A whale had washed ashore close to where I lived at Oudekraal.
The state Vet was at hand to take a sample to try and establish the cause of death. He cut an incersion to get to the tissue, but had to cut through the whale fat in order to get to the meat below. There was about 30cm of pure white fat and then the most intense red meat below that. The flesh looked a bit like venison or bluefin tuna meat.
Lambro paid a touching tribute to this magnificent creature in the form of a beautiful photo essay. See one of his images below.
Walking through the fish market in Bergen in Norway, I saw some very dark fillets that looked like smoked venison. When I enquired as to what it was, the lady said it was black salmon. As there is no such thing, she eventually came clean and admitted that yes, it was indeed whale meat, and quickly cut off a slice for me to try before I could say anything.
I took a bite. The grainy texture was similar to cooked liver. It had a wild gamey taste followed by a fish oil after taste. Not something I would particularly want to try again. Sadly, globally whaling still persists with over 1200 animals killed last year alone.
Apart from their whales, Norway does protect its natural resources. I was chatting to a fellow sailor who was on his way sailing up north. He said that last season, of the 30 days spent sailing, 29 of those they had fresh fish that they had caught from the boat. The last day they were invited to dinner so didn’t have to fish themselves - their hosts did. He mentioned that his family in northern Norway don’t bother to to eat cod in the summer months as they claim it doesn’t taste as nice in the warmer months.
Sailing up one of the Fjords, I got to visit an old castle which was originally built 400 years ago. The family once supported a charitable raffle and in appreciation was gifted a portrait from an up and coming young artist. That painting is now the most valuable item in the castle. The young artist was Edvard Munch.
Another impressive portrait painting hanging in the hallway is referred to as the mother-in-law, the women’s eyes in the painting follow you as you walk down the passage. Its truly a surreal experience.
Interestingly the family that now funds the castle’s maintenance has a dark secret: In the late 1600’s, one of their sons had a disagreement with the son of the Baron, most likely over a young lady, and challenged the heir to a pistol duel. Sadly he was shot and killed. The challenger’s family still feel remorse and carry that guilt. They maintain the Castle even though the last heir left the premises nearly hundred years ago…