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Even if giant salamanders may feed more individuals, they too are not sustainable sources of food because of their scarcity. However, turtles may not pose such sustainability or scarcity issues, and turtle soup has been popular throughout the ages. The popularity of turtle meat in Cajun cuisine, combined with the hardiness of turtles might make turtle meat a likely candidate for more widespread consumption: "Turtle soup is a great delicacy in Louisiana. The flavor of the turtle meat is both delicate and intense; there are supposedly seven distinct flavors of meat within the turtle (Turtle Soup, 2010, Gumbo). The fact that turtles are larger and have a wider variety of culinary applications than frogs makes them potentially superior as a food source. However, turtles raised in captivity have also been implicated in environmental problems: "turtles regularly escape or are purposely set free into the wild. They establish populations and damage local ecosystems by eating native frogs and other wildlife" (California upholds ban, 2010, Reptile Channel).
The most sustainable of all reptile meats, in contrast to 'farmed' or wild-caught turtles or frogs is alligator. Alligators are endemic to North America, and can be either locally hunted or raised in relatively small quarters. Also, if they escape, they do not severely damage the native ecosystem's delicate balance like turtles and frogs. They do not need the vast wandering space of cattle, or require large amounts of food that could be used to feed humans more cheaply (such as the corn feedlot cattle commonly consume). Alligator...
And is often said to taste 'like chicken.' Thus from a commercial and marketing standpoint, as well as an environmental one, alligator meat -- which can be fried, sauteed, or made into gumbo -- may be the best choice of all reptiles to cultivate (Alligator, 2009, the Atlantic).
References
About typical French food. (2008). French Food and Cook. Retrieved July 28, 2010 at http://www.ffcook.com/pages/frenchfrogs.htm
Alligator: The last truly local meat? (2009, October). The Atlantic. Retrieved July 28, 2010 at http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2009/10/alligator-the-last-truly-local-food/28185/
Black, Richard. (2005, September 19). Hunting threat to big amphibians. BBC News. Retrieved July 28, 2010 at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4259596.stm
California upholds ban on importation of nonnative frogs and turtles for food. (2010, June 10).
Reptile Channel. Retrieved July 28, 2010 at http://www.reptilechannel.com/reptile-news/2010/06/10/california-ban-on-nonnative-frogs-turtles.aspx
ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 28, 2010 at http://www.sciencedaily.com? / releases/2009/11/091119135642.htm
Pessier, Allan. (2010). Chytrid fungus. Amphibian ark. Retrieved July 28, 2010 at http://www.amphibianark.org/chytrid.htm#CanAmphibiansRecover
Turtle Soup. (2010). Gumbo Pages. Retrieved July 28, 2010 at http://www.gumbopages.com/food/soups/turtle-soup.html
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