Coypu! The "New Taste"!

  Ok, so I admit that I will just about give anything in the food world a try. I have no qualms about tasting things for the first time.  Granted, sometimes I refuse to take a second bite because I highly dislike the taste but, at least, I will give things a fair taste test.  Living on the Bayou, I will say that I have tried a lot of things that other folks deem inedible. Chalk it up to curiosity or perhaps to stupidity but as long as it is not going to make me ill, it is fair game...so to speak.  Still, there is one critter that I have not tried as food.  The coypu or "bayou rabbit" has not made it to my dining table nor even to the kitchen, for that matter. The odd thing is, I have never had the inkling to even sample the meat. Perhaps I should. Perhaps we all should.  

  Coypu meat is touted as being much leaner than any other meat.  It is said to have more protein than ground beef and yet be very low fat with very little cholesterol.  It can be used like most other meats.  Stew, jambalaya and chili made with coypu are all supposed to be delicious. The meat can be made into jerky and sausage.  With all of these fine ideas and recipes popping up, one would think that this meat would be in high demand.  Not so.

  I am supposing that the other name for the critter turns a lot of folks away from even trying the meat.  Also, the animal's appearance plays a large part in that distaste.  Nutria rats truly do look like large rats and not too many folks are willing to chow down on a rat....real ones or otherwise.  The nutria is not actually a rat as it is more akin to a porcupine than a rat.  (Not that I have ever eaten a porcupine nor a rat, for that matter!)  Still, those coypu (nutria rats, bayou rabbits, whatever name you choose) are always available if the need arises.  AND!  They are just about a sustainable resource at the rate they reproduce. Also, since these are considered an invasive species that cause a lot of damage to marshlands, it is legal to rid the area of them..for whatever reason.  Ahh, yes.  Coypu might be on the menu soon!  Ummmm...just so you will know...it already is on the menu in some restaurants.  So if you do not relish eating nutria rat, do not eat the coypu!