Mmmmm, cat stew?

There are many things I’ve always wanted to try eating, things that would be frowned upon by the masses. I wrote an article in 2007 about placenta (you can read it here). I didn’t end up cooking Mrs F’s placenta what with her having an emergency C-Section and all… the last thing on my mind was something sauteed that was cut out of my other half by a doctor shouting stat a lot.

But there are other things I’d like to try - dog, monkey brains and the still beating heart of a cobra all feature highly, but I don’t think I’d ever thought of cat before, until today that is. Young Isablella was up at 6.45 wanting to watch Dora the Explorer, so out came the trusty iPhone Guardian app. And there it was, a story about Italian celebrity chef Giuseppe Bigazzi, or Beppe to his fans. The 77-year-old announced live on TV that cat stew was “one of the great dishes of the Valdarno” (Tuscany).

Translation courtesy of Tuscanycious.

Taken in context, of course, it sounds rather normal - post war Italy saw many people in desperate times pulling out the desperate measures. And, he offered, whilst his co-presenter looked on horrified, the added bonus that the secret to a good cat is to leave it in a fast-running stream for three days, then it’s a delicacy.

The producers were unable to make him apologise and he appears to be out of work now. It’s a little harsh, as early as 2007 Australia tried to deal with its expanding population of stray cats by eating them. And a quick search online finds a handful of recipes.

I’d give a good cat stew a go, I hate the wee *!@£$)s. Never mind Beppe, there’ll be other shows.