Game

Meat from animals that were not farmed — leaner, darker and more strongly flavoured than their domestic equivalents, and almost always in need of added fat.

Where it comes from

Game covers wild deer, boar, hare, rabbit, and wild birds, and its cooking traditions are those of places where hunting stayed part of the food supply: central and eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the Alps, and rural Britain.

Wild animals move, so their muscle carries more myoglobin and far less intramuscular fat. That is the whole of what makes game cook differently — it is not that it is stronger tasting, though it is; it is that there is no fat inside the muscle to keep it moist.

Varieties

• Venison — Deer. Very lean, deep red, best served rare in the prime cuts and braised in the working ones.
• Wild boar — Darker and firmer than pork, and much leaner. Long braises, ragùs, sausage.
• Hare — Dark, rich, strongly flavoured. Jugged, or in a long ragù.
• Rabbit — Pale and mild — closer to chicken than to hare. Dries out fast.
• Game birds — Pheasant, partridge, grouse, wood pigeon. Small, lean breasts that want minutes, legs that want an hour.

In the kitchen

Add fat or accept dry meat: bard a roast with pork fat, braise it in something, or serve it rare. There is no third option.

Hanging — ageing the carcass in cold air — is what develops the flavour people mean by gamey. It is a choice made before the meat reaches a kitchen and cannot be added afterwards.

Shot birds can carry lead shot. Feel for it before serving.

Game is tagged on 40 dishes from 37 countries in the atlas. These notes are written from general knowledge and carry no per-fact citation — see About.