Bear

bear of various species, has sometimes been used for meat, the paws being particularly valued. While there are medieval European recipes, some extremely elaborate, in modern times it is most likely to be found in Korea, China, and E. Asia. In this region there is also a trade in bear’s gall for medicinal purposes. All this has had a catastrophic effect on bear populations. The Inuit sometimes hunt polar bear for its meat. Bear’s grease, the fat, was esteemed for cookery by the French settlers in the Mississippi Valley, and is said to have been preferred in New Orleans, at some time in the 19th century, to butter or hog’s lard. Hunting (permitted) and poaching of bears for sport continues in the USA, just as there are reports of official culls where the urban bear population has become a nuisance. Hence, perhaps, the availability of bear meat from Internet game suppliers. Trichinosis is a hazard when eating bear: the meat should always be thoroughly cooked.