More to food than ‘meats’ the eye

Hyderabadis are giving unusual meat a chance to get on to their tables. From guinea birds to Japanese quail and a lot in between, new food choices are ruling the restaurants.But is everything good and healthy for you? We check it out

HYDERABAD:Biryani is undoubtedly Hyderabad’s bae, and this romance is going to last till eternity, but while they are at it, Hyderabadis are not shying away from trying off-beat dishes and meat. Though chicken and mutton still hold sway over the average meat lover’s palate here, a few novelty-seeking foodies are trying out rabbit, guinea birds and Japanese quail. Out of these, rabbit meat seems to have caught the fancy of the city’s non-vegetarians.

Jayachander Rao, owner of MRCB Non-Veg Supermarket, says: “We have our own rabbit farm in Medak district. We also get rabbits from other farms. We sell around 20-30 kg of rabbit meat per week. We also sell turkey and guinea fowl. Apart from the meat, we also sell items like rabbit and turkey biryani.”

Emus, however, he says, are not much in demand and do not bring good return on investments. He generally gets them from farms in Andhra Pradesh.

Concurring that the demand for new kinds of meat on the rise, Keshto, business manager at Absolute Barbeque at Banjara Hills, said: “The demand for rabbit meat is quite good. We also sell Peking Duck, quails and even octopus and squids.”

While the demand for rabbit meat is picking up, the managing director of Palumuru Grill said that rabbits are difficult to procure. “The demand for rabbit meat is good and we cook it in authentic Telangana style. We have quail too. But scarce availability of rabbits poses a challenge.”

Harry Francis, the service manager at the restaurant, added: “We sell meat of 2-3 rabbits in a day, and 5-6 quail birds (Bater bird in Hindi). Rabbit meat is harder than chicken and mutton and takes longer to cook.”

Throwing light on why rabbit meat is scarce, M Krishna, supplier in Tulasi Rabbit Farm, said: “There is a high demand for rabbit meat, but rabbit farms are unavailable to meet the demand. The reason behind this is that rabbit farmers still do not know how to feed rabbits. Scarcity of water is also another challenge.”

Vouching for the high taste factor of rabbit meat, Vikram Reddy, who recently tasted it, said: “It’s tastier than chicken, but has sharp bones which the consumer needs to be careful about.”

Apart from rabbits, turkey too seems to be gaining favour among food enthusiasts in the city, with hypermarkets like Spar stocking them regularly.

But is breeding rabbits legal? A Sankaran, officer on special duty (Wildlife) in Telangana Forest Department, said: “White rabbit which is farmed is exotic and can be consumed. Our local one is grey in colour and called hare. This cannot be hunted and eaten. It is a protected species.”

Shankar from Sai Ram Rabbit Farm believes that the demand for rabbit meat is rising due to the fact that it contains less cholesterol.

Lending credence to this, Sujatha Stephen, dietician in Yashoda Hospital, said: “Rabbit meat has high levels of protein and lower fat content than mutton. It is also a good source of calcium. I recommend this for anyone who needs protein, but cannot consume red meat.”

With more and more rabbit farms mushrooming on the outskirts of Hyderabad, its meat might soon become a permanent item in the non-vegetarian joints in the city.

— Kakoli Mukherjee
kakoli_mukherjee@newindianexpress.com
@KakoliMukherje2