Exotic Small Game Animals

Only a few game animals are eaten throughout the world, but a surprising number have regional appeal. Rodents, including the gray squirrel, are traditional ingredients in the American Colonial dish Brunswick stew, which also contains tomatoes, okra, corn kernels, lima beans and bell peppers. Both the muskrat, found in the eastern United States, and the South American guinea pig are raised for food, and cooked on the barbecue or fricasséed. The hefty marmot (USA woodchuck or ground hog) can weigh 25 lb/12 kg and has rich meat. All of these animals closely resemble rabbit and are roasted and stewed in a similar fashion. Small carnivorous animals such as the badger were once spit-roasted as a rural treat. Nowadays badgers are rarely eaten, and in many European countries they are a protected species. In the United States, the raccoon—half pet, half pest—may be stuffed with herbs, onions, dried fruit and nuts. In the southern United States, opossum is sometimes roasted and stuffed.