Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa What does african game taste like?

How do rhino's and hippo's taste?

Most of the grazers are very good. The browsers eat more leaves and taste a bit gamey (Bushbuck, Nyala, etc.) Reedbuck are sweeter than most. Best of all in my opinion is Warthog. When I lived there I took a Impala ram and a Impala ewe every year. The ram for "Biltong" (Something everybody should try at least once), and the ewe for the pot.
The way it is shot is key to the taste, something that was scared to death and chased halfway accross Africa pumps so much adrenaline that it is very bad eating. If you shoot for the pot, make it a clean, QUICK, kill.

I've found Nyassa wildebeest to be my favorite, seconded by Licht. hartebeest. Have also had kudu, impala, etc, but the way the cook prepared the widebeest was truly remarkable. That in the Selous at K4 camp.

I've never eaten African game, but like deer, it depends on when and how it was killed, and most importantly, who cooked it!!!

I know guys who can make a nice rib eye (the best steak of all) taste like 6 day old road kill.

Chicken!

or maybe african chicken... do they have chickens in Africa?

Camel was GREAT!!! I ordered it with 2 humps!
Croc is very good!

I've tried a pretty wide variety of African game, from gerenuk and lesser kudu to "tongue and tail" from a cape buffalo. I would definitely put the latter among my least favorite and probably give eland the nod as my top choice. When last there a couple of months ago, I remember my PH saying that "You'll want eland for your appetizer, entree, and desert." I would agree with him.

I was in Senegal a few years ago, not on safari, but to visit with 2 sons who were missionaries there in very, very remote areas. My oldest son was a licensed big game hunter, and provided protein for his family and some families in the village through hunting. Warthog was the easiest and best meat. My two sons took me hunting one day, along with a village pro tracker who served as my guide. I hunted under my eldest son's license and managed to wack a young warthog for the pot with his 12 gauge and Brennekes. It was some of the best pork I've ever tasted.

On another occasion we visited a local hunting lodge, where the oldest son had friends. They also had a restaurant. A close friend to my son had served as guide to an European hunter the previous day, and he'd killed a buffalo. It was on the menu, so we ordered some. BIG mistake! It was like trying to eat your boots! Like Ray said: the older they are the tougher they get!

On another occasion, we were travelling to another remote area of Senegal and we came across a troop of baboon. One of the village elders was travelling with us and asked Brent to shoot one for his family. There were about 50 of them. We stopped the truck, Brent go out, as the baboon were getting into the trees and screaming at us, and shot a young one at about 60 yds with his single shot .22LR (which he also used BTW on many warthog). He then walked in amongst the baboon and retrieved it for the old man. I'm sure his rather large family enjoyed it as they rarely saw protein, but Brent said he would only eat it in desperation!

Based upon my limited experience:

Warthog sausage is good.
Giraffe sausage is okay.
Buffalo steak is tougher than hell (your jaws give up at by 1/2 steak).
Elephant tenderloin(from an bull)smells like rotten meat, but tastes surprisingly good,once its in your mouth.
Crocodile (prepared with saffron) is a tender, mildly flavored meat that is delicious (similar to alligator, but not as tough and no frog leg flavor).
The sun-dried raw game meat (can't think of the name), tastes okay, but the fat in it smells kind of rancid.

The quality of the meals turned out in the bush is absolutely amazing, considering the conditions in which it is prepared.

BTW: Baby camel tastes pretty good. It's similiar to bison, yet much more tender and delicately flavored.

Zebra and Wart Hog are the best IMO, both over an open pit. Much of the bushmeat is very good, but those two aren't as gamy as others.

Grass cutta tastes like rat.

I liked all that I have tried, but my favorite is Warthog Schnitzel.

This was great for dinner and the leftovers made wonderful sandwiches on the African version of sour dough bread. If your in Namibia I would highly recommend it.

Giraffe ribs BBQ'd over camel thorn wood is fantastic, but I hate to admit eating this even though I didn't shoot it.

They taste like ... more!

Zebra - my favorite meat of all time - the filets I had were incredible - slightly sweet, good "beef" flavor, just insane good.

Eland - like a cross between beef and veal - tasty.

Oryx - a lot like beef, very good, like a filet. The liver of the one I shot tasted great, and I don't like liver.

Springbok - a little gamey and stringy, but still good.

Ostrich filets - very good, meaty, like good beef.

Crocodile - like a cross between chicken and fish - different, but pretty good.

PS - Namibian oysters are the best I've ever had!

Oryx and Eland are my favorite...especially oryx fillet. Tastes better than beef.

I've never eaten of the African game but do recall PH Capstick having mentioned that his absolute favorite was the loin from a hippo. Don't think anyone here has commented on that - has anyone tried it?
A mention has been made of how and when the animal was taken having a pronounced affect on the meat and I would say that I love white tail venison but have had some that simply could not be eaten. If you run the deer with dogs, then shoot it with buckshot which usually takes awhile for the animal to die I can promise you it won't be fit for the dogs! Same animal, browsing and not aware of anyone within five miles, taken clean with a neck shot and you have fantastic venison!
Just my two cents worth.

I had eland,impala, gemsbok, springbok, kudu, black wildebeest, some baked, some BBQ, and always had seconds. My wife who is "very discerning" (picky) regarding wild meat did also. We found it uniformly delicious.

Impala, Wildebeest, and Kudu are very tasty. My favorite meat now is Kudu backstrap!

"The sun-dried raw game meat (can't think of the name), tastes okay, but the fat in it smells kind of rancid"........The name is BILTONG, and most South africans will fight Mike Tyson for it. And yes, you have to cut the fat off. Watching a Rugby game with a strip of biltong and a good Joseph Rogers pocket knife to cut it with is the South African dream ;-)))

Closest thing to Chicken is Guiney fowl...but it is an aquired taste. Gamey and dry. If you oven roast it do it with the breast down to keep the juices. (Works with all birds).

Warthog for sure, roast the leg and put the ribs in a smoker.

You must have had some of my ex-wife's cooking!

Seriously though I hope to be able to find out what African game tastes like for myself int h enot too distant future!

I've eaten croc, buffalo, ostrich, impala and blesbok and I'm sure quite a few others that I don't remember.

Buffalo is my favourite! Impala is the standard meat used to make biltong by locals in RSA.