Venison

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The word derives from the Latin {{lang|la|venari}}, meaning {{gloss|to hunt or pursue}}.{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/venison|title=Venison|website=www.etymonline.com}} This term entered the English language through Norman French {{lang|nrf|venaison}} in the 11th century, following the Norman Conquest of England and the establishment of Royal Forests.

Venison originally described any meat obtained through the process of hunting a wild game animal.{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/venison |title=Venison – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date=31 August 2012 |access-date=12 November 2013}} It was applied to any animal from the families Cervidae (true deer), Leporidae (rabbits and hares), Suidae (wild boar) and certain species of the genus Capra (goats and ibex).

In Southern Africa, the word venison refers to the meat of antelope,{{Cite thesis |type=MTech |title=Marketing fresh venison in the Eastern Cape Province using a niche marketing strategy |url=http://dspace.nmmu.ac.za:8080/jspui/bitstream/10948/136/1/BullGS.pdf |last=Bull |first=Gregory Simon |year=2007 |publisher=Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |page=xcix |access-date=21 March 2013 |archive-date=22 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722121510/http://dspace.nmmu.ac.za:8080/jspui/bitstream/10948/136/1/BullGS.pdf |url-status=dead }} a Bovidae taxon, as there are no native Cervidae in sub-Saharan Africa.

Venison may be eaten as steaks, tenderloin, roasts, sausages, jerky, and minced meat. It has a flavor reminiscent of beef.{{cite web |url=http://www.extension.umn.edu/foodsafety/components/columns/Nov10.htm |title=Wild Game Cookery: Venison |author=Suzanne Driessen |date=10 November 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100120063249/http://www.extension.umn.edu/foodsafety/components/columns/Nov10.htm |archive-date=20 January 2010 |access-date=29 July 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} Cuts of venison tend to have a finer texture and be leaner than comparable cuts of beef.{{cite journal|url=http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119835351/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629230109/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119835351/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 June 2012 |title=Nutritional and chemical composition of farmed venison |doi=10.1111/j.1365-277X.1995.tb00339.x |date=28 June 2008 |access-date=12 November 2013 |volume=8 |journal=Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics |pages=441–446 | last1 = Aidoo | first1 = Kofi E.|issue = 6|url-access=subscription }} However, like beef, leaner cuts can be tougher as well. Venison burgers are typically so lean as to require the addition of fat in the form of bacon, beef, olive oil, or cheese to achieve parity with hamburger cooking time, texture, and taste.{{Cite web|last=Margaret|date=2020-07-07|title=Tips for Moist and Juicy Venison Burgers {{!}} Kitchen Frau|url=https://www.kitchenfrau.com/venison-burgers-moist-and-juicy/|access-date=2021-05-06|language=en-US}} Organ meats (offal) of deer can also be eaten. Traditionally, they are called hombres (originally the Middle English hombres). This is supposedly the origin of the phrase "humble pie", meaning a pie made from the organs of a deer.{{cite web|last1=Harper|first1=Douglas|title=Online Etymology Dictionary|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/humble|website=dictionary.com|access-date=5 September 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://cunnan.sca.org.au/wiki/New_noumbles_of_Deer_(recipe) |title=New noumbles of Deer (recipe) – Cunnan |publisher=Cunnan.sca.org.au |date=10 June 2004 |access-date=12 November 2013}}

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When sourced correctly from a healthy deer, venison can be a very healthy meat for human consumption.{{Cite web |last=Kyle |first=Emily |date=2022-08-08 |title=7 Surprising Health Benefits of Venison |url=https://cookvenison.com/health-benefits-of-venison/ |access-date=2023-03-05 |website=Cook Venison! |language=en-US}} Deer live on a natural diet of grass and wild plants without ever being confined to a cage or injected with any artificial hormones. Venison is higher in moisture and protein, more diverse in amino acids,{{clarify|reason=Animal proteins like venison, beef, pork, and lamb are all typically complete proteins containing all essential amino acids. The current claim that venison is 'more diverse in amino acids' suggests it has either additional amino acids (which is unlikely) or significantly different proportions compared to these meats. Please specify precisely which amino acids differ, provide comparative data, or correct the statement if inaccurate.|date=March 2025}} and lower in calories, cholesterol, and fat than most cuts of grain-fed beef, pork, or lamb.[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov USDA Nutrient Database], NDB numbers 17348, 13434, 10023 and 17060

However, since it is unknown whether chronic wasting disease (CWD) – a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy among deer – can pass from deer to humans through the consumption of venison, there have been some fears of dangerous contamination of the food supply from wild deer carrying CWD.{{cite journal| title=Chronic Wasting Disease and Potential Transmission to Humans |author1=Belay ED |author2=Maddox RA |author3=Williams ES |author4=Miller MW |author5=Gambetti P |author6=Schonberger LB |date=June 2004 |journal=Emerging Infectious Diseases |volume=10 |number=6 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |doi=10.3201/eid1006.031082|pmc=3323184 |pmid=15207045 |pages=977–984 }} The disease has been found among farmed deer in the US and western Canada, but New Zealand has not identified the disease among its herd.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} the Toxoplasma gondii parasite can also be transmitted through human consumption of undercooked or raw venison if it did not reach an internal temperature of 145 °F (63 °C) for whole pieces of meat, or 160 °F (74 °C) for ground venison. The CDC also says that freezing meat for several days in sub-zero (0 °F or −18 °C) temperatures can greatly reduce the chances of infection by toxoplasmosis.

