“A short man stood in an arched doorway, grilling chunks of snake over a brazier, turning them with wooden tongs as they crisped. The pungeant smell of his sauces brought tears to the knight’s eyes. The best snake sauce had a drop of venom in it, along with mustard seeds and dragon peppers.” -A Feast for Crows
Our Thoughts:
After the shock factor faded, we were able to sit down and appreciate the snake for what it was. While many people claim that snake tastes just like chicken, we beg to differ. A bit. The texture is similar to chicken, but a slightly overcooked one, so the texture is slightly firm. It’s almost reminiscent of a dried sausage, given the leanness of the meat and its density.
The flavor, admitedly, does share some similarities with chicken. But this is only insofar as both chicken and snake are relatively mild tasting, almost designed to showcase whatever they are served with. In this case, the sauce is the real show stopper. Warm, rich, with a bit of a bite to it, the sauce is subtly exotic. However, it is not so strong that it overpowers the flavor of the snake, instead complimenting the slight gaminess of the meat.
In short, this is a cool recipe that’s now in the cookbook. And eating snake is badass. Do it.