International travel may broaden your horizons. But it’s often the meaningful meals you experience while you’re travelling that help you to become more grateful during your experiences.
I’m a city girl who was born and raised in Sydney’s ethnically diverse western suburbs. My European parents cooked a lot of the produce grown in their prosperous backyard. We regularly sourced eggs and chickens from local Maltese farms. My dad, who grew up on a farm in Ireland, spoke often about the realities of farm life. As an adult, I became a seasoned traveller who ventured to rural farming locations around the world. So technically, I've always had an awareness of how the food on my plate got there.
But it wasn’t until I ate venison on a cattle farm in New Caledonia that I really started to expand my understanding of what it meant to eat 'locally sourced' meat.
The cattle farm in La Foa, run by 73-year-old Jean-Jacques Delathière and his family. Source: Photo by Yasmin Noone
The value of venison
Late last year, I ventured beyond the glossy island stereotypes of New Caledonia and stayed at a farm in the mountainous municipality of , a rural commune located in the South Province.
The farm stay () was run by 73-year-old Jean-Jacques Delathière and his family. Delathière’s great-grandfather was sent to New Caledonia in 1878 as a French convict and the family have lived on the mainland ever since.
The 500-hectare property was dotted with hundreds of cows. I was told that the cattle were the family’s main source of income. However, the Delathières didn’t eat a lot of beef. Instead, most of their meals featured venison.
“Everyone local eats deer,” Delathière tells SBS. “We all shoot deer and eat it. We buy milk from the store and get about 10-12 eggs per day from the chickens on the farm. But we don’t buy deer from the shops even though we eat deer every day.”
When you visit the local supermarket, it’s clear to see why hunted deer is eaten daily. Beef and chicken are pricey. A lot of the food is also imported and out of reach for many people earning a local wage. That’s why deer are hunted for meat. Vegetables and fruit are grown and gardens are kept as plentiful as possible.
Claudie Delathière and her father, Jean-Jacques Delathière, on the family property in La Foa, New Caledonia. Source: Photo by Yasmin Noone
Emilien Consigny, general manager of that’s located further north, explains that sourcing food from nature is a normal way of life for many families who live outside of Noumea.
“All the food sold in the shops is very expensive here,” Consigny tells SBS. “Yet venison is a very cheap source of food. There are deer everywhere so it’s a good source of meat that’s found close to where most people live. That’s why venison is very popular to eat.”
Consigny explains that hunting is also a pastime that brings the indigenous Kanaks and French New Caledonians together. “It’s an ancient tradition that we hunt. It’s an important part of the local culture and lifestyle.”
Across Grand Terre, New Caledonia’s main island, Javan Rusa Deer are a major pest. Hence, hunting deer is not locally controversial. Hunted venison meat is embraced and used to create affordable family meals. Common dishes include venison stew or ragout, venison sausages or saucisson (French salami) and venison with lentils (petit salé aux lentilles).
When I visited the farm, I was lucky enough to try Claudie Delathière’s home-cooked venison. My host explained that she usually grills venison steak (always cooked medium) or prepares the meat as a casserole with cream, lemon and pepper (blanquette de venison). My venison was served grilled with a generous serving of potato gratin and a choko (chayote or Christophine) salad.
The entire meal was divine – warm, homely and doused in rural hospitality. But of course, the standout part of the meal was the venison. It tasted much better than the previous times I’ve eaten it in Australia. The meat was tender and wholesome.
More importantly, the venison on my plate had meaning and context - two elements that my previous Aussie-based venison meals lacked. This meal had been hand-sourced by the patriarch of the farm and cooked by a dedicated farm co-owner who threw her time and love into my meal. It was clear to see that meat was appreciated, as were the animals that provided people with nourishment.
Learning about how other people eat and why they eat the food they do not only broadens our horizons, it promotes a greater sense of international harmony.
The international experience reminded me to value the financial gift of being able to buy meat from a supermarket. Even if prices are currently higher than usual, just having access to food every day puts me in a very privileged position.
My trip also helped me to realise the many different ways that people around the world source their meat due to varying incomes, traditions, cultures and lifestyles.
Learning about how other people eat and why they eat the food they do not only broadens our horizons, it promotes a greater sense of international understanding. For the many teachings that my New Caledonian farm experience afforded me, I am grateful.
