Venison Totally Explained

Venison is the culinary name for meat from the family Cervidae. Deer meat, whether hunted or farmed, is termed venison.

Etymology

The etymology of the word derives from the Latin Vēnor (-to hunt or pursue) and originally the term described any meat obtained from a wild mammal, and specifically after hunting it. This term entered English via Norman in the 11th century following the Norman invasion of England, and the clearing of vast tracts of land of people for forest

Definition

Venison can describe meat of the families Cervidae (deer), Leporidae (hares), and Suidae (wild pigs), and certain species of the genus Capra (goats and antelopes), such as elk, red deer, fallow deer, roe deer, moose, caribou, pronghorn, brown hare, arctic hare, blue hare, wild boar, and ibex.

Food

Venison may be eaten as steaks, roasts, sausages and ground meat. It has a flavor similar to beef, but is much leaner and the fibers of the meat are short and tender. Organ meats are sometimes eaten, but wouldn't be called venison; rather, they're called humble, as in the phrase "humble pie." Venison is lower in calories, cholesterol and fat than most cuts of beef, pork, or lamb. According to the USDA Nutrient Database (2007), cooked lean venison contains approximately 150 calories per 100g/3.5oz serving, and is a useful source of the following micronutrients: niacin, potassium, phosphorus, iron, selenium and zinc.
Venison has enjoyed a rise in popularity in recent years, owing to the meat's lower fat content. Also, venison can often be obtained at lesser cost than beef by hunting (in some areas a doe license can cost as little as a few dollars), many families use it as a one to one substitute for beef especially in the US mid-south, Mississippi Valley and Appalachia. In many areas this increased demand has led to a rise in the number of deer farms. What was once considered a meat for unsophisticated rural dwellers has become as exotic as ostrich meat to urbanites. Venison jerky can be purchased in such grocery stores, ordered online, and is served on some airlines. Venison burgers are typically so lean as to require the addition of fat in the form of bacon, olive oil or cheese, or blending with beef, to achieve parity with hamburger cooking time, texture, and taste. Some deer breeders have expressed an interest in breeding for a fatter animal that displays more marbling in the meat.
Since it's unknown whether chronic wasting disease, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy among deer (similar to mad cow disease), can pass from deer to humans through the consumption of venison, there have been some fears of contamination of the food supply (External Link

). Recently, several known cases of the disease have occurred in deer farms throughout the United States and European farms in Scandinavia may also have had several cases. New Zealand is the main source of farm raised venison and is recognised as a country free from CWD.
Farmers now have had tests developed especially for the particular species they raise to obtain better results than those used on cattle.

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