Participants rated beef and turkey higher than emu for tenderness, texture and overall acceptability. Beef was rated the highest for flavor, with turkey and emu rated equally for flavor, although some participants said emu had a gamey taste. The biggest complaint you get with emu is its gamey flavor, said David Holben, assistant professor of human and consumer sciences at Ohio University and lead author of the study. Beef was rated higher in flavor than all the meats, Holben said, probably because of the familiar flavor of beef and its fat content. The second-largest bird in the world after the ostrich, the emu belongs to the ratite family of flightless birds.
Raw emu has a dark cherry color and resembles beef when cooked.
Retail cuts of emu include steak, fillet, medallion, roast and ground. Emu is available from farms in regions where it is raised and also can be purchased on the Internet. For future studies on consumers opinion of emu, Holben suggests researchers try recipes that call for a different preparation of the bird and a variety of seasonings. Tests also should offer consumers information on the health benefits of emu, Holben said. Sometimes consumers, if they know a meat is healthy, will choose it and give priority to its health benefits, even if they don t like the taste quite as much, Holben said.