FOOD & COOKING

Edible Snakes: How to Know Which Ones You Can Eat

Garter Snake on Stone
Written by Kane Dane

As a result of the ideas and phobic reflexes that man normally has when it comes to snakes, it would most likely sound ridiculous to hear that there are some edible snakes out there in the wild, yet the question is “is it truly safe to consume snakes?” To start with, the words tasty and snake do not go together. The meat of snake in the wilds is comparable to eating a cooked bicycle inner tube, not at all like the snake meat provided in eateries that have been cooked in wine sauce night long. In addition, the sheer measure of bones in a snake creates a lengthy supper.

Eating Snakes in a soup

Attempting to hunt a snake is a last-jettison survival exertion, and one that is not recommendable unless the circumstance dictates it because of the danger of snakebite. Food isn’t a transient survival need and many hunters have gone up to 30days in the wilderness without food.

Snake Meat

Snakes are typically regarded to as reptiles that are common in many nations on the planet earth. There are some venomous snakes, implying that they can infuse poison into the circulatory system through a bite. The Rattlesnake is the most well-known snake meat the US, although there are some other ones, for example, python and so on. The rattlesnake meat is mostly consumed in the Southwest region, and well-known recipes include rattler stew and grilled snake meat. Some other regions usually consume their own local snakes.

Snake on a plate on the table

Snakes are known to be medicinal in some Chinese lore, also as a warming food kind, and likewise, the snake’s blood is normally blended with alcohol to create a virility enhancer. South American traditional medicine usually includes powdered or dried snake meat which is widely known to cure various sicknesses. Snake meat is normally said to have a chicken-like taste, however, a nearer estimate is frog legs. Meat of snakes can be extremely tough if not properly prepared.

Medical Advantages of Edible Snake

Snake meat has protein just like some other meat types. Protein is vital for the body system, including the muscle development. Protein gives amino acids that the body can’t get access to, it helps in building that cell walls and it helps in hormone regulation. Snake meat contains approximately 93 calories for each 100g of raw meat, contingent upon the snake type.

This is approximately half the calories and 33% the measure of fat of the same measure of sirloin beef steak. Less fat and fewer calorie substance for a similar weight of meat, can help health dieters with weight controlling. The snake meat isn’t that popular in Western dinners, but rather is common in some other cultures for its assumed for medical advantages. Snake meat is likewise being all the more generally well-known to be a healthy exotic meat and is usually served along with other exotic meats like ostrich and gator in Western eateries or online.

rice noodles with the snake meat

The snake is known as one of the reptiles that are very hazardous because if opened to the venom and spreading it will be unsafe to people and is able to bring about death. Though not all snakes have that perilous nature, but rather one must be careful about snakes because snakes that don’t have such perilous nature could later develop it. To find out about first aid for snake bites, see the article link for this topic.

Aside from the threat and danger of snake over human lives, the meat provides many advantages when it comes to beauty and health. Therefore, we will examine some of the advantages of snake meat that are good for beauty and health. Mostly, the snake meat that carries many advantages is cobra snake, cobra can likewise be quite unsafe so it is feared by people however the advantages contained in cobra meat is exceptionally useful.

Snakes are eaten dry with seasoning

Here are some of the health benefits of snakes:

  1. Enhance and Strengthen Sexual Arousal: The first advantage of the snake meat is having the capacity to enhance sexual arousal for men and furthermore makes it more intense. And also, the body can have a greater healthy fit, and not easily fatigued. Usually, most men eat snake meat so as to enhance moxie so that they can last longer amid intercourse. Also, the bile and blood of snakes likewise have some advantages.
  2. Cure Some Illness: Snake meat is likewise able to cure certain sorts of ailments, not only cobra meat, but other usual snakes additionally can treat some certain sickness effectively, so most people do consume snake meat with the end goal of curing some disease. Some diseases that can likely be cured by consuming snake meat includes intense allergic, Hypertension, stroke, cancer and so on.
  3. Treat Impotence: From quite a number of the experiences of individuals who consume snakes, the meat is exceptionally effective in enhancing sexual arousal and are extremely viable for curing impotence.
  4. Useful for Antitoxins: In addition to curing some kinds of ailments, snake meat can likewise be utilized for anti-toxins. Venom is typically non-toxic and very deadly, however, in the flesh also, the snake itself can likewise be utilized for antitoxin, particularly the free radicals discovered in the body.
  5. The Wellspring of Vital Body Nutrients: Snake meat other than the adequacy to annihilate some ailments, it also has an assortment of nutrients that is of good importance for the body. The meat itself likewise contains some nutrients such as fat, protein, carbohydrate, and Calories (I.e. 93 calories for each 100 grams).
  6. Enhance Energy: Most noticeably, snake consumption is increasing in energy. The high protein substance offered from the consuming of snake meat can likely create a natural wellspring of energy.
  7. Beneficial for Beauty: In addition to medical advantages, snake meat is likewise good for beauty, particularly for the skin. The advantages of snake meat when it comes to skin beauty is to help make the skin get to be distinctly white, smooth and properly maintained. There are likewise numerous craftsmen who eat meat to cure snake skin that still appear to be alluring. Here are some key benefits of eating snake meat when it comes to skin beauty: smoothing the skin, viably kill skin inflammation and dark spots on the face, makes the skin look whiter and brighter, dispose of allergens in the skin, forestall untimely maturing of the skin.

