Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Puffin

I mentioned how a region plays an important factor in a culture or country's cuisine a few posts back and this week's post definitely shows this concept. For me, when I think of puffins I think of cute little fluffy birds that live near cold oceans or can be found in zoos. In Iceland, puffins are cooked and served just like chicken. It is such a surprise for me to hear about people eating puffins because they are an uncommon animal to see in California, unlike other birds that are cooked and typically served such as chicken or duck. It seems that puffins are a typical menu item and are typically served grilled or smoked. The little puffins are usually skinned, soaked in saltwater, milk, or ale, browned in fat and then smoked or grilled. Reading a few descriptions of the taste of puffin, I found that a majority of people say that smoked puffin taste like beef jerky with a distinct fish flavor and that its texture is close to duck but softer. People also eat the hearts of puffins, however they are eaten raw. I never would have guessed that people ate puffins but after thinking about it, it seems logical because puffins are a common animal in areas such as Iceland. Definitely very interesting.

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