A while back I read a book by Temple Grandin describing how she designed feedlots and slaughterhouses so that the cattle would be more at ease and not scared even up to the popint where they were killed. I have also read of factory farms and how the animals are treated there, differently from the traditional family from or wile animals.
I don’t want to get into a debate about the morality or future of the factory farm system here, other that to say that IMHO it’s on the way out, but that (barring another few BSE catastrophes or such, that cause people to completely lose trust in the factory-farm system) that will likely take several generations.
What I’m wondering is, does the manner of raising and slaughtering a food animal affect the taste of the resulting meat?
I’m aware that honey, for instance, will taste different depending on what type of flower the bees have been visiting. Does beef taste different depending on what the cow ate?
If an animal is killed humanely and with care and respect, will its meat taste different than that of the same type of animal that dies in fear and panic?
Kobe beef comes from cattle who were given massages and fed beer as part of their feed; consequently it is some of the most expensive beef you can get. I haven’t tasted it myself, but supposedly the massages help with the texture of the beef.
(So then is it true that good beef comes from happy cows?)
I remember reading in endcrinology in college, a long time ago, that if a pig is stressed while it is waiting to be slaughtered, it releases some aderenaline type hormone - the fight or flight instinct, I suppose, which affects the constitution of the squamous epithelium. I am pretty rusty on this, but as far as I remember, this is a layer of material encapsulating some of the muscles which are eaten for meat.
Apparently the texture of the meat in pigs who have not sussed out that they are going to be killed is completely different, as they do not release this hormone.
Same with animals taken during a hunt. You definately want to drop them quickly, as stress and adrenaline will impart a more gamey, less pleasant flavor to the meat.
And how they spend their entire life and how their muscles develop is a huge part of it. Keep in mind that since the muscles are what most people consume, it is important that they are in good muscle eating condition (whatever that may be in each animal…strong,weak…developed…whatever). If you are eating organ meats like liver and ohters, then I’d imagine the diet and life of the animal have a bearing on it’s quality.
I think part of the help with the slaughterhouses is that it made it easier and safer for the workers to have calmer animals.
I do know that chicken does taste different … my grand mother used to calm the chickens down and hold them in her arms before quickly wringing their necks … tasted different than the ones who were beheaded while they were still alive.
curly chick has it right – get the adrenaline pumping and you’ve got yourself some sorry steak.
My Dad slaughtered our own beef on the farm. He put them onto a pan of sweetfeed then put them down with a bullet behind the ear. They never even twitched. He had worked in a slaughter house in the 40s and knew his stuff.
Diet too, by the way, but a surge of adrenaline ruins the best cornfed beef.
I understand that South American beef is a bit more tough because it contains less fat due to the diet.
I entirely agree that diet and the lack of adrenaline at slaughter affect the taste. However, I remain skeptical that living conditions affect teh taste - for example, free range chicken, cow massages, etc.
