No, Steemit, this is not some pun for avenging those most beloved (sometimes despised?) elite users with massive Steem Power stashed away 😉. In Norway, one can still eat whale meat. Actual whale meat. From the sea.
My future vegetarian self is going to love this post.
Let's take a closer look into this culinary creation and the ethical questions surrounding it.
Where does this exist?
Rorbua restaurant in Oslo's Aker Brygge district specializes in all different kinds of Norwegian cuisine from the traditional to the peculiar, including whale steaks. Aker Brygge is a former industrial shipping port turned modern, upscale center for shopping, dining and culture. Here you will find a plethora of fine restaurants amongst museums, galleries, retail stores, fancy boats and crowds of sunbathers (if you visit on a nice day).
There's a great view of Akershus fortress just across the harbor.
One wild meal
Our group included representatives from the US, Ireland, England, Norway, Finland and Poland. Always nice to have a diverse collection of folks 😁 🇺🇸 🇮🇷 🇬🇧 🇳🇴 🇫🇮 🇵🇱
Things got kicked off with a round of drinks. For me it was the Mack Arctic draft. Mack is the self-proclaimed northernmost brewery in the world, located in Tromsø on Norway's northern coast. I'm not sure if that claim still holds true or not - there is a brewery on Svalbard after all - but the beer isn't bad:
Them came the moment of truth - ordering food. At a restaurant like Rorbua, this carries some moral implications (more on that in a moment). Curiosity overwhelmed the doubts for this one time, and I went for it: the Taste of Norway. This dish consists of a skewer of four meats and some veggies suspended above some lightly dressed greens. From top to bottom, we have whale, venison, beef and reindeer:
For some of you, the thought of eating reindeer might turn your stomach as much as whale. Maybe you think of Rudolph and the gang towing Santa's sleigh. But what I can say about the meat is that it is quite tender and has a really nice flavor. It is often served with a lingonberry sauce on top, which adds a nice element. Here is Rorbua's version of that:
Beef and venison are not as much out of the ordinary, but then came the whale meat as the grand finale. When I think whales, I think blubber. But the meat is not blubbery at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite, dark and dense:
I was struggling to find words to describe it - I'm really not good with reviewing food and flavors - but then one of my friends suggested that it was quite similar to liver in terms of flavor and texture. This was a pretty spot-on description I think. So if you want to get a sense for the taste without going for it, perhaps just stick to liver.
A question of ethics?
Whale meat has a bad reputation. But why? Is it really much different from eating other meats like beef that the vast majority of us don't think twice about?
We had some good discussions about this at the dinner table but were lacking some background knowledge and hard facts. Exactly the kind of thing we should have researched before making the decision to eat it. But if you are interested in trying it or just want to know more, here's the quick and dirty on it:
Commerical whaling is overseen by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), who placed a ban on ALL whaling worldwide as of 1986 that remains in place today.
Despite this, 3 countries still have whaling operations: Iceland, Norway and Japan. About 1000-1500 whales are harvested per year between them.
Following the ban, Norway resumed whaling in 1993. The total number of whales killed is reported to the IWC each year.
The type of whales hunted are minke whales, typically 8-10 meters in length, and said to be thriving in the North Atlantic ocean. They are not listed as endangered.
Norway has an annual catch quota of between 500 and 1000 whales. 2014 was considered an especially good year for the whaling industry, where around 729 were killed (compared to around 590 the previous year).
Whales are still hunted with harpoons, but the technology has changed over the years. They are now fired with high-powered cannons and have a grenade on the tip that detonates when it reaches a sufficient depth within the whale.
The goal of this hunting technique is to minimize the suffering of the whale as much as possible, but a whale is a large creature, and it isn't always easy to kill. The process can take some time to complete, which animal rights activists argue causes undue suffering. Some have even posited that the whales can be heard screaming during a hunt.
Whale meat has a long history in Norwegian cuisine, so some argue it has a cultural significance. Yes, the Vikings did eat whale on occasion, though they were much more likely to feast on a beached whale than to actively hunt them.
For me personally, I do not feel the need to eat whale meat again. If it tasted absolutely amazing, I'd have to admit that I'd probably consider it on another special occasion. But given the controversial nature of the practice, I feel compelled to avoid it.
However, I think there are far worse practices that need to be stopped before whaling. I'm thinking of things like debeaking chickens, factory farming operations and excessive use of antibiotics (if an animal needs antibiotics to not die under normal circumstances, then it is not being treated properly).
Where do you stand on this issue? I'd love to hear some opinions in the comments below (even if critical to our decision to eat whale).
Sources:
Vice, NRK, Animal Planet, Viking Answer Lady, IWC
