Camel Sausage

I've had some camel sausage that I've pulled out on a couple of occasions. The sausage is pure camel, including camel fat, instead of added pork or beef fat which you often find in sausage that is made from non-traditional meat. I served some when we had the sister missionaries visit for dinner (ironically it was one sister's "hump" day) and I served some when visiting my mother's home on Thanksgiving Day. Camel is very lean and the sausage is much less fatty than traditional beef, pork or chicken sausage. It is nicely flavored and you would never know it was not a traditional sausage unless you were told. However, if you cooked it as long as traditional sausage it would be horrible, as all the fat would cook out and it would be shriveled and tough. 

camel sausage

Reactions to it are very interesting. Most people will only take a small bite, after hesitating for a few seconds, and want nothing more of it after the first bite. One family member was quite hostile about it and refused a taste - treated it as though I was eating the family cat. At the same time I have a brother currently working in Saudi Arabia and he has been sending us pictures from Saudi. Many of the pictures are of feral camels wandering along the roadside, even one of a camel strapped down in the bed of a small pickup. Camel is part of the culture there and is readily eaten. It has reminded me of how culturally insular we are and how slow we are to be open to and embrace other cultures. 

On Black Friday morning we were staying at my daughter's home and I took a left over dinner roll and made a camel sausage sandwich with some added mayonnaise and mustard. It was excellent. 

camel sausage sandwich