What causes meat to taste “gamey”?

There are some people who love hunting for the game because they would like to eat the meat after. Some people truly enjoy the taste of game meat while there are also others who feel that the meat that they can purchase from the butcher is better; it will always depend on one’s personal taste.

One of the reasons why a game may have a certain taste from the usual domestic meat is because of the food that these animals eat. Take note that game and wild animals will usually eat what is available in their surroundings. Those that are domesticated will be fed with other types of food that can make the meat of the animal have a milder taste than how you expect game meat to taste like.

Meat has many words to describe it, because there are various types of meats and textures to them. One word that is used to describe meat is the word gamey. If a person uses this word to describe meat, they are indicating that the meat has a tart taste to it.

This taste is mainly found in the fats of the meat. There are many reasons that may make the meat taste gamey. One reason is that the meat is not allowed to cool long enough. Meat can also taste gamey depending on the diet of the animal that it was taken from.

A lot of people say that there is just something about gamey meat that can make it so addicting. One of the main reasons why the taste is different is because of the type of diet that game animals usually follow. A lot of them would feed on wild grass and other types of wild food. This will make their muscles and meat have a different taste from what you are used to.

If you would compare gamey meat to the meat of those who are raised as a part of livestock, the food products that they eat are different. The taste of domestic livestock can be considered to be milder and more even as compared to the that you will get when you do hunting.

When one describes the taste as gamey, they are indicating that the meat has a tart taste. It isn't the most pleasant taste. This taste is noticed more in the fat of the meat. There are many reasons why something would taste gamey. One is not allowing the meat to cool long enough. Another is based on the animal's diet.

The animals that generally eat a wild diet; their taste will be more gamey. There are ways to lessen this taste when preparing the food. One way is to clean the meat thoroughly and remove the hair, fat, and skin. Another way is to season the meat.

The feeding patterns are responsible for the gamey taste of the meat. "Gamey" meat is stronger and has a more distinct flavor. Gamey meat is associated with almost all livestock. Livestock with gamey meat feed on wild grass and wild food. Domesticated livestock is fed hay and other dried food and the meat has a milder and even taste.

Gamey taste is due to abnormal diet patterns. Gamey-meat livestock eats whatever they want and also eat a non-regulated diet. The versatility in their eating habits tends to affect their flesh and accumulation of various chemicals in minute amounts which is directly responsible for the gamey taste.

The taste of "game" (venison is the stereotype) is different from the taste of "domestic" meats such as beef, pork or poultry. The expression "gamy" describes meat that tastes or smells different, perhaps stronger, than the bland, familiar tastes. "Gamy" is often extended to mutton (sheep) or lamb, goat, camel, and animals such as mountain sheep, moose or bear, that people do not ordinarily eat. Range-fed (grass-fed) beef tastes different from the meat of feed-lot cattle, and we say that the range-fed beef is "gamier."

The taste of a particular type of meat is determined by: the characteristic chemistry and type of muscle and fat, of the breed of animal (and others of its family), the animal's diet (grasses, leafy plants, flowers, fruit, bark, etc.) and nutrition (protein, minerals.) The same effect of diet is even more obvious in the milk of nursing females; and the animal's movement and activity patterns. Range fed cattle get more exercise than do animals kept in feed-lots, so the leg and rump meat of grazing cows has more myoglobin and is "gamier." This is why poultry legs, thighs, wings and backs are darker and have stronger flavor than the breasts.