Hunters should briefly observe the behavior of living animals they intend to take and not shoot deer that appear sick or are acting strangely. They are also advised to take general precautions in examining the meat from deer they have killed.{{Cite web|url=http://cwd-info.org/recommendations-for-hunters/|title=Recommendations for Hunters}}

Venison (as well as other game meats, mainly wild boar) is a part of the traditional cuisine of the country and is commonly eaten, not considered a specialty. Dishes such as deer goulash are often on restaurant menus.{{Cite web|title=Restaurace {{!}} Petron|url=https://dobra-zverina.cz/restaurace/|access-date=2020-11-01|website=dobra-zverina.cz|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108042324/https://dobra-zverina.cz/restaurace/|url-status=dead}} A variety of venison (roe, red and fallow deer, mouflon) and other game meat is widely available in butcher shops in fresh state, distributed by wholesalers,{{Cite web|title=Processing and selling of game meat {{!}} Zvěřina BERBERA s.r.o.|url=https://www.berbera.cz/processing-selling-game-meat|access-date=2020-11-01|website=www.berbera.cz}} as well as in big retail chains such as Tesco, at prices similar to beef or pork, around 200 CZK or 8 EUR per kilogram. Despite the popularity and low prices, in recent years the production of venison has surpassed demand, and is therefore often used in production of animal food.{{Cite web|date=2019-10-19|title=S šípkovou, nebo se zelím? Zvěřiny je moc, končí i v krmivech pro mazlíčky|url=https://www.idnes.cz/ekonomika/domaci/zverina-myslivec-lov-maso.A191018_204843_ekonomika_mato|access-date=2020-11-01|website=iDNES.cz}}

New Zealand has large populations of wild and farmed deer, making venison a relatively common meat. It is widely available in supermarkets.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

In England, hunting rights were restricted in an effort to preserve property rights. As a result, the possession and sale of venison was tightly regulated under English law,{{cite book |last1=LaCombe |first1=Michael |title=Political Gastronomy: Food and Authority in the English Atlantic World |date=2012 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=9780812207156 |location=Philadelphia |page=84}} although it is readily available commercially.

In the United States, venison is less common at retail due to the requirement that the animal first be inspected by USDA inspectors. There are very few abattoirs which process deer in North America, and most of this venison is destined for restaurants. Where deer are considered an invasive species, companies such as Molokai Wildlife Management and Maui Nui Venison that hunt axis deer in Hawaii, combine culling with USDA certification and retail sale.{{Cite web |last=Krebs |first=Natalie |date=Jun 16, 2021 |title=The Outdoor Life Podcast: Meet the Godfather of Hawaiian Market Hunting |url=https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/market-hunting-axis-deer/ |access-date=Aug 13, 2023 |website=Outdoor Life}}{{Cite web |last=Bernabe |first=Danielle |date=Dec 17, 2021 |title=How Eating Hawai'i's Invasive Deer Saves Its Ecosystems |url=https://www.bonappetit.com/story/hawaii-invasive-deer |access-date=Aug 12, 2023 |website=Bon Appétit}} Most venison sold through retail in the United States are farmed from New Zealand and Tasmania. It is available through some high-end specialty grocers and some chains which focus on more "natural" meats. Non-retail venison is often obtained through hunting and self-processing or contracting to small meat processing facilities to do the processing for the hunter, but sale of the finished meat is usually illegal.{{cite news| last = not Sterba | first = not Jim | date = 18 October 2013| title = No Hunters May Sell Venison | url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304410204579139424081224050 | newspaper = The Wall Street Journal | access-date = 13 December 2014}}

The American sandwich chain Arby's gained attention in October 2016 when word leaked through social media that they were about to test a venison sandwich. Arby's later confirmed that they had selected 17 stores in Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin (all major deer hunting states) to offer a venison sandwich during a four-day test during those states' hunting seasons. Both due to curiosity and heavy demand from hunters, the sandwiches sold out in all markets on the first day of the test.{{cite web|last1=Whitten|first1=Sarah|title=Arby's venison sandwich a hit with hunters, quickly selling out|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/08/arbys-venison-sandwich-is-a-hit-with-hunters.html|website=CNBC|access-date=8 October 2017|date=8 November 2016}}

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Venison

Category:Native American cuisine

Category:Vermont cuisine

Category:Cuisine of West Virginia

Category:Deer