Deer Meat Pepper Soup: Nigerian Local Bush Meat Delicacy
My love for Deer Meat Pepper Soup aka “Anu Mgbada” in the Igbo language started years back when I finished my senior WAEC and was home alone with my parents.
Father came back home one bright Sunday afternoon with this deer meat and I was like what is this?
My mum advised me on how to prepare it and after Lunch, I didn’t need any further introduction to what this expensive meat is all about.
Deer Meat Pepper Soup: What Is Deer Meat?
Generally referred to as bush meat in Nigeria and venision outside the country
Venison, comes from the Latin word venari, meaning “to hunt,” normally refers to deer meat, but it can also mean meat from any large game animal, including elk, buffalo, caribou, moose, and antelope, as well as wild boar and hares.
Deer can be butchered into cuts similar to beef, with steaks for grilling and roasts for slow cooking
In Nigeria, Hunters who kill these bush meats are held as skillful men. Nowadays, you see hunters selling bush meats on major highways.
In truth, I wonder if any pepper soup tastes any better than deer (bush meat) pepper soup
What Does it Taste Like?
Many people move away from bush meats especially pregnant women because they believe the flavor is too strong, but it actually has a wonderful herbaceous, almost nutty flavor that pairs mostly well with palm wine
Recipe
This dish is popular in the rural areas of the Southern parts of Nigeria.
The Yoruba and Igbo people, most especially, have men who hunt for these animals in their forests and farmlands.
There is nothing as breathtaking as preparing this bush meat with pepper soup or having it as dinner in one of the Beer Parlors during night outing.
Deer Meat Pepper Soup Ingredients
- Deer Meat
- Ehuru
- Uziza or scent leaves
- Palm oil
- onions,
- Maggi
- Salt
- Crayfish
- Pepper soup spice
How to Cook Deer Meat Pepper Soup
- Firstly, wash the meat properly and boil with intense heat or use the slow cooker.
- Then, add onion and salt when boiling it boil for 40 minutes.
- Thirdly, pour in palm oil and all the other ingredients except the uziza leaves and continue boiling until the aroma is strong.
- Cut and wash the uziza leaves then pour in and stir, allow boiling for a minute or two and the soup is ready
- Alternatively, grilling is another perfect method for cooking bush meat because the intense heat allows for quick cooking times.
- Because of the low-fat content, deer meat can stick to the grill, so brush the steaks lightly with oil before you set them on the hot cooking grate.
This soup is best served hot. This goes well with a glass of finely-tapped palm wine.
