Venison meat: useful properties and recipes for cooking

Deer meat is a very tasty and unusual product that will be tasted only by true connoisseurs of such delicacies. Venison has a rather tough structure, so to get delicious dishes it is required to follow some rules of cooking and dipping the meat in a special marinade. Reindeer use only ecologically safe products as food, such as moss, lichens, and leaves of various shrubs. These plants stimulate in the body of individuals the production of linoleic acid, which has the property of protecting humans from the dangerous effects of carcinogens and toxic substances.

When heat-treated, venison retains its original size, which is not characteristic of beef or pork. The meat of this animal is very popular among the inhabitants of the northern regions of the Russian Federation.

Venison is the muscle tissue of representatives of wild fauna. This term includes several animals whose meat is used as food. These include deer, roe deer, and fallow deer. Elk also belongs to this family, but its meat has a different structure and is called moose meat.

Venison meat is very dense, does not contain fat layers, so during the processing it retains its volume, but sometimes a little dry. The color is dark red. It has a sweet taste and distinctive, specific smell.

Particularly prized deer meat, obtained from a young animal, which was hunted in the first half of the fall. In northern areas, such animals are bred in industrial plants. You can even find deer meat sausages in stores.

Composition and calories

Reindeer meat is characterized by a rich vitamin and mineral composition. Components representing the B group, vitamin PP, E are found in it. Among macronutrients there are such substances as K, P, S, Na, Zn, Se, Ca. Among the micronutrients, iron in large quantities is found in the deer product. It also has some fatty acids.

There are more calories in dried reindeer meat than in boiled meat, because the nutrients in the first option are increased. The energy value of the product is only 155 kcal in 100 g of meat delicacy. This caloric value is due to the high content of proteins, which are very easy to assimilate.

Due to the low calorie content, the product can be used even in the menu of people suffering from obesity, as well as in the case of kidney and liver diseases. In addition, fresh venison is essential for athletes who seek to build muscle mass, exposing the body to great stress.

Proper use of venison products in food helps to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. It also helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels, thereby protecting against the occurrence of atherosclerosis.

Vitamin B1 in the meat product improves the function of the digestive tract, has a positive effect on brain cells and restores the function of the nervous system. The phosphorus in the meat ensures the absorption of calcium, which is necessary to strengthen bones, teeth and nail plates.

The animals feed on the jag, which gives their meat antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Benefits of venison meat

General benefits

Venison is an excellent protein product, but the meat of young animals has more beneficial properties. The meat of forest dwellers under the age of six months is softer and easier to process, while the product obtained from an adult animal has a more rigid texture. Because of its color, this meat is red game.

1. The main food of deer are lichens, which have the ability to remove parasites from the human body. This suggests that these animals have almost no worms and other parasites. Consequently, when cooking a dish from it there is no need for careful heat treatment. Such meat can be safely used for dishes that include raw ingredients, for example, sushi. Low-calorie, protein-rich meat can be included in the menu of athletes and women who are struggling with obesity.
2. Venison has the peculiarity to remove carcinogenic compounds, salts of heavy metals and toxic substances from the body. Regular use of meat in the diet strengthens the weakened immune system, helping to fight viruses, infections and fungi.
3. It is scientifically proven that venison can protect people from the appearance of cancer. It is not possible to get rid of the tumor completely, but it is possible to prevent the increase of metastases.
4. In addition, reindeer meat contains antioxidants that slow down the natural aging process. Also, meat products contribute to the synthesis of enzymes, due to which the food is easier to digest. Dishes from such a delicacy improve appetite, so it is recommended to give them to people who have undergone surgery or infectious diseases.
5. B vitamins make nerve fibers stronger, which increases a person's resistance to external stimuli. For example, vitamin B1 in the product will help to cope with insomnia. The high concentration of iron in this game allows using it for iron deficiency anemia.
6. Venison can protect the body from the negative effects of alcohol and tobacco products, as well as from the effects of treatment with powerful drugs.
7. In addition, reindeer meat is used to obtain powder, which is widely used in cosmetology. This substance is used to make rejuvenating creams and sunscreens that nourish the skin and protect it from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays.

If there is an opportunity to use venison meat in your diet, you should not refuse such an opportunity. The constant use of such a product will improve the work of the whole body.

For women

With the constant use of venison is manifested rejuvenating effect of the product. Due to the high content of selenium, which has an antioxidant effect, it slows down aging. This substance is able to remove bound free radicals that lead to cancer.

Iron in the meat stimulates the process of hematopoiesis, increases hemoglobin levels, preventing the development of anemia. This is especially important during menopause.

For men

Thanks to the high caloric value and nutritional characteristics of venison, you can quickly regain strength after heavy physical exertion, even consuming small portions. It is recommended to include this meat product in the diet of men two or three times a week.

The zinc contained in deer meat is able to strengthen the sexual system in men. Regular use of the product can improve the quality of sperm and prevent the development of prostatitis.

