Dinosaurs were among the Earth’s greatest rulers, surviving for over 165 million years, facing extinctions, droughts, volcanic eruptions, profound environmental changes, and more.
We have learned to know them quite well, so much so that to date scientists have described around 800 species (some very little known), all different from each other. We know their evolution, we have learned to distinguish them and appreciate their particular adaptations and we know that they weren’t that stupid or slowas they were described for decades at the time of their first findings.
However, one answer eludes us, among the many questions that still await an answer: What was the flavor of their meat?
Although this question may seem apparently stupid, in truth it hides several unknowns, which are very important for understanding the biology and behavior of various species. Knowing, for example, that a herbivore had stringy and unpleasant-tasting meat would today allow scientists to better understand its relationships with carnivores, as well as better formulating the behaviors and predilections of some predators towards their favorite prey.
In addition to giving us interesting information, having this information would also allow us to play a little, as did some chefs of Anglo-Saxon origin who were asked by the magazine Popular Mechanics to imagine some dishes based on their meat.
The undertaking was obviously arduous, but the star chefs called to participate in this game did not hold back and, after studying paleontology manuals, presented some truly bizarre dishes, which almost make you want to try.
Their goal was to make dinosaur meat interesting, but not to modify its original flavor and chemistry too much, so as to make it as palatable and at the same time “natural” as possible.
Nik Sharma, one of the chefs who first responded to Popular Mechanics’ request, for example, tried his hand at proposing a dish based on Camarasauro, an 18 meter long herbivore that belonged to the sauropod group. This animal mainly ate plants such as horsetails, ferns and some ancient relatives of Gingko bilobaa species that has not changed its morphology much in 200 million years.
Because of this diet, Sharma believes Camarasaurus may have a decidedly strong flavour, similar to that of lamb, and which could be flavored (after eliminating the fat) with aromatic herbs and yogurt, also useful for making the meat more tender. However, Sharma also recommends eating some parts of this enormous animal “oxtail”, that is, dipping the meat in broth or a lot of curry, as if it were chicken.
Another recipe proposed by Sharma suggests cooking instead the meat of the Allosaurus, a massive Jurassic predator, like the alligator meat that can be eaten in some regions of the United States, such as Florida. The Allosaurus could therefore be cooked either on the grill or in a pot, depending on the tastes of the guests.
The same sad fate befell another important Mesozoic herbivore, lo Stegosauro, that the cook imagines cooking either like the Camarasaurus above or roasted, brushing on its sizzling meat a spicy brine or yogurt.
At this point, many are probably wondering if these dishes would have been really edible, given that many relatives of dinosaurs on Earth today are poisonous or toxic. Paleontologists however have not yet found any evidence indicating that the above-mentioned species could be poisonous, as was proposed by Michael Crichton in his famous novel Jurassic Park. So yes, at the moment the information available to scientists allows us to believe that dinosaur meat would have been edible, although many Italians would probably have considered it not suited to their tastes or too extravagant and rather heavy.
Perhaps we should ask ourselves what had happened if the dinosaurs were really here with us: would they have eaten the meat present in these proposals, without batting an eyelid?
It is difficult to give an answer to this question, since they were most likely used to the natural flavor of the meat and they were not prepared to consume all these aromatic herbs or yogurt with which chefs would like to enhance their dishes. However, we can imagine that, no matter how disconcerted, these animals would certainly have accepted a taste, perhaps subsequently abandoning the morsel out of disgust.
Finally, considering that crocodiles are closely related to lizards and that dinosaurs were derived from the latter, it is also possible to imagine that – as far as carnivorous dinosaurs are concerned – the taste of their meat was very reminiscent of that of current crocodiles and alligators. A very particular dish, for the more resistant palates.
With this statement we are not stating that these animals are the same or that it is legitimate to think about buying alligator meat, to import into Italy, to taste “fake dinosaur meat”. On the contrary. There are many ethical issues that should make us reflect on the possible purchase of these products and on the lack of ethics in their producers, given that the consumption of this meat goes against the molar dictates of naturalistic conservation of the species and the respect our country professes to have for wildlife.
Therefore, given that we believe it is wrong to eat the meat of these large reptiles, from a scientific point of view it is interesting to know that members of the Crocodylia order can taste like a T. rex, always considering the clear differences in size and diet between the two species.