They might not sound like the tastiest of treats, but a small number of people do eat the meat of certain furbearers, which can taste really great if prepared correctly. This might not be surprising, considering that beaver and muskrat are herbivores, and raccoons consume a wide variety of food items. Most other furbearers are predominantly carnivorous (they mostly eat meat), and with the exception of the bobcat, these are not considered suitable for human consumption.
Beavers have perhaps the longest history of being an important food item, providing a crucial food source for the early mountain men who pursued them for their fur. In fact, the reason the fur market accepts beaver pelts skinned open (most furs are skinned cased) was because trappers would gut out beavers for food preparation before they were skinned. In addition to the meat, trappers particularly enjoyed the fatty taste of beaver tail, and often made beaver tail stew.
Despite their popularity as an early food source, very few people eat furbearer meat. Vicki Mather is one of those few. She included a recipe for beaver chili in a column written for Canada’s Northern Life a few years back. You can access Vicki’s column here. And if you ever get the opportunity to try beaver meat, be sure that you do. It really is great!
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