Residents of the northern regions believe that venison is very useful for men's health, as it has the property to stimulate testosterone secretion and improve erections. Also, the northern peoples use deer meat as a natural and safe aphrodisiac.

Pregnancy

High-protein venison meat can cause constipation and gas in the intestines, so you should not use it during pregnancy, if a woman has never used this product in her diet. If venison-based dishes have been on a pregnant woman's menu before, there are no contraindications to its use.

When breastfeeding

Introduce venison to the diet of a breastfeeding woman in small portions, starting when the baby is two or three months old. It is important after the first use to monitor the condition of the child, in order to notice an allergic reaction in time.

For babies

Many mothers wonder at what age it is possible to introduce reindeer meat into the diet of a child. For northern peoples it is a familiar product, although in recent years the popularity of this type of meat has increased everywhere. Venison is a very useful product, so you can give it to your child even earlier than beef and pork. This meat is much better digested than other varieties.

To begin with, you should only give your child a small portion to see how the child's body reacts to the new ingredient and to prevent digestive difficulties.

For weight loss

It is no secret that to lose weight and get rid of excess weight it is necessary to use as little fatty foods in the diet as possible, because the caloric value of such dishes is several times higher than the energy value of food rich in proteins and carbohydrates. Venison differs from other types of meat in its composition; it has practically no fat. This allows the product to be used for compliance with different diets.

Venison in medicine

Preparations based on deer meat have the property to stimulate the intestinal function, while saturating the body with useful elements and suppressing hunger. When using such a product in food will be able to avoid overeating, which causes weight gain. Also the rich composition of meat helps to speed up the metabolic processes that take place in the body. Medicines from venison are widely used to treat various diseases. They are used in the treatment of diseases of the liver, cardiovascular system, kidneys and lungs. Venison also has diuretic and antipyretic effects.

From this product are obtained drugs that can protect the body from carcinogens, activate the function of the genital system and restore erections, stimulate the process of hematopoiesis. In addition, preparations from venison nourish the body, saturating it with useful elements, improve skin condition and tone.

Young deer preparations are made in powdered form. Numerous scientific studies have shown that this product contains many biologically active substances.

Harms and contraindications

It often happens that the healthier a particular product is, the more restrictions it will have. It is not typical for venison, but there are still some restrictions on its use in the diet.

Contraindications to eating venison delicacy are diseases such as:

• Gouty arthritis;
• Kidney failure, running in a chronic form;
• Kidney stones.

This is due only to the fact that these pathologies show a diet low in protein content.

Another limitation is such a diagnosis as hemochromatosis, which is an excess of iron in the blood. Venison contains large amounts of this substance, and it can aggravate the condition in Parkinson's disease.

If the digestive tract has been operated on, it should also be avoided for a while. In such a condition, the meat product can be very heavy.

Individual intolerance to reindeer meat is expressed by heaviness in the stomach, gas in the intestines, cramps and digestive disorders. The same symptoms can occur if the meat is eaten late at night, shortly before bedtime.

There have been studies that have proven that uncontrolled consumption of red meat delicacies (more than two or three times a week) can cause cancer in the large intestine.

How to choose and store venison meat

When buying, you should pay attention to some nuances.

1. Fresh, chilled raw material has elasticity. If you put pressure on it with your finger it will quickly return to its original shape without deforming. The young product has a delicate texture, while the meat of mature animals has a firmer and more rigid structure.
2. Fresh venison should have a flesh of a dark red color, resembling that of a beet. The surface of the fresh piece is slightly moist, but not sticky. This can be checked with an ordinary paper napkin.
3. The deer meat should not have bruises and bruises. The frozen product should not be covered with pieces of ice. This indicates that the product has been repeatedly frozen.
4. Venison meat has almost no fat, so the presence of fatty veins and layers should be alert.
5. Each part of the carcass is used for different types of dishes. For example, if the meat is to be baked in the oven, fried or boiled, the loin or tenderloin is suitable. If the venison is to be used in soup or other stock-based dishes, the other parts of the animal can be purchased. For roasts, the lower part of the ham is suitable. It should be cooked at low temperatures for a long time. Then the dish will be tender.
6. A sticky film on the surface of the meat indicates that the product is spoiled. It is unacceptable presence of extraneous odors. Deer delicacy has a specific and even pungent smell, but it still smells like meat.

The taste of venison does not change depending on whether the meat is fresh or defrosted. The main thing in this case - to exclude repeated freezing of meat delicacy. Such a product spoils quickly.

For storage, choose a thick package in the form of food film or foil. When storing in the refrigerator, the meat should be placed on the bottom shelf. To extend the shelf life of such a delicacy, it is recommended to prepare a marinade and immerse the meat in it. To do this, it is enough to mix salt with spices and add them to the water.