Typical Examples of Snakes that are Edible

With regards to choosing an edible snake, it really depends on you. You can consume any type of snake without causing harm to yourself, though there are a few things to consider. Consuming venomous snakes is not really dangerous, however, hunting them can be possibly deadly. The other thing to remember when consuming venomous snakes is that if there are open cuts in your mouth or throat, then the venom of the snake can possibly get find a way into your blood system.

It is advisable to abstain from eating their head because that is where the venom stays. You likewise should know about imperiled species, similar to the eastern indigo snake type. However, in this section, we are going to take you through some of the common edible snakes to hunt and consume.

The Coral Snake

The single most straightforward approach to figure out how to recognize a coral snake is to recollect the rhyme “red and yellow, slaughter a fellow; red and dark, companion of Jack”. This snake’s colorings are usually red on yellow on black. However, the red and yellow colors must touch each other in order to enhance its venom. There are also some non-venomous snakes, which endeavor to impersonate the coral snake’s banding, but it won’t be the same. Be cautioned, in a few ranges of South America and some other regions of the world, this rule won’t work.

The Southern Coral Snake

Inquire about the coral snake completely if you are anticipating on embarking further afield. Like most snake species, the coral snake will display hermitic conduct unless incited. Therefore, it is best to allow it to sit unbothered to diminish your odds of being chomped by it. Although they possess the second most grounded venom of all other snakes, their fangs are much smaller compared to other snake species which implies that they some of the time don’t completely infiltrate the skin.

The Rattlesnake

The most recognizing feature of this snake is, obviously, the rattle toward its tail end. It has an extremely unmistakable sound and will usually rattle if bothered, as a notice motion for any risk to remain well back. Keep an eye out; young rattlers have not always yet to generate their rattle, however, can be similarly as deadly as a grown-up. Their diamond-shaped, blocky heady and heavyweight body is a major giveaway and these characteristics are common to its many subspecies. The subspecies you are possibly going to run over are the timber rattler, western diamondback, eastern diamondback and the prairie poisonous snake and so on.

The Rattlesnake Derby

This snake, alongside its subspecies, can be gotten in various areas such as swamps, bush, woods, and desert. They are known to attempt to escape if they feel a risk coming ahead, however, they can be awful if caught or cornered. The rattlesnake venom can be deadly if left alone without being treated, devastating platelets and tissue and even result into at times. Be careful with rattlesnakes, as they have the ability to bite you after being killed because of a reflexive activity of the sensory system. Trimming the head off, inhuming it, and afterward skinning and cleaning the snake are the prescribed strategies built up by the military and utilized by survivors. Once the snake is skinned and cleaned, the snake meat can be cooked in a stew with some tasty goodies or eatable plants or set on sticks and boiled shish-kebab style over the barbecue.

The Copperhead

The sign of its shading is in the snake’s title. Similarly, as with a rattlesnake, it is part of the pit viper group, which implies that it has two warmth detecting pits, permitting it to recognize its prey through warm radiation. However, the copperhead snake is a standout amongst the most wrongly recognized snakes in North America because of its likenesses with some other non-venomous snake species. Being a part of the pit viper group, it likewise has a blocky head and hefty body.

The Copperhead snake is extremely poisonous.

The copperhead snake is ordinarily a light brown shading, with black bandings which are thin on the top side and thicker toward the downsides of its body. There is some non-venomous snake species are also the same, albeit often have black borders all through its bands and also a patterned head that the copperhead snake does not have. The copperhead snake is found in many regions of the US and brings about half of all venomous snake species bites, yet luckily not very many deaths. Well known as a ‘snare predator’ they wait for their prey to pass, and soon thereafter they go in for the murder. However, they like to evade humans at any time possible.

