# What's Penguin Taste Like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847 "2005-12-03T01:15:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![6\_6\_6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e0b2c6/32.png) [@6\_6\_6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6_6_6)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/21 "2005-12-03T12:12:07Z")
Dunno about penguin, but penguin eggs taste pretty revolting to me although other folks I have met do like them. I’ve tried **rockhopper** , **gentoo** and **macaroni** penguin eggs, but only once each! They taste very fishy and the albumen stays clear even when set so it can be a little off-putting at first. ---
**Author:** ![Clock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clock)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/22 "2005-12-03T12:13:27Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Well? Chicken? Frozen chicken? Greasy? Fishy? Well like chocolate and crunchy biscuit here in the UK, penguin bars being a confectionary. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/23 "2005-12-03T17:04:00Z")
Now I don’t know nuthin’ 'bout penguins– but this site tells what to do if you accidently come upon a dead whale: How to cook it, with a specific warning you that you may NOT eat it all by yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/24 "2005-12-03T18:04:49Z")
> [@astro](#): > > What does a hummingbird taste like? Seriously. Popcorn chicken. ---
**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, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/25 "2005-12-03T18:12:02Z")
> [@Hombre](#): > > I’m sure the answer will seem obvious when I hear it but how could hauling off penguin poop be bad for them? > [@Saint Louis Zoo](#): > > Humboldts penguins have developed a unique place to lay their eggs - - they dig them into the layers of dried guano (poop) left from seabirds! (Because of the dry climate, guano from generations of birds can build up many feet deep.) Sometimes they also nest in rocky crevices. > […] > [The male] uses his wings and feet to push and mold the guano into the shape he wants, then gathers soil, rocks, and sometimes grasses to finish it off. > […] > Sadly, the breeding habits of the Humboldt penguin are being disrupted by human activity. Because guano has value as a fertilizer, miners in South America harvest it down to the bare rock, leaving many coastal areas scraped clean. Humboldts are left with nothing to burrow into, so they hatch far fewer babies. [Saint Louis Zoo](http://www.stlzoo.org/animals/abouttheanimals/birds/penguins/humboldtpenguin.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/26 "2005-12-03T18:32:43Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > :eek: **Tuckerfan** , you were just asking for reference purposes, right? You wouldn’t really eat a penguin, my most favorite creature, right? Right? Right? > > :: gives \*\*Tuckerfan \*\*the hairy eyeball :: \*\*Oh, no, no, no, no. \*\* Yes. Now calm down! I haven’t peguinapped any of the little fellars from the local zoo with plans on turning them into dinner. It’s just that I got to thinking the other day that animals humans raise for food tend to do well, as it were, whereas animals we **don’t** raise for food, like mammoths, tend to die out. So, rather than let the buggers go extinct, I thought that it might be a good idea if we started raising them for food. > [@astro's link](#): > > They are very fat, so a method that melts the fat off is better, like a roast. The blood is very rich in oxygen so the meat turns an un-apetizing dark as it cooks. The breast can make decent steaks. Now, what do they mean by “dark”? Do they mean “grey” or do they mean the color of pumpernickel? 'Cause I’m thinking that if it’s the latter, then a chef would _love_ to be able to work with a meat that color. You could give it a light, white cream sauce as a garnish and make it look like a bundt cake, or stuff it with brightly colored vegetables, like flowers sprouting from a garden, or slice it thinly and serve it on a nice bread with swiss cheese and horseradish. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/27 "2005-12-03T20:10:59Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > No, no, no! You have to _smoke_ Camels… It’s a heavy meal, you have to walk it off. A mile should do it. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/28 "2005-12-03T20:19:50Z")
I had always heard that penquin tasted like a cross between spotted owl, and a bald eagle. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/29 "2005-12-03T21:27:22Z")
It’s questions like this that really set the Dope apart. Feldman and his Imponderables are still wondering if penguins have knees. We’re wondering if they have drumsticks! ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/30 "2005-12-04T05:21:57Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > :eek: **Tuckerfan** , you were just asking for reference purposes, right? You wouldn’t really eat a penguin, my most favorite creature, right? I was wondering whether I’d eat one. But, since they’re birds of prey, they’re not kosher. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/31 "2005-12-04T05:26:53Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > It’s just that I got to thinking the other day that animals humans raise for food tend to do well, as it were, whereas animals we **don’t** raise for food, like mammoths, tend to die out. So, rather than let the buggers go extinct, I thought that it might be a good idea if we started raising them for food. I thought mammoths went extinct precisely because humans ate them. They were hunted into extinction. Personally, I’ve often wondered if we could save some endangered species by turning them into pets. Wolves are endangered. Dogs are doing great. While keeping a white tiger as a pet isn’t practical for most people, there are some endangered species that should be cheap and easy to keep as pets and thrive in the new niche. ---
