Exotic Reptiles

Eccentric gourmets are developing a taste for farm-raised reptiles such as alligator, crocodile and snake. The tail meat of alligator and crocodile is relished in the southern United States, South America, and Africa where it is cooked in stews or sautéed in butter. Farm-raised alligator, sometimes compared to lobster, is usually braised or sliced and deep-fried. Snake meat (or prairie eel), thought by some to be an aphrodisiac, is found on menus in Africa, South America and Asia. The French occasionally eat grass snake, which is prepared in the same way as eel.