Nutria meat conquers the plates: New catering in Ostholstein!

Nutria meat conquers the plates: New catering in Ostholstein!

In the Schleswig-Holstein community of Horsdorf, a catering company is causing a stir: “Hühnerkram vom Birkenplatz” offers exclusive nutria meat. The demand for this special meat has increased significantly recently, and interested gourmets can look forward to dishes such as ragout, roasts or juicy burgers. The owner Anne Muus-Seyfferth describes the meat as tender, mild and slightly sweet - characteristics that make it comparable to valued delicacies such as guinea fowl or pheasant. Loud T Online Nutria meat is considered to be optimal in terms of cooking technology and nutritional physiology.

The nutria, an invasive rodent from South America, is spreading rapidly in the wild after being once bred on fur farms. Their occurrence has multiplied in recent years - in 2020 alone, 24 percent of the hunting grounds in Schleswig-Holstein reported observations. Nutrias are currently found in 35 percent of territories, which corresponds to a doubling since 2015 daily news has determined.

Spreading problems

The spread of these animals is not entirely unproblematic, as they have no natural enemies and damage the banks of water bodies by eating reeds and digging tunnels in dikes. These activities jeopardize flood protection and represent an additional risk. The animal protection organization Peta strongly criticizes the hunting of nutrias and points out the suffering inflicted on the animals by hunting. The German Wildlife Foundation and the German Hunting Association are also calling for measures to get the nutria problem under control.

Since January 26, 2024, nutrias have been allowed to be hunted all year round in Schleswig-Holstein, making it easier for hunters to counteract the problematic increase in populations. Interestingly, about 20 percent of hunters in the region confirm that they actively hunt nutrias, and many of them supply the meat directly to catering establishments. But the market is far from saturated, as Julian Barg from Hegering Bad-Schwartau reports - although interest is increasing, the distribution of the meat has not yet reached such a high level.

A new delight on the plate

The cuisine surrounding nutria fascinates cooking enthusiasts and offers a new opportunity to contribute to the sustainable use of food. Anne Muus-Seyfferth is even planning a course on processing and marketing nutrias in collaboration with regional hunters. More and more people are discovering the benefits of this special meat and are thus contributing to the sustainable management of nature. The combination of tasty and useful shows that you can also create opportunities from challenges.

“There’s something going on,” concluded the chefs and hunters – nutria meat is not only becoming more popular, but could also make a sustainable contribution to the production and preparation of regional products. If you are now curious, you can prepare for a new taste experience at the caterer “Hühnerkram vom Birkenplatz”.