What's the best and worst African tasting game meat?

[375 Ruger Fan]

My wife (non-hunter) and daughter (first time hunter) went to Namibia with me last year, we ate game meat every night. It just got better and better each night and my wife and daughter usually turn their nose up to game meat (won't eat deer, might eat elk sometimes, etc). I always thought Oryx backstrap was a good as it gets. Impala, Wildebeeste, Hartebeest, Eland, it was all great. The chef was a master and used a lot of wine in his cooking. One thing that surprised me was the Outfitter wasn't a big believer in aging meat. Kill it, skin it, cook it. When we asked the Outifitter (and his wife and son) what their favorite game meat was, they all said Zebra.

 

[ack]

I hear that zebra tastes good?

Very good and so is oryx,the best I've had.

 

[enysse]

I think as long as the cook knows how to cook, any wild game is terrific to eat

 

[bluey]

My favorite was Duiker backstraps
I didn't care much for Springbok though...

blue duker was plenty good , we did a casserole with it .
a whole blue duiker fits in one pot ...

 

[Wheels]

Mammal

Worst - leopard, but it was still palatable.

Haven't eaten rhino, hippo, croc or lion. Maybe some day.

Some animals like hyena, baboon, etc. I never plan to eat. Would have to be pretty desperate.

Best - Never met a plains game I didn't like.



Birds

Worst - Water Fowl of all kinds. Spur Wings especially. They sure are fun to hunt though.

Upland game birds all tend to be good.

Bustards are surprisingly good compared to what they look like. Not sure if they are legal anywhere these days however.

Best - Francolin and Spur Fowl.


Fish

Worst - Barbel/Cat fish but they are still fine.

All the scaled fish I have eaten are good but my experience is limited.

Best - Bream/tilapia.

 

[Pondoro]

I have had impala, kudu, oryx, blue wildebeest, springbok....and porcupine..all but but the porcu where delicious..

 

[bluey]

talipa are real goood for freshwater fish
tigerfish aint real flash
but you could live on it if you needed to

 

[spike.t]

On the best side, Buffalo tail stew (oxtail to us) is the best.

hippo tail done the same way is good as well.

 

[Code4]

Best meal I had was Gemsbok rump cooked a traditional Afrikaanes way with cream, cheese and a liqeur. Springbok was also very nice.
Best Biltong I've had was elephant from Hwange when they were doing the National Parks culls a few decades ago. I haven't had any biltong as good as that since.

 

[UKHunter]

Black Wildebeest liver is the best liver I have had.

 

[G Skinner]

There is room for all God's creatures ......right next to the mash potatoes and gravy ! Ostrich was surprising , more life beef then a bird . Everything I ate in Namibia was great or maybe I was just really hungry ? Guess I'll have to go back and try it again .
Glen

 

[Tracker49]

I liked the Blesbuck the best. My PH said that most of his clients seem to prefer springbuck.
I shot a real old warthog and he went for caracal bait. They said that even the locals wouldn't eat that old guy. I did have meat from another warthog and it was quite good, not a lot different than domestic pork I guess.

 

[Slugs Away]

Thank you all for the generous replies, much appreciated!

 

[Petrus Geldenhuys]

i absolutely love Gemsbok meat and closely followed by Nyala and Eland. Have not really had any meat that is not good but then again i don't just shove everything in my mouth....

 

[enysse]

I have had a lot of people tell me ducks and geese are bad, but slow cook them with mushroom gravy, onions and peppers.....boy that is so good stuff.

 

[Nyati]

I love eland, just done on the braai, and also tasted a delicious stew made with bushbuck.

 

[siml]

Elephant has to be the worst tasting. Tough and stinks. Haven't tried baboon or monkey......too close to home.

 

[bassasdaindia]

eland , springbok are my favorites .

 

[cpr0312]

I enjoyed Kudu and Blue wildebeest, I thought both tasted like any good steak here in the US. The worst I personally had was blesbuck, maybe it was the way it was made?

 

[buck wild]

my wife can make a prime rib roast that would turn you off beef of any kind, so have to agree its the cook more than the meat, but wild meat also needs to have the care and prep it deserves

My wife must use the same cookbook LOL

We enjoyed kudu filets, chicken fried in a cast iron skillet over the fire. Last trip
My wife really liked an impala pot roast. 1st trip

The worst- wildebeast sausage in a hotdog bun with cold butter (I almost spit it out but downed it to not embarrass anyone). 1st trip