Is roadkill safe to eat?

Is roadkill safe to eat?

Roadkill is safe to eat in many instances but there are risks of rotting, rabies, and disease. You can avoid these risks by knowing what signs to look for and using common sense: Look for freshness. Obviously, if you have witnessed the animal being hit, it’s fresh.

What is roadkill food called?

In Kentucky, the traditional roadkill stew or wild game stew is known as Burgoo, a stew-like soup of squirrel, rabbit, possum, mutton meat (or whatever meat is available) and vegetables, is declining in popularity, perhaps due to declines in traditional hunting.

What is roadkill slang for?

(rōd′kĭl′) 1. An animal or animals killed by being struck by a motor vehicle. 2. Slang One that has failed or been defeated and is no longer worthy of consideration: “Many radio rightists betray a truculent nostalgia for the old foes who became their roadkill” (Richard Corliss).

What other animals eat roadkill?

Even some seabirds, including fulmars, may scavenge carrion from beached carcasses. In addition to birds, many insects, mammals, and even large reptiles such as Komodo dragons will eat carrion. Opossums, coyotes, and hyenas are other animals known for eating carrion.

How long can you eat roadkill?

How Long Has the Deer Been Dead? In no case, you should assume that a dead deer is okay to eat and not examine it. Indeed, a dead animal that stays on the road can quickly spoil in anything longer than 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the area’s climate.

What is another name for roadkill?

You can call that roadkill carrion. The word carrion comes from a Latin word caro, which means “meat,” but carrion is usually considered unfit for human consumption.

What are dead animals on the road called?

Roadkill is an animal or animals that have been struck and killed by drivers of motor vehicles on highways.

Where can you eat roadkill?

Collecting roadkill for eating is legal in over 20 states, including Vermont, Washington, Oregon and Pennsylvania. The most recent addition to this list is California; in October, legislators legalized roadkill harvesting from three regions in the state with “high wildlife collisions,” The Sacramento Bee reported.

What animal is killed the most by cars?

In Europe and North America, deer are the animal most likely to cause vehicle damage.

Is roadkill a good meat to eat?

H umans have been eating roadkill since the first ox cart flattened a critter in ancient Mesopotamia thousands of years ago. Today, you can find “roadkill cuisine” simmering on stovetops in kitchens across the U.S. Animal rights activists and foodies alike hail roadkill as one of the most ethical and environmentally friendly meats.

What kind of food do they eat at Roadkill festivals?

The festival features dishes such as pothole possum stew, fricasseed wabbit gumbo, teriyaki marinated bear, and deer sausage. While the food at this festival doesn’t actually involve real roadkill, the dishes are prepared with the kinds of animals that are commonly knocked down by cars.

What is the best way to cook Roadkill?

Not all sources are serious. According to some, raccoon or opossum are preferable to squirrel, and the taste is improved by aging and marinating the meat in roadside oil and grease before preparing a stew. Alternative recipes for roadkill include raccoon kebabs, moose-and-squirrel meat balls, Pennsylvania possum pot pie and skunk skillet stew.

Is it legal to eat roadkill in West Virginia?

Under West Virginia state code §20-2-4 it is legal to take home and eat roadkill. Jeff Eberbaugh’s Gourmet Style Road Kill Cooking was a runaway success in West Virginia when it was published in 1991.