More in Singapore eating exotic meats

Going wild over game
Jessica Lim, Straits Times 14 Jun 09;

More people here are game for exotic meats.

Local suppliers of quail and crocodile have seen demand as much as doubled compared to last year.

At Lian Wah Hung Farm in Lim Chu Kang, the only quail supplier in Singapore, more than 10,000 of the birds are sold monthly now, up from half that number last year.

At neighbouring Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm, about 1,500kg of crocodile meat is sold a month, up from 1,000kg two years ago. It, too, is the sole supplier of the meat here.

Mr Ho Seng Choon, 85, owner of Lian Wah Hung Farm, said: 'Last time, we had to knock on the doors of restaurants to ask them to consider putting quail on their menus. Now, they come to us.'

This trend mirrors the rising imports of frozen wild game.

Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) figures show that frozen emu, kangaroo, rabbit and wild pig imports have risen.

So far this year, Singapore has imported 1,850kg of frozen emu meat, much more than the 120kg recorded last year. And this year, the Republic has also imported 400kg of kangaroo, 430kg of wild pig and 450kg of rabbit meat, up from none last year.

Ms Angie Tang, head of retail management at Singapore Polytechnic, attributes the rise to two reasons: more adventurous people and restaurant owners trying to stay ahead of the curve.

'The new trend is a surge in self-indulgent spending, where people who work hard look for stimulation and excitement with everyday things like food,' she said.

'Another reason is demand from restaurants eager to offer unique dishes to get attention from diners. If they continue offering just regular items, customers might not want to spend that extra money to eat there.'

Restaurants such as Turtle House Seafood Restaurant, No Signboard Seafood and even eateries such as Sheng Siong Food Mall and King Of Crocodile in the Old Airport Road food centre sell such meats.

Business has been brisk.

At Turtle House in Guillemard Road, sales of crocodile meat have increased to $10,000 a month, up from $2,000 two years ago when it first started selling it.

'People think it's novel and we wanted to add more interesting stuff to the menu,' said owner Ong Siong Lim, who has crocodile soups and stews on his menu.

Many Chinese physicians believe that eating crocodile meat alleviates asthma and improves blood circulation, said Mr Robin Lee, manager of Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm, and this might be another reason the meat is finding favour.

'People are looking for ways to stay healthy. It's better than paying a big medical bill,' he said, adding that he supplies the meat to about 300 customers, including wet markets, hawkers, restaurants and supermarkets.

Exotic fare cost more than common meats such as pork and chicken. Crocodile meat can cost about $40 a kg and quail meat $18. Meats such as chilled pork fillets cost about $16 a kg and chilled chicken wings about $7.

Still, to cater to demand, some major supermarket chains, including Cold Storage, Shop N Save and FairPrice, have started stocking their shelves with crocodile meat.

'We started selling it as we see a growing trend of people eating crocodile meat,' said a spokesman for Cold Storage and Shop N Save.

One such consumer is Mr Tony Tan, 45, who started eating the meat a year ago. He now has it once a week.

'Basically, I was curious. Then I ate it and realised the meat was very lean,' said the father of three, who boils the meat with Chinese herbs for 40 minutes.

'It looks like pork and tastes like chicken.'