# Do carnivores taste bad, & if so, why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2000, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773 "2000-12-03T01:30:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/1 "2000-12-03T01:30:40Z")
This thread was inspired by the eating-dog question, as one poster raised the point that carnivore meat wasn’t generally fit to eat. I’d like more info on it, if anybody’s got it. Seems like we do mainly eat herbivores, except for pigs, which are technically omnivores, but are usually raised on non-meat feed. Free range chickens eat lots of bugs, does this count as carnivorism? Anybody got any insight? Enjoyed a lion burger lately? ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/2 "2000-12-03T01:49:04Z")
No,some kinds are tasty. If it is prepared correctly coon is good. Possum is also ok but I prefer coon. Actually beef is best IMHO Both coon and possum are greasy. You have to get rid of the grease. I would suggest baking them so the grease goes to the bottom of the pan. Those are the only ones I have tried. ---
**Author:** ![dragonlady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@dragonlady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragonlady)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/3 "2000-12-03T03:01:37Z")
I don’t think racoon and possums are carnivores. Omnivores perhaps. Generally, primitive peoples, eating wild game, say carnivores taste too strong. And they smell bad in general. Don’t know for sure, never ate one. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/4 "2000-12-03T03:16:38Z")
If coons are so tasty, why don’t more people eat them? There are more than enough raccoons around here, but I have never eaten one, nor would I want to. But what about fish? I don’t eat fish (except tuna salad) but aren’t some fish meat eaters? ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/5 "2000-12-03T04:04:19Z")
Sorry Dragonlady Websters calls them carnivores They are greasy and like a lot of wildlife taste is probably dependent on what they are eating. As opposed to generally not fit to eat they are tasty. Boscibo I’ve heard of people in big cities eating dog food. Wouldn’t want to eat that. Don’t know why you haven’t heard of eating them. Next time there is a wild game feed in your town try it. ---
**Author:** ![ubermensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bcef8e/32.png) [@ubermensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ubermensch)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/6 "2000-12-03T04:09:14Z")
what about shark? or bear? i’ve had both, and neither are too bad. ---
**Author:** ![labdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5fc32e/32.png) [@labdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labdude)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/7 "2000-12-03T04:46:23Z")
coon good. 'possum bad ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/8 "2000-12-03T05:19:18Z")
**justwannano** , What I mean is you don’t see coon meat for sale at the grocery store or anything. I am not a big meat eater so I’ll pass, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/9 "2000-12-03T06:03:12Z")
Yes you are right. It is wildlife. You don’t see bear either. Sometimes venison and elk but not much else. Heck you rarely see rabbit. What you do see is domestic though. Sometimes around here you see buffalo. There are a couple of farmers that raise them. The most popular seems to be elk. I know of 4 farmers that raise them. One guy raises whitetail deer. Sorry about the hijack. Back to your regularly scheduled thread. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/10 "2000-12-03T07:04:02Z")
Well, taste is of course subjective. I’ve heard it said that some various carnivores are yummy enough, but you’re not really going to find them at the local deli counter. the simple reason for this is cost. If you’re farming carnivores, you have to feed them meat, which means that you’re paying for the grain to feed the cow, then the cows to feed your bears. Easier and cheaper to just eat the cow. Besides that, I know _I_ wouldn’t want to run a bear farm. ---
**Author:** ![honkytonkwillie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@honkytonkwillie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/honkytonkwillie)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/11 "2000-12-03T08:28:06Z")
Bear is certainly edible, and I’ve had it. But it ain’t real high on my list, just from knowing what they eat. I’ve heard reports of them eating things like axle grease and tubes of silicone caulking. It’s quite common for them to get into dumpsters and landfills and munch on edible stuff. Incidentially, the bears I’ve eaten feasted on donuts for their last few days alive. At the time, my girlfriends father would (legally) bait bear by placing a few _hundred pounds_ of donuts in his secret bear baiting location, come back in a few days, and shoot the best looking bear that was woofin’ down donuts. Not very sporting, IMO. Sidenote - this guy would get donuts by the garbage-bag full from the dumpster of a nearby bakery. They’d throw them away at the end of the day. That was 10 years ago, but just now the irony struck me - that he was dumpster diving for bear food, just like a bear would! Anyway, I remember any distinct taste since old GFs mom was a fabulous cook and could make anything taste great. ---
**Author:** ![Gaspode](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gaspode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaspode)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/12 "2000-12-03T13:21:35Z")
Properly prepared crocodile is delicious, but really farmed for hide. The meat is basically a side-line. Snake is all right but fairly greasy (and hardly enough meat to bother with). No funny smell with either. I’ve eaten feral pig that had probably been living on a lot of carrion and it tastes OK if a bit gamey. So I guess if there is an odour problem with carnivores it must just apply to the Carnivora or be very diet depandant. Bon apetit ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/13 "2000-12-03T13:59:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > **…seems like we do mainly eat herbivores, except for pigs, which are technically omnivores, but are usually raised on non-meat feed…** I don’t know about the taste, but it makes no sense economically to eat carnivores. I’d WAG that it takes 10 pounds of grain to get 1 pound of herbivore meat. Feed that to your carnivores and you get maybe 1/10 pound of carnivore meat which isn’t any better than herbivore meat, if at all. ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/14 "2000-12-03T17:53:20Z")
Lion burger (as in mountain lion) is actually very tasty. A bit on the sweet side, firm in texture and depending on the cut and age of the critter, quite tender. As you can imagine, there is zero fat in a cat. Seems I’ve read that human is a rather sweet meat too, I wonder if that is a common connection in carnivores? ---
**Author:** ![Danielinthewolvesden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Danielinthewolvesden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danielinthewolvesden)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2000, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/15 "2000-12-10T23:05:48Z")
My dad lived for a time in the wilds of Alaska, in the 20’s & 30’s, where it was hunt or starve. He said bear killed during the salmon season, when they were eating fish, was absolutely horrible, almost inedible. But bear killed during berry season was very good. Possums are omnivores, and coons, altho belonging to the carnivore family, are also omnivores. ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2000, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-carnivores-taste-bad-if-so-why/43773/16 "2000-12-11T18:05:14Z")
speculation… In general, there are fewer predators than prey (omnivores aside). Plus, they’re harder to catch. So maybe as some evolutionary trait, humans never developed a taste for them.