Eating Emu

A friend and I attended a live broadcast of local chef, Jasper Mirabile’s, weekly radio show at Louisburg Cider Mill, on one very chilly Saturday. Hot cider warmed our cold hands and then, much to our surprise, we sampled emu meat and egg.

Mike Hursey, private chef, caterer, and a member of Slow Food Kansas City with Mirabile, sprinkled on fresh herbs as he stirred meat and veggies in a large frying pan over a portable burner. By the time he distributed samples the red meat had turned dark brown and slightly chewier than beef, which I would have assumed it was if I hadn’t been told otherwise.

But the emu egg was a revelation. Dark green, rounded, and at least six inches long, it looked like an over-sized avocado. Much less ‘white’ shared space with the two-inch-round, yellow-orange yolk than the proportions found in a chicken egg.

Mirabile added herbs and whisked the egg vigorously before pouring it into the pan. The scrambled eggs felt lighter and somewhat runnier on the tongue than scrambled eggs from a chicken. This time, it was difficult to mistake one for the other.