Porcupine Pie
According to Neil Diamond, you have to eat it with gloves or your hands will turn green. I never had it in pie form; we barbecue them on a rotisserie like a whole chicken. I also like rabbit done in this way. I have eaten a lot of porcupine in my life and my hands have never turned green. So it must be just another folk tale. Or maybe it means that if you eat porcupine without gloves, you will become a good gardener.
Another myth about porcupines is that they can ‘shoot’ their quills about three meters far. The truth is that when they are chased, they suddenly stop when the chaser gets close. Whatever is chasing him then runs into him, collecting a few quills for his trouble. Therefore, it is a pretty harmless creature for as long as you don’t chase it blindly.
What is not a myth is that they can ruin a potato crop if you don’t keep the local population in check. They multiply quickly. My friend, who adopted my previous dogs, grows potatoes on a commercial scale. Whenever they get out of hand, they have to be culled. It serves a double purpose. The crop is saved and it is good meat for the table.
They are small animals, only slightly larger than a rabbit and not worth a bullet. Their quills cause them to look larger than life and form a natural armor coating; small caliber bullets like the .22 more than often ricochet off it. We hunt them with pitch forks, failing that garden forks will do equally well. We form a line, spaced about four meters apart, and move through the potato fields over a broad front. A farm worker will follow to collect the fallen porcupines. It is a lot of meat for everybody and very tasty on top of it.
May you have a glorious day!
PS
No porcupines were hurt during the production of this blog.
Comments (41)
Now that is something I have not eaten. It is very popular in Namibia. I declined the offer every time when I was there.
But people do consume worst things..This is a very common scene in one part of Africa.
Sorry if I made you lose your appetite.
Nothing but eating between meals can spoil my appetite. I'm aware of some people eating rats, but along with the feline and canine families, I wont eat rats and mice. Though I eat many other rodents, including but not limited to rabbit and porcupine.
Porcupines are the ideal survival food. They are plentiful, slow and easy to hunt. All you need is a spear-like weapon. I have not had reason to eat it raw but it is clean meat that can be eaten raw if you are out of resources in the nature. Of course they are nocturnal animals and are not often seen in the day. They are best hunted in the early morning hours.
that's so funny/true or just for the thrill
I was born in an island lived there for 50 years, never ate shark
meat till 2008 in Munich/Australian restaurant
guess what/it was delicious:thumbsup
I don't know what the pies will come out like. My sister is using her Rabbit Pie recipe. They are very good so the porcupine pie should be ok.
Some people shoot them with a .22 but the bullet is ofter reflected by the quills if you catch him from the wrong angle. A spear, sword, or garden fork kills it quick and clean. They are slow and easy to catch up with.
sorry to upset your stomach.
Disney sea aquarium are doing just that animal cruelty for the fun
for humans/and these animals still alive and suffering/at least those porcupine killed by a fork no longer suffering like those dolphins and big Orcas in Disney/I live an hour driving from these parks/and I don't visit them.
I'm sorry that you feel this way but they are killed instantaneously. Maybe you should have a look to see how lions, leopards and witld dogs kill their prey.
Don't worry, this is the quickest and cleanest way to kill a porcupine. A bullet is not guaranteed to do it first time.
Interesting topic...the cruelty of pigs, chickens and cows endure for human consumption of meat here in Canada has been questioned...not a good life at all...hunting for for meat seems cruel but it is far less cruel than being imprisoned and unable to move around...
Most people that hunt have a great appreciation for the animals that gave up their lives to feed them...unlike supermarkets that neatly package meats up for people...maybe some have a lack of understanding of the whole process of life and death...
I find it peculiar that it is the people in the countries where they have already killed off most their wild life that normally object the most about hunting and culling. They have developed their countries but we may not do the same. Rodents are a problem and we have to deal with it. We are committed to producing our own food and if it means that we have to control the numbers of our wild life, then so be it. And if the carcasses of culled animals can be utilized as food, so much better.
We hunt them on a friends farm and only when their numbers get out of hand. It will be months before it happens again. I have such a list of people after porcupine meat and quills that I cannot oblige anybody. The quills are normally given to the farm workers who clean the carcasses. Sorry, I cannot help.
Let him be. He does not like hunting and does not understand conditions in Africa. He'll get over it.
of wilderness for ample food supply, so they are not a pest
in the least. Still, I'm with the Z man, a terrible way to
dispose of an animal. imo., and that is all it is, an opinion.
I probably love the four legged ones more than most two legged
ones. British Fox hunting comes to mind.
Planning on reusable toothpicks.
If you should happen to meet to a potato farmer in your country, you will probably hear the same story.
I can understand the sentiment, but a sharp stake through the heart is much more preferable than a bullet through the lung or liver. Light caliber bullets are often deflected by the quills. A bullet wound is often not where it was intended and does not cause immediate death. A pitchfork is less crude than what it sounds. It causes a similar wound as an arrow, only more accurate to insure an immediate kill.
I have had a rabbit roast before and it was very good. Not sure the idea of eating porcupines would appeal to me...never tried it, so I cannot knock it.
Nowadays,here, porcupines never seem to cause any big problems, I think our cold winters keep their numbers in check.
You have a Good one,
We had porcupine pie last night and it was as good as any pie my sister can make, though it tasted like her rabbit pies. Probably because of the same recipe and the same spices.
When it is barbecued it has the same color and texture as mutton. Only the bones are much thinner. The taste has a hint of duck, but not quite.
We have plenty of them critters. They are slow, weak sighted, and easy to kill, but you have to lookout for his tail. It also has quills. He will hit you with it.