Four years ago I had a water buffalo ribeye and loved it. In my post on it I gave some background on water buffalo. In the interim, I've also tried water buffalo mozzarella (made from water buffalo milk) and pureed water buffalo tongue.
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| Water buffalo |
Relatively recently, Anshu Pathak of Exotic Meat Market, started to raise water buffalo on his farm near Perris, California. I had an opportunity to pick up another water buffalo ribeye from one of the animals he'd raised.
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| Water buffalo ribeye |
I grilled it, like the last time, preparing it with some vegetable oil and salt and pepper. Because it is less fatty than beef, I determined to cook it rare to medium rare.
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| Water buffalo ribeye |
Sam, Judy and I shared it and it was interesting to get their perspectives on it. Sam said it had a "zoo taste." I responded, "you mean a barnyard taste?" Judy responded, "no, barnyard means like manure. Zoo means a taste like the smell of the animal itself." Sam concurred, then said he really liked it a lot. I don't know that I would call it a "zoo taste," but the taste is different than beef, and not a taste I can pinpoint to anything else. It is a stronger taste than beef, but a good taste. If you were to ask Anshu what water buffalo tastes like, he would tell you, "it tastes like water buffalo." I think that's as good an answer as any.
Not my favorite of the wild meats, but really fun to try because of its distinct taste. Some wild meats taste surprisingly like beef or chicken, but this one is definitely in its own category, which made it a more unique tasting experience!
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine raising water buffalo. I wonder if they can be domesticated?
ReplyDeleteThey are indeed a domesticated species, and has been so for thousands of years. Wild water buffalo is almost extinct.
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