Question Of The Day: What Does Whale Taste Like?

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Whaling is a touchy subject that seems to always be hanging around. Last week the New Zealand Prime Minister asked the Japanese government for an apology after a whaling vessel entered NZ waters. It came just days after an incident where a Sea Shepherd vessel collided with a Japanese whaling ship in the Ross Sea. Iceland are presently facing international relations issues thanks to their whaling program, with the US considering sanctions against them for violating the global moratorium on commercial whaling.

This all begs the question: what do these things taste like anyway? If nations are willing to risk heavy sanctions, irritating internet petitions, and death at sea, just so they can keep hauling them out of the deep, earth's most majestic mammals must fry up pretty good. Or maybe they just taste like tuna. We aked a bunch of people—including an unhelpfully high number of vegetarians—what they though about it.

VICE: What does whale taste like?

Amy: I’ve never tasted it, as I’m a vegetarian.

Do you wonder what it would be like?

No. Rubbers?

Like, erasers? Do you reckon it would taste nice? People go to a real effort to eat it.

I didn’t know people ate whale to be honest.

It’s pretty grotesque as a vegetarian I guess.

Yeah I don’t know. I think they’re nice, big, friendly animals, why would you want to eat them?

Does their majesty put you off?

Well any animal really. I don’t want to eat any animal.

Sandra: I’ve never tasted it but I suspect it might taste a little stretchy.

Why stretchy?

They’re big and muscled. General things that are big and muscled are sinewy.

Do you think it would be nice though? Cows are pretty big and they’re nice. 

Possibly, it depends on—I mean I’m not an advocate for killing big beautiful whales for consumption—but assuming that I had the opportunity to cook it and prepare it.

What if someone served it to you?

Yes, I’ve eaten kind of more exotic things than that so yes I think so.

More exotic that whale?

My mother used to cook cow tongue, the texture of that’s kind of weird but also quite delicious. You have to cook it for a long time to get it tender. But I guess that’s what you get when you come from as Southern European background, they don’t waste anything. So in terms of whether I’d eat a whale I probably would, but I would keep it in it’s most authentic, simplest form as whale.

Whale sashimi.

Yeah that’s true, that’s a nice way to describe it.

Joe: I assume it tastes pretty fatty.

All that blubber.

Yeah exactly. They swim a lot so you wouldn’t think they’d be fatty but that’s how they are.

If the opportunity presented itself, would you you eat it?

Nah.

What’s your objection?

I don’t eat meat anyway so I’m probably not going to start on whale. Well I suppose if you’re going to start eating meat you may as well start with the most offensive thing, whales, babies maybe. Is it a baby whale?

It could be.

Nah well I’d probably only eat a baby whale.

Why’s the baby whale okay to eat?

Well because if I’m going to stop being vegan I may as well eat the most offensive thing I can. Baby whales, baby dolphins, lambs, veal—you want it really melt in your mouth don’t you.

Baby buffet?

Exactly.

Sovann: I’ve never tried it myself. I imagine it tastes like something like a really tough fish. I assume crocodile might be the closest.

Have you had crocodile before?

Yeah I’ve had it before. It’s rubbery, kind of leathery. It’s nice if it’s done nice though.

If you had to prepare whale how would you cook it?

I would probably steam it.

Would you rather eat an old whale or a young whale?

Oh I’m not too sure. That’s a tough one, a double edged sword. I’d probably go a young one if I had to choose.

Guy: Whale? What is whale? I’m French sorry, so I don’t know what this is.

The biggest mammal in the sea.

Oh yeah, the whale. Ok so what is the question?

What do they taste like?

I don’t know. I never try.

But what do you think?

I don’t know. Like a tuna, maybe?

Do you think it would be nice?

Maybe no. I am a vegetarian.

Everyone is a vegetarian. If someone gave you a bit of whale and no one would ever know you ate it, do you think you’d try it?

Maybe no. I wouldn’t try.

Chloe: Umm, I guess you’d have to ask a Japanese person because they tend to eat it more. I imagine it tastes fatty.

Is fatty nice, or gross?

Oh, I think it might be an acquired taste.

If someone gave you a piece of whale to cook, how would you prepare it?

I think I might try and little fry it.

Pan sear?

Yeah, pan sear.

Do you think if you got the opportunity to taste it that you would?

It depends on the context.

Imagine they worked out sustainable whale farming so it was totally above board, could it eventually become normal?

I don’t know. I think the main place it would have to catch on is where people eat whale, which is Japan. As long as they would be happy to do it that way over having to go on the whale hunt. If the whale hunt is as part of the culture as eating the whale is then I don’t think so. If eating the whale is the ultimate goal then it probably would.

Do you think Australia would ever embrace it?

I think they would embrace if it meant that there was no more whale hunt. I don’t know if Australian’s would be so in to eating whale because there’s such a stigma about it.

Follow Mitch on Twitter: @MitchMaxxParker