Posted on 03/01/2012 1:44:15 PM PST by nickcarraway
THE American iguana has drawn interest from a well-known Australian chef who plans to cook up a menu that will include the reptile on Taveuni.
Lance Seeto, who is the executive chef at the Castaway Island Fiji, last week visited Taveuni to learn more about local food.
"I have learnt a lot about local food but I will also do a menu for the iguana on the island. That won't be difficult because I have cooked iguanas in other countries I have worked in," he said. "So writing up an iguana menu won't be difficult and it will be affordable to cook by the locals."
Mr Seeto who has a big following with his recipes in The Sunday Times said the menu would not be difficult to prepare because it would include vegetables available locally.
"It will be a delicious, tasty menu that can be cooked by locals as well as something to eat at home," he said.
Last year, the Department of Agriculture confirmed such reptiles were being included in the menu of restaurants around the world. The islanders of Qamea and villagers of Vuna on Taveuni have also been eating iguana meat and eggs.
Roko tui Cakaudrove Ro Aca Mataitini earlier stated his office had received reports of the villagers roasting the meat and eggs while out on their farms.
The American iguana became a pest on the islands after they started attacking plantations.
AMERICAN IGUANA - The Fiji Times/ Wikipedia
* Named the American iguana because it is believed to have been brought to Fiji by an American,
* Native to Central, South America and Caribbean.
* It grows up to 1.5 metres in length from head to tail, some up to two metres
* Have sharp teeth that are capable of shredding leaves and even human skin
Bamboo chicken
Violates my eating rules:
1- no reptile
2- no rodent
3- if you eat meat for breakfast it has to be pig
That'd have to be one charmin' ************* pig...
Whaaat? No steak for breakfast???
I love steak, but not for breakfast . . . most times I have pig either. I guess it was the way I was raised.
“That’d have to be one charmin’ ************* pig...”
Like that pig from Green Acres.
Violates my eating rules: The early explorers did fret about whether iguanas were permissible to eat on Fridays and other Lenten days, when the Catholic Church forbade the consumption of meat. Since iguanas perched in trees and paddled in rivers, perplexed explorers couldn’t figure out whether to classify them as fish or fowl. Now that’s funny!
They didn’t have biology class back then!!
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