The Cottonmouth

The cottonmouth snake is known as the only semi-amphibian venomous snake of North America, requiring to spend a large portion of its time near lakes, waterways and swamp areas. Likewise regarded as a water moccasin, it is additionally a part of the pit viper group, implying that it possesses a blocky head with a heavy body.

The Cottonmouth snake

The cottonmouth snake is a black brown shading and possesses black bands which are dense on the top part of the snake’s body, narrowing down its body sides. This is a decent approach to separate it from non-venomous water snake species as they have a tendency to have thin bands at the top side, thickening at the lower side.

How to Cook Edible Snake?

Whether you have purchased crisp snake meat at a restaurant where the snake meat is a well-known dish, or you have skinned a snake yourself, particularly for supper, you will not discover a recipe for snake meat in the normal cookbook. The snake is somewhere close to chicken and fish when it comes to flavor and texture, and might be made to taste like either.

Sautéed Snake with Onion and Fragrant Spice

This section will list a recipe which is likewise appropriate for bluegill, so the subsequent meat will be reminiscent of a little lake fish.

Cooking Ingredients

  1. One snake, gotten from a familiar environment or trusted source; evade the danger of consuming a snake that has already eaten a poisoned rat
  2. One box of cornbread blend
  3. 1/2 c egg whites
  4. Splash dark pepper
  5. 1/2″ oil (depending on the size of the pan)

Steps to Follow

  • Step one: Refrigerate the body at the earliest possible time. It can likewise be frozen. The integrity of the meat stays in place, and the skin coloration is unaffected.
  • Step two: Skinning the snake. Remove the head, peel off the skin, and take off the guts of the dead snake.
  • Step three: Wash the snake meat, and use poultry shears or sharp knife to cut it into pieces. Make the cuts in between and at a similar angle as the ribs to abstain from cutting off the ribs. If the ribs are disjoined, they might be hard to remove after the meat is cooked. Some people like soaking the snake pieces in salt water for one to two days in order to remove any residual blood or toughness of the meat.
  • Step four: Insert the portions in a touch of egg white (milk would likewise work well) before dipping them in a sweet and peppery cornmeal blend. Shake off the remains.
  •  Step five: Warm around 3/4″ (2cm) of canola, peanut or vegetable oil in a heavy griddle until it is very hot. Put the snake pieces each one, in turn, to evade from dropping the temperature inside the griddle too rapidly. Utilize tongs to keep off your fingers from the sizzling hot oil, look for hazardous splatters, and utilize a screen if important to prevent a wreck. Turn the meat as soon as the butter starts to become brown – when it begins to turn brown, the snake meat will be overcooked.
  • Step six: Drain and cool. Take off the snake meat before it is pretty much done – they will keep on cooking after taking it away from the frying pan – and place them on tissue paper to drain and cool.
  • Step seven: Serve your broiled snake meat warm, and give napkins – this is regarded as finger food. You can accompany it with anything you do serve with broiled fish.
  • Step eight: Eat the snake meat pieces. There is a line of muscle along the spine also; this is the thickest meat piece of the body of the snake. The ribs are solidly appended to the spine, so rub your teeth over them immovably to take off whatever is left of the meat from the ribs.

See our piece on where to find edible bugs for more options for your survival needs.

Conclusion

As snake meat is not usually offered commercially in the U.S, it doesn’t have specific, inflexible health norms, unlike other snake meats. Rattlesnake meat is usually sold from “Rattler Roundups,” which can be compared with the environment of “Rodeos”, and have been pretty much accused of low principles of food preparation. This is of specific concern as snake meat in South America has been connected couple of times with extreme strains of salmonella, which develops in the gut of snakes.

These bacteria in snakes are killed by proper cooking and handling. Snakes, like other creatures, may likewise contain parasites and other contaminations that are transmittable to human, which can likewise be killed by proper freezing, handling, and intensive cooking. The venom of the snake must penetrate the blood stream to threaten people, so there are no worries about the danger from consuming edible snakes. Snake meat is moderately low in calories and fat, high in protein and some regards it as a rising star in the food business.

For more information on alternative food sources in the wilds, see our must-read article on this topic.

Tasty sea snake soup

However, like any other meat type, it should be cooked and prepared carefully to guarantee that it doesn’t result in food poisoning or infection. We believe that you have gained a lot from reading this article. Want to share your experience with us about consuming edible snakes? You can leave us a comment below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kane Dane

2 Comments

  • I found this read quite interesting. I knew that snake meat is a delicacy in some parts of the world, but that idea did not seem so practical to me until I read this article. It is definitely worth trying but I don’t know where. For a home cooked meal, someone else has to do the catching, killing and skinning of the snake first. I wonder if the tail of the rattle snake is edible.

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