The Unconventional Flavors: What Does Possum Taste Like? (2024)

Many people will be uncomfortable and weirded out by the idea of eating a possum.

The question of “What does possum taste like?” tends to circulate a lot in many countries out of curiosity.

Why? Because countries such as Australia finds it a delicacy and an important part of their cuisine culture.

Possums are also popular in places such as New Zealand, Indonesia, Sulawesi, and New Guinea.

This wild animal is a treat for the people living in these countries. Possums are incredibly rich in meat and carry an impressive amount of fats.

What Is a Possum?

As we know from the National Geographic, A possum is a suborder of the 70 tree-living of marsupial species that is native to Australia.

Both possums and opossums have similar names and belong to the same species; however, they are both different creatures.

There are a variety of possums, but the Brushtail possum is one of the most common species out there.

They have long thick tails, a furless patch on its underside, and a prehensile tip. They are widespread in Australia.

The diet of a possum consists of birds, insects, fruits, rodents, and dead animals.

Plus, they also consume plants, eggs, grains, and frogs. Possums tend to require a high level of calcium for their diet.

Possums possess poor eyesight, but their senses when it comes to hearing and smell is amazing.

They are always on the hunt for food and the most active at night. They have super sharp claws that they use for capturing prey, digging, and climbing.

Adult possums are all about scavenging. Newborn possums are the size of a honey bee. They tend to stay inside their mother’s pouch for about 80 days.

What Does Possum Taste Like? Does Possum Taste Good?

The taste of possum may vary depending on its diet. If a possum eats nothing but human trash, then it will taste greasy and horrible.

The meat will carry an unpleasant smell and might turn you off. You can still eat it, but the taste won’t be good.

But if you eat a possum that lives outside the city and incorporated lives, then it will taste good. Why?

Because these possums tend to eat fruits, bugs, and things from the nutritious wild. You can easily cook it with carrots and potatoes.

Possum meat tends to have taste similarities to that of a squirrel and rabbit meat.

The taste is even comparable to gamey meat as it is from the wild. You can add your garnishes to make the dish flavourful.

Nutritional Chart

This nutritional chart caters to a serving size of 100g with 221 calories. They are as follows:

How to Cook Possum?

Before you cook your possum, you first need to clean and skin it. You need to make an incision on the full length of the possum’s abdomen. Proceed to remove the organs, head, and feet.

You need to make another incision below the length of each leg. The fur and skin of the possum will come right off its body once it is warm enough.

However, you need to pull back some of the skin by cutting it, if it has cooled down.

You will find a small layer of fat under its skin, which should be easy to remove. You can get rid of the fats if you want to avoid the feeling of gaminess that you get from gamey meats.

Once you are done skinning and cleaning your possum, you will require the given ingredients and steps.

• Eight big taters
• Two big spoons of butter
• One big spoon of sugar
• A pinch or two of salt
• Pepper, thyme or marjoram for taste
• A cooking pot that has a tight lid

Step 1 – Place your possum meat into a pot with sufficient water to avoid burning. Cover the pot with a good tight lid.

Step 2 – Make sure to add the taters after your possum has been in the pot for an hour. Possum meat takes longer to cook than a tater. It will prevent the tater from overcooking.

Step 3 – Place the taters on the sides like a circle around the possum. Mix and add in sugar and salt along with pepper for taste. You can also use marjoram or thyme in place of the pepper.

Step 4 – Take off the lid after every 15 minutes and baste it with the juices of the possum.

The fats of the possum should be rendered by now. The juice or water will make a delicious gravy to go with the meat.

Step 5 – Once the possum is tender enough and the meat falls off from the bones, try mixing a little bit of flour to thicken the dish. (If needed)

Caution – If you are roasting your possum, make sure to place a container under the cooking board. Since the meat is greasy, the grease will easily drip off the board and into your oven.

Conclusion

According to The New York Times, A possum is way smarter than it looks or is too dumb to the point that it acts smart.

It is a Southern trait that only a Southerner would understand. Possums are shy and mean at the same time with their teeth like razors.

They are a delicacy for most people in the Southern States of America, Australia, African and Asian countries.

Possums are not something that you eat daily but do make amazing treats for special occasions. They require tip-top cleaning and are edible in a ton of ways.

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