Can We Interest You in a Whale Meat Spring Roll?

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  06.24.09 | 10:22 AM ET

Uh oh. A group of restaurateurs in Yokohama, Japan, is looking to embrace the port city’s whaling heritage with a slew of new recipes—including whale dumplings, whale spring rolls and whale bacon. “Whale meat is a very important part of Japanese tradition,” one of the leading businessmen behind the push told the AFP. “If whaling is not done to excess, I think this is a great thing. ... Whale meat is delicious, high in protein, low in fat.”

Delicious or not, I can already hear the howls of protest from animal-rights activists worldwide.

Tags: Eco Travel, Food, Restaurants, Wildlife, Asia, Japan, News and Briefs

Eva Holland is co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.


2 Comments for Can We Interest You in a Whale Meat Spring Roll?

Malcolm Green 06.24.09 | 7:54 PM ET

This isn’t new. Whale meat is on the market in Japan, and has been for decades. And will be for decades to come as well I expect.

opala edo 07.10.09 | 2:18 AM ET

I agree with Malcom Green that this is old news but for first-timers to Japan who are not used to the culture of living off the sea for survival, this sort of cuisine would seem offensive and provides a lot of shock value to readers in the western world.

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