**Author:** ![Hombre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@Hombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hombre)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/32 "2005-12-04T05:29:03Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > I had always heard that penquin tasted like a cross between spotted owl, and a bald eagle. > > 😃 Wrong, because of the high fish diet I think it’s more like Snail-Darter… ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/33 "2005-12-04T05:47:30Z")
Not a true cite, I know, but I just finished reading _Desolation Island_, one of the Jack Aubrey novels. Aubrey’s ship, _Leopard_, was badly damaged and leaking so they made for the named island, way south in the Indian Ocean. Once there, the carpenter’s mates and others with the proper skills set about reapiring the ship which took weeks. The rest of the crew caught and salted penguins, since they needed to provision. No particular mention was made of the taste, but no one complained about eating penguin meat, if only as a change form their usual salt horse. There were also growing on the island a type of cabbage that is particularly high in vitamin C and those were stowed away as well. DD ---
**Author:** ![Hombre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@Hombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hombre)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/34 "2005-12-04T06:26:02Z")
There’s [this](http://www.allegromedia.com/sugi/penguin/): FLAMING PENGUIN KABOB **INGREDIENTS** 2 pounds ground or whole penguin 2 sliced onions 2 sliced green or red bell peppers 1 cup olive oil 1 bottle Bud Ice (chilled) 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground garlic 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 2 Bay Leaves 3 sharp skewers **PREPARATION** Slice penguin into 1-inch cubes. Mix spices in with olive oil. Marinade cubes in spice mix. Refrigerate overnight, stirring occasionally. Slice onions and bell peppers into wedges. Place vegetables and penguin cubes alternately on skewers. Brush lightly again with marinade. Grill for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown outside. Turn and baste continually with Bud Ice. Douse lightly with brandy or lighter fluid and light before serving. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![2nd\_Law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f475e1/32.png) [@2nd\_Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_Law)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/35 "2005-12-04T06:38:01Z")
[Bugs Bunny]Penguins is practically chickens.[/Bugs Bunny] ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/36 "2005-12-04T08:11:51Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I thought mammoths went extinct precisely because humans ate them. They were hunted into extinction. Yeah, but they weren’t raised like cattle, chickens, ducks, fish, etc., etc., etc. > [@](#): > > Personally, I’ve often wondered if we could save some endangered species by turning them into pets. Wolves are endangered. Dogs are doing great. While keeping a white tiger as a pet isn’t practical for most people, there are some endangered species that should be cheap and easy to keep as pets and thrive in the new niche. That’s not a bad idea for cute animals that can be domesticated. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/37 "2005-12-04T18:17:37Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I thought mammoths went extinct precisely because humans ate them. They were hunted into extinction. > > . _Highly_ debated (and it’d make a interesting GD) . Birds who eat fish have a fishy taste, according to my dad, who living in Alaska and had to some substitance hunting for several years. Thus, they’d likely taste nasty- unless you were starving or desperate for fresh meat. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/38 "2005-12-04T18:22:36Z")
I’m guessing there’s a big contrast between the dark and light meat… ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/39 "2005-12-20T23:54:17Z")
Any of you guys read this and [get a “bright” idea?](http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/12/20/britain.penguin.ap/index.html) > [@](#): > > Toga, a 3-month-old Jackass penguin, was stolen Saturday from Amazon World on the Isle of Wight in southern England. > > Zoo manager Kath Bright said the bird, who was taken from a compound where he lived with his parents and four other penguins, probably would die of malnutrition if not urgently returned. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847/40 "2005-12-21T00:47:18Z")
[I loves me some Penguin](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=317141), I really do. I’m sure Penguins taste similar to wild Duck or Goose, perhaps even Swan. All are laible to be oily and fatty and have a fichy, gamey taste due to the high fish content. So before you go taking away any of the finest comedians in this world, please have a Swan instead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-penguin-taste-like/333847.md?page=3)