Crows as food?

kerryhunter

Seen Gordon Ramsey on YouTube cooking crows, wanted to know if anyone here has tried it, we've always regarded them as dirty ****ers

dodderangler

kerryhunter wrote: »

Seen Gordon Ramsey on YouTube cooking crows, wanted to know if anyone here has tried it, we've always regarded them as dirty ****ers

Wouldn't eat a turkey if he cooked it. But I shoot a lot of them and think it's a waste just dumping them. If I was desperate and starving id give em a bash

Bogwoppit

Young crows, called squabs I think, are eaten in the uk.

Chuchote

Aren't squabs pigeons?

I rescued a baby crow when I was a kid and the vet came and sniffed appreciatively at the rank, sour sweat smell and said "Hm, typical corvid smell." He then added that I shouldn't handle the chick too much, as TB was endemic in the crow population. So that would probably be a no. Though by the same token, a hunter has told me he'd never eat venison sausages because of the tubercules he'd seen in deer livers and lungs when he was gralloching them.

cookimonster

I think the birds in England are young Rooks known as branchers and where traditionaly prepared as a Rook Pie.
The 'crow' has hunting seasons in the USA and is shot for its meat.
I've tried crows, just pan fried, they are all right, but once my curiosity was satisfied then that was it.

As to TB from venison, current scientific evidence supports the fact that eating properly cooked meat from an infected animal presents no risk to the consumer. The occurrence of TB in meat ( muscle tissue ) is very rare.

Chuchote

The same hunter has fed himself and his family all winter long on venison for many years. It's just the offal he finds iffy. Or iffal.

Grizzly 45

"Sow your runner beans on the 20th of May,shoot rooks on the 24th of May" Was an old English contry saying. Its around that time the "branchers" or "squabs" ,young crows leave the nest and come out onto the branches near the nest. Was a really big thing in England back when,even gave us a category of gun."The rook rifle".Lovely dainty single shot rifles in some really oddball small BP cartridge calibers made even by bespoke London gunsmiths.Tried it once the rook pie.The most blandest tasteless meat ever. Worst thing I've ever eaten has to go to the sea gull.[A combination of fish meal and baler twine for those who want to know:eek:] Even rattle snake was better.

cookimonster

Yeah Grizzly,
My old fella told me he tried seagull once when he was younger, once being the defining factor, definitely remarked on a oily rank off fish taste.......but at least it didn't taste of chicken

dodderangler

With regards to birds the worst thing I ever eat was balut. Look it up. Absolutely rank. Supposed to be an aphrodisiac. All it done was fcuk my stomach up

Grizzly 45

Gotta really wonder how hungry or desperate folks were to go and say

"Hey,I think I'll go and eat this fruit here that smells like a communal latrine and hasnt been limed in months." [Thai stink fruit.Described as eating custard in a sewer"] .Or "lets try that rotten shark,that we buried a month ago on the beach." [Icelandic Hakihila national delicay] or " I bet these fertilised duck eggs and cock roaches are pretty good?" or "yeah that weird fish that wiped out Ito and his fammily because his missus didnt cut out a bit of its liver right,is pretty tasty and gives you apprently a boner that lasts for a week..I'll have that for dinner tonite!"[Japanese Fugu fish one of the most deadliest poisions known to man] Or hey "I bet there is somthing really tasty in this razor sharp micro safe once I get it open and it looks like and tastes like somthing you hawk up with a bad dose of the flu"[Oysters]

Sika98k

A Danish friend invites me every year to his rook shoot. The oddest of guns appear. A Mauser 98k training rifle,full size with a 22 mag,Morris(or Fritz ) tube. Single shots,bolt actions,semi autos all of varying vintages.

However one evening we were invited to his fathers house for dinner. Starters were great and I commented on the good aromas emanating from the kitchen.
When I was told the main course was rook I think I visibly blanched.

However I ate 3. Now these are young rooks,the branchers. I am told the old ones are not too palatable.

Thedeerstalker

What is the law with Rook Shooting in Ireland? I asked a farmer permission but he told me they were protected - I know he was wrong but what is the legal position?

cookimonster

They are protected, but there is a derogation, read the info found at the below link

http://www.npws.ie/legislation/irish-law/eu-birds-directive-derogations

Then do a search on the NRGC web site explaining the actual conditions that are supposedly to be applied in order to control birds listed on the derogation.

Thedeerstalker

Thanks a lot

meathstevie

dodderangler wrote: »

With regards to birds the worst thing I ever eat was balut. Look it up. Absolutely rank. Supposed to be an aphrodisiac. All it done was fcuk my stomach up

If you have necrophiliac tendencies maybe....

Half-cocked

The 4 and 20 Blackbirds baked in a pie are allegedly rooks, the old English name for them.

Stigura

I've shot Branchers, with a .410, and eaten them. They taste alright and absolutely melt on the tongue.

However, this was forty years ago. And, to be honest? If I let myself remember, too clearly, what they look like, laid on their backs before ye start preparing them ..... No. Just NO. Never again!