MKR judges Pete Evans and Manu Feildel game to try horse, possum and donkey meat being planned for SA menus

WHEN it comes to weird and wonderful dishes, there’s not too much My Kitchen Rules judges Pete Evans and Manu Feildel haven’t tried and are keen to try what’s on SA legal consumption menu.

• Why horse, possum and donkey meat would be on SA menus

WHEN it comes to weird and wonderful dishes, there’s not too much My Kitchen Rules judges Pete Evans and Manu Feildel haven’t tried. So when they heard that SA Health is exploring the addition of horse, possum and donkey meat to the state’s legal consumption menu, the reaction was simple: “Yum! Bring it on”

The State Government announced late last year that it would be consulting on a revised Food Standard Code definition of ‘game meat’ which would allow buffalo, camel, deer, donkey, horse, pig and possum to be slaughtered and sold.

CHANGE: My Kitchen Rules’ Manu Feildel and Pete Evans are keen for horse, possum and other animals to be classed as game meat. Picture: NAOMI JELLICOE

Currently none of these animals can be legally sold for food in SA, although some domesticated horses and donkeys are butchered for export mainly to Europe and China.

Paleo diet poster boy Evans, in Adelaide with Feildel for Channel 7’s program launch at the Art Gallery of South Australia, said the changes couldn’t come soon enough adding that most animals on the list are readily available on menus overseas.

“I think it’s great as long as the animals are getting a diet that they’ve been evolved to eat and they’re not being fed something that’s foreign to them,” he said.

“I’ve eaten horse in Spain before, donkey in Italy, camel is eaten in Arabic countries, I’ve eaten turtle in Aboriginal communities.”

For French-born Feildel, animals like horse were a staple of his European diet growing up.

“The French have been eating horse for ages,” he said.

“In the south of France we do a donkey sausage with a mustard sauce. For me it’s odd to put one animal on a high-stool and not another. What’s the difference?”

On the publicity trail for the new season of their hit reality TV show, the MKR judges said the attitude to food is slowly changing and consumers are open to experimentation.

“It’s fascinating to sometimes see contestants on the show get squeamish and what will make them uncomfortable,” said Evans.

“In this season, offal features a little bit. As chefs, we really love cooking things like this and the show is about educating people and bringing in new foods for them to experiment with.

“These aren’t strange foods and I think as a society, we’ve actually lost the connection to where our food actually comes from.”

Originally published as MKR judges Pete Evans and Manu Feildel game to try horse, possum and donkey meat being planned for SA menus