42 WHALES 



Germany and to Britain where it is used to some extent for human con- 

 sumption and more generally for dog meat. Britain also imports some 

 whale-meat from the Antarctic. The Balaena (Hector Whaling Ltd) 

 particularly, processed a great deal of whale-meat which was sent home 

 in special refrigerator ships. At the Low Temperature Station (Cambridge) 

 scientists have done much work on the correct way of preserving the 

 meat. 



Other European countries use little, if any, whale-meat, which is 

 rather a pity since in this way a great deal of meat, eminently suitable for 

 human consumption, is wasted in the Antarctic. A single Antarctic Fin 

 Whale can provide up to 5 tons of excellent meat, but unfortunately the 

 long-distance transport in refrigerator ships turns out to be so expensive 

 that, for instance, frozen Argentine beef can be bought for the same price. 

 Moreover, most Europeans have an unfortunate prejudice against whale- 

 meat, believing that it is inferior and that it tastes offish or oil. This is a 

 fallacy, for if the lean meat of the young animals is prepared and kept 

 properly, it is almost indistinguishable from good beef I myself am sent 

 frozen whale-meat every year, and my friends and acquaintances always 

 tuck in with relish - provided they are not told beforehand what they are 

 eating. If I tell them afterwards, they rarely believe me. At a meeting of 

 the Dutch Zoological Association held on 8th December, 1956, more than 

 fifty guests ate whale beefsteaks with obvious enjoyment. 



But even when whalers have no use for whale-meat itself, there is no 

 reason at all why they should throw it overboard. First, they can turn it 

 into meat extract for the manufacture of stock and soup cubes, and 

 secondly it can be turned into excellent cattle meal by mixing it with 

 other foods. One difficulty is that the meal must be stored in bags and must 

 be dried very carefully. If more than 8-10 per cent moisture is present, 

 a great deal of heat is generated with consequent risk of fire. Ingenious 

 attempts hav^e also been made to render the meal colourless, odourless 

 and tasteless so that this protein-rich substance may become fit for human 

 consumption. Russian scientists seem to have succeeded, for the members 

 of the Whaling Conference in Moscow weie served with a delicacy, 

 somewhat reminiscent of marsh-mallow, consisting of refined whale meal. 



Another edible whale product is the blubber itself, though only a few 

 countries hold it in esteem. In Japan, it is served either raw or salted and 

 often with a spicy sauce. I myself do not like it; it seems to be an acquired 

 taste. In Iceland they use the belly, in particular, for preparing a dish 

 called rengi which is made by pickling the fat in acid. According to 

 experts, rengi tastes of cucumbers, and it, too, is an acquired taste; at least 

 foreigners rarely like it. 



The bones and some skeletal tissues can be used for preparing glue and 



