- Tastes like chicken
When trying to describe the flavor of
meat the listener has never eaten, a common declaration is that it tastes like chicken. The expression has been used so often that it has become somewhat of acliché . As a result, the phrase also sometimes gets used for incongruoushumor , by being deployed for foods or situations to which it has no real relevance.The expression has made its way into popular culture in a variety of contexts. It is perhaps best known for its use by
Paul Hogan in the film "Crocodile Dundee ", where it is used to describesnake meat. The phrase has made modern appearances in the media, such as inThe Lion King ,Six Days Seven Nights , "The Matrix ", "Stargate",Surf's Up ,Babylon 5 (where it is found to taste nothing likeSpoo ), the initial season of thereality television show "" and it has beenspoof ed in "Loaded Weapon 1 ".As an explanation of why unusual meats would taste more like
chicken than common alternatives such asbeef orpork , different possibilities have been offered. One suggestion is that chicken has a bland taste becausefat contributes more flavor thanmuscle (especially in the case of a lean cut such as a skinless chicken breast), making it a generic choice for comparison. Also, chicken reportedly has lower levels ofglutamate s that contribute to the "savory" aspect oftaste sometimes known asumami ; processing or tenderizing other meats would also lower glutamate levels and make them taste more like chicken.Another suggestion, made by Joe Staton of the
Museum of Comparative Zoology , is that meat flavors are fixed based on theevolution ary origin of the animal. Accordingly,bird s (the most numerous form of meat by type) would naturally taste more like chicken thanmammal s. Furthermore, based on evidence fordinosaur s as the ancestors of birds,reptile meat might also taste somewhat like chicken.Seafood , however, would logically have a more distinctive flavor. Staton's study of the question was published in theAnnals of Improbable Research .Animals that are said to taste like chicken
*
Alligator
*Fried spider
*Frog legs
*Green iguana
*Huhu beetle
*Mopane worms
*Mountain chicken
*Opossum
*Rabbit (especially domestic rabbit)
*Rattlesnake
*Squirrel
*TurkeyReferences
*Spice, Byron. " [http://www.post-gazette.com/healthscience/20000717chicken1.asp Mmm, tastes like chicken: Common ancestors could account for phenomenon] ". "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette",
July 17 ,2000 .
*Staton, Joe. " [http://www.improb.com/airchives/paperair/volume4/v4i4/chicken.htm Tastes Like Chicken?] " "Annals of Improbable Research" 4:4, 1998.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.