How I ate rabbit and learned to like it


It is one thing to read that rabbit meat is the most efficient source of protein and makes the most sense to raise, it is another thing to chomp down on a piece of rabbit meat. It is a challenge to eat something new and a challenge to eat something I found cute and cuddly.

We didn't try to eat our rabbit meat right away but instead got some emotional distance from it by keeping it in the freezer for a few weeks. Try as we might, we couldn't help but get attached to these animals, we know they will be food, but we can't help interacting, talking to them and getting to know the ones that stand out.

I was determined to get used to rabbit meat, never having tried it. I took some out of the freezer and figured I would make something that would be so yummy, I wouldn't even know the rabbit was there, rather than focusing right off on it's unique qualities. It was my husband's turn to cook and we decided on our favourite curry recipe.  It tasted wonderful but I noticed while we all ate the curry, it was a quiet dinner that night and we didn't eat a lot. Later, away from my eight year old, my husband and I discussed it and we both agreed it was yummy but we were having trouble digesting it. Maybe it was that our bodies weren't used to this protein or maybe it was that we had psyched ourselves out. No matter, it was edible and tasted just like chicken so I was relieved and confident we would grow to like this very affordable "chicken".


four cups of meat per rabbit
white meat much like chicken
The next week I took out another portion of rabbit, found a recipe for a chicken pot-pie, full of gravy, carrots and peas. It was delicious!
We ate a little more, and it was a little easier but still it was the "pink elephant" in the room, so to speak,  that no one mentioned. I ended up having it re-heated for lunch for a few days and noticed it was very filling.



Last weekend we were having a bunch of people over and I needed something hot and fast to make. I made Red Thai Curry and this time it was amazing. I ate seconds and found it so filling. Everyone, to my delight, tried it and liked it. I had made mounds of it so we ate it for leftovers and I found myself not thinking about the meat and just enjoying it. I don't know if I will get to the point where I can eat the rabbit meat just by itself or on a sandwich but we may soon get to the point where I am not hiding it so carefully in sauces and spices! And so it goes, we are getting used to eating rabbit, which is a relief because we have seven more that will be ready for the freezer in a couple of months.




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