
Interest in snake meat surges after Kagoshima's health ads
Kyodo, Wednesday November 30, 5:40 AM
Officials and business proprietors in Kagoshima Prefecture have been busy responding to a flurry of inquiries on the meat of "Habu," a virulently poisonous pit viper snake native to southwestern Japan, since the prefecture placed ads on its health benefits recently...
The Amami Kanko Habu Center in Naze, which has long produced Habu-infused liquors and fried Habu meat, decided this summer to develop new products after the recent surge in interest. They include bite-size frozen Habu meat for frying and bone-in Habu meat for stews. "It tastes and feels like chicken or squid, and is surprisingly good," Eiichi Nakamoto, 75, a sushi chef-turned head of the center, said....
The local Hotel Big Marine Amami has also received an increasing number of inquiries..."Even a small piece (of Habu meat) has high nutritional value, just like food for astronauts," said Toshio Mukai, 56, president of the hotel....more...