EVENING NEWS (Edinburgh, UK) 06 February 06 A snake on your plate? Rattle taste different! (Michael Blackley)
Food lovers are being offered a meal with a bite with rattlesnake now on the menu at a city restaurant.
The venomous snake will be served smoked with pancakes on a bed of seaweed and roasted shallots with a lime, chilli, ginger and garlic sauce.
A sample test conducted by the Evening News found diners surprised by the taste, which was described as being similar to fish and tender like chicken.
The dish, hugely popular in China, is being offered by Shaws, the new international Tapas Bar on Old Fishmarket Close. It is being served up as part of the celebrations of the Chinese New Year, which runs until next Monday.
But the dish is coming at a cost to the restaurant. Co-owner Tony Santini says that it is six times more expensive than fillet steak to buy in, with each whole snake costing in excess of £85. It will cost diners around £8 per small portion.
Mr Santini, who runs the restaurant with co-owner Steven Balsillie, says it is a variation on the popular Chinese meal, where they mix the rattlesnake with frogs legs to make a stew. "We get it in from an exotic meat supplier and it will be the first time it has been served in Edinburgh," he said.
"Since we opened here we've had a lot of regular customers and we like to ask their suggestions on what we should serve. One customer had been in China and had eaten rattlesnake and asked if we could get it in.
"I believe that you shouldn't knock any food until you've tried it and eating the food of other cultures can be very uplifting."
Snake has been part of the Chinese diet for 2000 years, as there is the belief that there are specific health benefits to be gained from eating it. According to Chinese tradition, snakeskin and other parts are said to restore health and boost sexual prowess.
The restaurant opened ten weeks ago after a £300,000 refurbishment of a former underground car park.
The owners undertook in-depth research about the history of Old Fishmarket Close before deciding on the name of the new eatery. They found that people used to move wheelbarrows full of fish to the top of the hill, then emptied them so they fell to the bottom of the hill, where a stall was set up to sell the fresh fish.
One such fish seller was Tommy Shaw, who the restaurant is named after. He died after slipping on one of the fish.
Staff at Shaws have reported a number of strange experiences since the opening of the restaurant. Blinds have been opened without anyone being in the building and on the first night that the rattlesnakes arrived, one mysteriously vanished from a fridge.
"Maybe Mr Shaw is still about here now," said Mr Santini. "If he is, he certainly seems to like the place."
Miles Quest of the British Restaurants Association, was surprised a delicacy like rattlesnake was available in Scotland.
He said: "I've never heard of anyone selling that in the UK. There are all sorts of different dishes coming into UK restaurants now, like zebra meat and ostrich, but there will be very few that serve rattlesnake."
So, how does a mouthful slide down?
The Evening News asked three random members of the public to do a secret taste test on the rattlesnake dish.
They were told that the dish was "an exotic new type of meat" and asked to tell us what they thought. Their responses are given below.
Suzy Croll, 46, neo-natal midwife, city centre: "It's very nice, is it maybe fish, or crocodile, or something like that? It's very tangy and has a real fishy twang to it, although that might just be the sauce."
John Stevenson, 76, retired teacher, Royal Mile: "It tastes like it is something from the sea, certainly. Is it some kind of shellfish?"
Vicky Dougal, 47, medical secretary, Eddleston: "It must be fish of some description or other. The top of it tastes like fish although below that it's much more tender and is a bit like chicken."
They were then told that what they were actually eating was rattlesnake.
Vicky threw down her cutlery and said: "I wouldn't have guessed that. If I saw that on the menu I wouldn't try it. I would assume it would be disgusting. It tasted good though."
John: "I wouldn't choose to eat it because I'd have assumed it would have a strong distinctive flavour. It doesn't, though - it's a very delicate flavour and just tastes like thin strips of chicken."
Suzy: "I'm not going to stop eating it just because it's rattlesnake - it's too enjoyable. I don't know how they'll get people to eat it if they don't know what it tastes like though. But people should try it, it's fantastic - the way it's been done is lovely."
A snake on your plate? Rattle taste different!