Kangaroo is a high protein low fat meat of great joy to the palate. Here is a little background about the benefits of using kangaroo as a food source and a wonderful recipe for kangaroo burgers that my family has been enjoying for as long as I can remember.

Eating Your National Emblem

Here in Australia we are probably just about the only country in the world that eats its national emblems. I am of course speaking about the kangaroo and the emu, both of which are featured on our national coat-of-arms.

For more than 40,000 years the Australian Aborigines have; from a dietary perspective, relied on various species of kangaroo and their often more numerous but smaller cousins the wallaby. Emus too have long been on the menu.

It is important to note that kangaroos are marsupials that have evolved to survive in a very hot and usually dry climate; particularly once one leaves the narrow coastal plains behind. They tend to have the least amount of body fat of any staple food species.

High Protein, Low Fat Environmentally Friendly Food

On an ecological/environmental note; although kangaroos are herbivores, they do not produce the large quantities of greenhouse gases such as methane that cows and sheep etc do.

The fact that kangaroos don’t exhibit excessive flatulence is attributed to the particular species of bacteria in their gut which convert the hydrogen by-products of fermentation into acetate that is then used to provide further energy. This is quite a logical adaptation since the kangaroo lives in a very arid country where every last bit of energy must be extracted from the limited available food sources. Even a kangaroo’s means of locomotion (hopping) is the most energy efficient of all.

Because the greenhouse gas effect of methane is 23 times greater than that of carbon dioxide scientists; including Australia’s CSIRO, are currently exploring the possibility of transferring the no methane producing bacteria from kangaroo to cattle

Kangaroo Burger

Now for a true delight; a recipe for kangaroo burgers that makes my mouth water just writing about it.

Ingredients:

• ½ kg (approx. 1 pound) kangaroo mince
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 onions – half of one onion is grated, the other 1½ onions are thinly sliced
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 diced capsicum
• 2 desert spoons of tomato paste
• 1 level teaspoon of Vegemite
• ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt (if desired)
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 2 pinches of mixed herbs
• 6 hamburger buns
• 3 sliced tomatoes
• ½ sliced lettuce
• 6 slices of beetroot
• Additional eggs, cheese, bacon and pineapple as required

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the kangaroo mince, the lightly beaten egg, ½ grated onion, ½ grated carrot, diced capsicum, tomato paste, Vegemite, garlic powder, salt, pepper and mixed herbs
2. Mix well until combined
3. Form mix into patties

Cooking:

1. Preheat Bar-B-Q plate or cast iron frying pan and sprinkle olive oil over Bar-B-Q plate or cast iron frying pan when warm just prior to cooking patties
2. Place patties and sliced onions on Bar-B-Q plate or fry pan
3. Cook patties as desired. Hint; apply flattening pressure to patties to prevent shrinkage. 3 to 5 minutes per side depending upon thickness of the patties is usually more than enough. Onions are done when they have just started to go brown.
4. Cut hamburger buns in half and lightly toast. Butter if desired.
5. Load buns with patties onions, grated carrot, beetroot, lettuce, diced capsicum and sliced tomato
6. Add cheese, bacon, pineapple as desired
7. Garnish as desired – ketchup, Bar-B-Q sauce, mustard, pickles etc

Makes 6 – 8 Burgers