way, another difference between reptile meat and others is that it is recommended to eat more adult animals. It is known that the best beef is a young calf, and the delicious pork is a suckling pig. But with the crocodiles on the contrary. The more "mature" the meat, the more tender and juicier it is.

Crocodile farm

But where does the amount of meat for export come from? As soon as people realized how economically profitable to sell it, crocodile farms began to appear immediately. It is here that the gathering point for all professionals who are versed in the issues of breeding and eating reptile meat.

Crocodile farm is not only a place where they breed and then kill animals for sale. On the majority of farms there are experienced professionals who conduct excursions, tell about the life of reptiles, their features. Here you can find out how to choose the right crocodile meat and what can be cooked later.

It is here that experienced experts can learn that the most delicious part of the carcass is the tail. Any crocodile farm sells the tail fleshy part as an expensive delicacy. The most rarely eaten food is meat, located on the back of a reptile. It is tough and for cooking almost unsuitable.

On farms in Thailand - popular and beloved by many resorts - you can find a huge number of farms that specialize in breeding crocodiles. Here you can taste incredible salads with reptile meat or feed the bloodthirsty animals with a live chicken tied to a long rope.

Recently, Germany and France have sharply increased the purchase of crocodile meat. This is due to outbreaks of avian influenza and various diseases that affect horned livestock. Maybe in our country will soon be crocodile farms, and the meat of reptiles will cease to be such an exotic?