Which wine goes with kangaroo?
That's the question at Hell's Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis, where kangaroo steaks — a first in the Twin Cities — are a top seller on the menu.
In fact, you might say that kangaroo sales are hopping. (Sorry.)
Co-owner Cynthia Gerdes was surprised — and concerned — when executive chef Joe Wuestenhagen suggested serving the meat. "I thought he was joking," she said.
But the meat is considered both healthful and to have a relatively low environmental impact. Oh, and Australian farmers aren't too happy with the animal, which apparently interferes with livestock grazing.
A few other upsides: Kangaroos produce very little methane gas (unlike cattle). They don't damage soil, because they don't have hooves. The meat is organic and it's lean (probably from all that hopping). Kangaroo on the global dinner plate is harvested from the Australian wild by licensed shooters, in an effort to control populations.
The downside: People think of kangaroos as cuddly creatures.
"Some people might give us a little backlash, or a lot. That's why I had to think this through. We don't put an item on the menu to gain some ink," said Gerdes. "In a perfect world, no one would eat meat. But they do eat it. And it's a huge part of restaurants' menus."
