We've seen them in the bush and on the roads ... now we can eat them.
Pete's Possum Pies are proving an unexpected and spreading culinary success. They started on the West Coast. Now they are on sale at a Nelson cafe.
Chere Harris, owner of Zest delicatessen and cafe, said that
although she was "a bit of a wuss" when it came to sampling them, she had been assured by a staff member that the $4 pies were premium-grade.
"It's that novelty factor, once people get past the road-kill thing. I'm going to be reordering."
The pies are made by West Coasters Peter and Justine Salter.
The pies may be southern but the meat is northern - from a Ministry of Agriculture-approved processing plant in Whangarei.
The Salters own The Bushman's Centre at Pukekura, near Ross.
With their possum delicacies, they have been serving "Bambi burgers, headlight delights and guess that mess" for about eight years.
Mr Salter said some people said possum tasted a bit like chicken; others had compared it to mutton, wild duck and guinea pig.
- NZPA
