when venison isn't so rare - saint xavier university：当鹿肉不是那么罕见的圣萨维尔大学

WHENVENISONISNTSORAREBYROBBWALSHITSEEMEDODDTOBEEATINGVENISONINJULY,BUTMARCHAEBERLIN,THECHEFATTHEAUBERGEDELILL,ATHREESTARFRENCHRESTAURANTINTHEALSATIANCOUNTRYSIDE,EXPLAINEDTHATTHEDEERSEASONINALSACEBEGINSINTHESUMMERTHISWORKEDOUTFINEFORMYPURPOSESBECAUSETHEDEERSEASONINTHEUNITEDSTATESISINTHELATEFALLANDEARLYWATER,IWASTRYINGTOGATHERASMANYVENISONRECIPESASPOSSIBLEBEFOREMYBROTHER,ANAVIDDEERHUNTER,FILLEDMYFREEZERIMAYNOTBEABLETOPULLOFFHAEBERLINSELABORATEPRESENTATIONOFVENISONTENDERLOINWITHWILDMUSHROOMSANDBERRYCOMPOTE,BUTIMSUREMYSLIGHTLYMESSIERVERSIONWILLSTILLMAKEANIMPRESSIVEDINNERVENISONISASPECIALCHALLENGEFORAMERICANHOMECOOKSINEUROPE,WILDGAMEISNOLONGERAPARTOFTRADITIONALHOMECOOKERYDEERHUNTERSCUSTOMARILYSELLORTRADETHEIRVENISONTORESTAURANTSSOTHATPROFESSIONALCHEFSCANPROPERLYTRANSFORMITINTOGOURMETDISHESEUROPEANCHEFSALSOBUYIMPORTEDFARMRAISEDVENISONFROMNEWZEALANDANDOTHERCOUNTRIESNOWADAYS,BECAUSETHEREARESOFEWDEERLEFTINEUROPEINTHEUNITEDSTATES,WEHAVETHEOPPOSITEPROBLEMTHEWHITETAILEDDEERPOPULATIONNOWNUMBERSSOME25MILLIONMORETHANWHENTHEPILGRIMSLANDEDIN1620THETERMVENISONFROMTHELATINVENATUS,MEANING“CHASE“DESCRIBESTHEMEATOFANYANIMALFROMTHEFAMILYCERVIDAETHEDEERSPECIESWEKNOWTODAYWEREPRESENTDURINGTHEQUATERNARYPERIOD,WHICHALSOPROVIDESANABUNDANTARCHEOLOGICALRECORDOFHUMANSARCHEOLOGICALFINDSFROMSITESTHROUGHOUTEUROPEINDICATETHATDEERWEREHUNTEDTHEREWELLOVER100,000YEARSAGOANIMALBONESFOUNDATPALEOLITHICSITESINCIDATETHATVENISONMIGHTHAVEBEENTHEMOSTIMPORTANTFOODINTHEREGIONBYTHELASTICEAGE,20,000YEARSAGOBUTTHEANIMALSWEREMOSTLYCOLDADAPTEDREINDEER,NOTTHESMALLERFORESTDEERINTHEPREROMANERA,THEANCIENTGAULSRODETOHOUNDSINPURSUITOFDEERAFTERPERFORMINGSACRIFICIALCEREMONIESTHESERITUALIZEDSTAGHUNTSBEGANATRADITIONTHATENDUREDINEUROPEFORMORETHANTWOTHOUSANDYEARSINNORTHAMERICA,EUROPEANSETTLERSAPPROACHEDHUNTINGNOTASASPORTBUTASAMATTEROFSURVIVALTHECOLONISTSDEPLETEDTHEDEERPOPULATIONSOSEVERELYTHATASEARLYAS1696,MASSACHUSETTSHADALREADYBEGUNTORESTRICTDEERHUNTINGBYTHETIMEOFTHEREVOLUTION,MOSTOFTHEOTHERAMERICANCOLONIESHADSIMILARGAMELAWSINPLACESTIFF,BYTHEENDOFTHENINETEENTHCENTURY,THENORTHAMERICANDEERPOPULATIONHADBEENNEARLYWIPEDOUTTHELOSSOFSOMUCHOFOURWILDLIFERESULTEDINTOUGHERHUNTINGREGULATIONSINTHE1930SANDGAVERISEINPARTTOMODERNANTIHUNTINGSENTIMENTSTHESEATTITUDESWEREREINFORCEDWITHTHERELEASEOFTHEANIMATED1942DISNEYCLASSICBAMBI,WHICHONECRITICCALLED,“THEMOSTEFFECTIVEPIECEOFANTIHUNTINGPROPAGANDAEVERMADE“THANKSTOANEWCONSERVATIONETHICANDTHEWAVEOFSENTIMENTALISMTHATTHISFILMSETINMOTION,MANYAMERICANSCAMETOSEEWILDANIMALSAS“LITTLEINNOCENTPEOPLEINBUNNYSUITS“ROMPINGTHROUGHTHEFORESTSEE“THEBAMBISYNDROME,“NATURALHISTORY,JUNE1993BYTHEEARLY1990S,ONETHIRDOFTHEAMERICANPUBLICBEENPERSUADEDTHATSPORTHUNTINGSHOULDBEOUTLAWEDGAMELAWSANDANTIHUNTINGSENTIMENTSHAVEHADSOMECURIOUSEFFECTSONOURFOODHABITSINTHELATE1980S,IBEGANTOSEEVENISONONTHEMENUSOFFIRSTRATEAMERICANRESTAURANTSITTURNEDOUTTHATTHISVENISONWASNTWILDGAME,BUTAPRODUCTOFTHERAPIDLYEXPANDINGGAMEFARMINDUSTRYAMERICANGAMEFARMSARESATISFYINGOURCRAVINGSFORVENSIONBYIMPORTINGNONNATIVESPECIESSUCHASAXISANDFALLOWDEERFROMASIA,BREEDINGTHEANIMALSASLIVESTOCK,ANDSELLINGTHEMEATTORESTAURANTSTHISPROCESSNOTONLYSIDESTEPSGAMEREGULATIONSITALSOMAKESITPOSSIBLEFORTHOSEWHOOPPOSEHUNTINGTOENJOYGUILTFREEVENISONDINNERSTHEANTIHUNTINGMOVEMENTWASTRIGGEREDINPARTBYTHERAPIDDEPLETIONOFWILDLIFEACENTURYAGO,BUTTHEWHITETAILEDDEERPOPULATIONHASSINCEGROWNOUTOFCONTROLINMANYPARTSOFTHEUNITEDSTATES,ANDNOWPUBLICSENTIMENTAPPEARSTOSUPPORTCULLINGTHEHERDSBAMBIDOESNTLOOKSOCUTEWHENHESEATINGYOURAZALEASIASKEDJERRYCOOKE,THEPROGRAMDIRECTOROFUPLANDWILDLIFEECOLOGYATTHETEXASPARKSANDWILDLIFEDEPARTMENTTOHELPMEUNDERSTANDHOWWECOULDHAVEMOREDEERNOWTHANWEDIDWHENAMERICAWASLARGELYWILDERNESS“BETWEEN43AND63MILLIONBISONONCEMAINTAINEDANENORMOUSGRASSLANDINTHEMIDDLEOFOURCONTINENT,“COOKEOBSERVED“WHENTHEBISONDISAPPEARED,THELANDSCAPECHANGEDWETHINKOFANIMALSADAPTINGTOTHEIRHABITATS,BUTINFACT,HABITATSAREALSOCREATEDBYTHEIRINHABITANTS“WITHOUTTHESOILDISTURBANCECAUSEDBYTHEHUGEHERDSOFBISONANDTHENATURALLYOCCURRINGFIRESTHATONCEKEPTWOODYVEGETATIONINCHECK,THEGRASSLANDSAVANNASOFTHEGREATPLAINSHAVEDISAPPEAREDINTHEBRUSHANDFARMLANDSTHATHAVEREPLACEDTHEM,WHITETAILEDDEERHAVEPROLIFERATEDTHEWHITETAILED,ORVIRGINIA,DEERODOCOILEUSVIRGINIANUSISONEOFTHEMOSTADAPTABLEANIMALSINTHEWORLDITRANGESTHROUGHOUTTHEAMERICASINDESERTS,JUNGLES,ANDSUBARCTICTUNDRASLIKEOTHERANTLEREDSPECIES,ITISBELIEVEDTOHAVEMIGRATEDTOTHISCONTINENTFROMEURASIAATVARIOUSTIMESCONTRARYTOPOPULARBELIEF,THEWHITETAILEDDEERISNOTPRIMARILYANANIMALOFMATUREWOODSITDOESBESTINAVARIEDHABITATINWHICHOPENLANDISBORDEREDBYBRUSHORTIMBERWHILEITCANEATAWIDEVARIETYOFFOODS,THEWHITETAILEDDEERINVARIABLYSELECTSTHEMOSTNUTRITIOUSONESAVAILABLETOTHECHAGRINOFFARMERS,ITWILLIGNOREWILDPLANTSINFAVOROFCULTIVATEDCROPSTHEGROWTHOFTHEDEERPOPULATIONHASBEENAIDEDBYTHEIMPROVEDFOODSOURCESINADVERTENTLYSUPPLIEDBYTHEFARMSANDORCHARDSTHATHAVEREPLACEDTHEGRASSLANDSAVANNA,ASWELLASBYTHEDISAPPEARANCEOFTHEDEERSNATURALPREDATORSWOLVESANDBEARSARERAREINTHEGREATPLAINSREGIONNOWADAYS,ANDSOISATINYINSECTTHATONCEHELDTHEDEERPOPULATIONINCHECKEVENAFTERTHELARGEPREDATORSBECAMESCARCETHES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