It is not recommended to store such meat in the open, as all the moisture can evaporate from it. It will acquire stiffness and will soon go bad.

Like other varieties of meat, deer delicacy should not be washed before storage. It should not be re-frozen.

Chilled meat can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days, but if you do not intend to use it in the next few days, it is better to put it in the freezer. Here the venison can be stored for a month. In a marinade, the meat can lie in the refrigerator for a week.

How to cook venison: recipes

Marinade

Such a delicacy is important to prepare correctly. So, you need to remember that the product needs to be pre-immersed in a marinade. This will allow you to get softer meat without a pungent smell, which is unpleasant to some people. To do this, it should be shredded. For the marinade you can use the following recipe. In a bowl you need to add 100 ml of vinegar and olive oil, a head of chopped garlic, one teaspoon of mustard and dress the mixture with basil and oregano.

If you do not like the taste of deer meat product, you can prepare a marinade using citrus fruit. They will mask the specific flavor and make the meat more palatable. In this case, you will have a dish that even the most fastidious guests will enjoy.

For the marinade you can mix 100 ml of lime juice and the same amount of olive oil, add chopped parsley, green chilies and a teaspoon of ground cumin.

If possible, it is recommended to avoid frying venison, giving preference to stewing or baking in the oven. In this way it will retain more useful components.

For venison dishes you should use a different kind of fat to flavor it. You can use butter or vegetable oil for cooking. Before greasing the pieces of meat product with fat, it is recommended to make small incisions. They can even be placed thinly sliced lard. So the meat will gain juiciness.

Ready dish is better served traditionally - with sauce made from forest fruits, which will emphasize the flavor of the meat. Of the drinks for such game you can use red wine.

Cutlets

To prepare the cutlets we need a kilo of deer meat, a slice of white bread, two chicken eggs, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper to taste. Bread soaked in milk should be combined with minced meat, beaten with eggs and seasoned with spices. It is recommended to twist the meat through a meat grinder twice. The resulting minced meat should be beaten several times, throwing it with force into a bowl or on a board.

From the resulting mass it is necessary to form cutlets, and then roll them in breadcrumbs. It is necessary to fry until you get a golden color. This is necessary so that the cutlets will not fall apart in the oven. Then bake them for 15-20 minutes at 200 degrees. The readiness can be judged by the juice that escapes. The finished dish should be decorated with herbs. These venison cutlets make a wonderful dish for everyday and festive tables. They can be served with sour cream sauce.

Shish kebab

Currently, there are many variants of cooking such a dish as kebab. And some of them surprise with their complex components. To cook kebab from such a delicacy meat, you can use a simple and affordable recipe.

Of the ingredients, you will need the meat itself, a few onions, 4 tablespoons of wine vinegar, thyme, the juice of two oranges, a few sweet and sour apples and spices to taste. A kilo of meat should be washed, cut off the foil and all veins. Next, the venison should be cut in small pieces, salted, peppered and placed in a container. Cut the onions into half rings and add them to the meat. Next, mix the meat with the remaining ingredients and leave it to marinate for 10-12 hours. After this time, thread the meat on skewers, alternating with apples. All that's left is to send the billets to the fire and roast for about 20 minutes.

Soup

To make deer meat soup, you need to prepare the following components: 1 kilogram of meat, two onions, one carrot, a few bay leaves and spices, five potatoes, two tomatoes, red currants, herbs and sour cream.

Wash the meat, pour cold water and cook for an hour. After that, add the spices, onion, chopped into four pieces, and carrots. Boil it for 90 minutes more. At the end of this time, the venison should be taken out, and the remaining broth should be strained. If desired, separate the meat from the bones, cut into small pieces and dip back into the liquid. Next, add the potatoes, chopped into cubes. While it boils, you need to fry one onion in a pan with oil and add chopped tomato to it. The stewed vegetables should be included in the soup. Before serving, you can decorate the dish with herbs and berries. If you add sour cream, it will be very tasty.

Can Muslims eat venison?

Venison is a fairly rare type of meat product on the table. Thus, people who practice Islam often wonder whether they can eat venison. Islam does not forbid eating the meat of wild animals such as deer, wild goats, hares, and foxes.

Can we give deer meat to animals?

Deer meat is healthy and nutritious. It is less fatty compared to beef meat. This kind of meat is the best variety for dogs. Since it refers to delicacies and has a rather high cost, few people will be able to feed their pet with deer meat, but if the owner is into hunting, there will be no problem.

You can give venison to your dog in a boiled form, but it is better to use the raw product, as it has much more protein. The animal's stomach is also capable of digesting raw meat. Stomach juice leads to the neutralization of bacteria that are contained in the meat product.

Many dog owners feed their pets raw meat or a product pre-cooked with boiling water. Puppies can be given venison from the age of two months, twice a week. The meat should be ground into minced meat. From three months of age, instead of minced meat, you can give meat chopped into small pieces.

Photo of venison meat