Penguins are technically okay to eat. Their meat is not toxic to humans, and many other types of birds are hunted for their meat. However, all countries that conducted scientific expeditions in Antarctica signed a treaty in 1959 promising to preserve the population as much as possible.
If humans were to eat penguins, they would likely not find the flavor palatable. Penguins exist on a diet high in krill and not much else. The meat would be very oily and have a fishy flavor.
Do People Eat Penguin and Is It Safe?
There is no reason to believe that eating penguins wouldn’t be safe. If penguins were not endangered, not many would hunt them.
They live in parts of the world that are typically hard to access. And getting the meat back to sell would be so difficult the price would be unmanageable.
Does penguin taste like fish or bird?
Although there are no cultures currently eating penguins, we do have records of expeditions to Antarctica in the past.
In 1987, a team of Belgian explorers got stuck in the ice and had to spend winter in their camp. They soon began to run low on food.
As the food vanished, crew members began to die. They began to eat the meat of penguins and seals. Their records indicate that penguin meat was so bad that many refused to eat it.
One explorer described it as tasting like beef, codfish, and duck roasted in a pot with blood and cod liver oil used for the sauce.
Can You Eat Penguin Eggs?
Yes, they are suitable for human eating, and throughout history, explorers of the Antarctic have eaten them, but nobody would equate them to our typical chicken eggs.
What color is penguin meat?
Because myoglobin, a protein, is present in large amounts in penguin flesh, it gives the meat a deep red color and a robust flavor.
Because fish, which has a lot of fatty acids, makes up the majority of penguins’ diet, their meat has a high fat content. They frequently have body fat levels from 30% up to 40%.
