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Whale meat is the flesh of whales used for consumption by humans or other animals, and broadly includes other consumed parts as blubber, skin, and organs. It is prepared in various ways, and has historically been eaten in many parts of the world, including across Western Europe and Colonial America, and not necessarily restricted to coastal communities, since flesh and blubber can be salt-cured. Practice of human consumption continues today in Japan, Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands, by Basques, the Inuit and other indigenous peoples of the United States (including the Makah people of the Pacific Northwest), Canada, Greenland; the Chukchi people of Siberia, and Bequia in the Caribbean Sea. Human consumption of whale meat is controversial and has been denounced by detractors on wildlife conservation, toxicity, and animal rights grounds. ==History== In Europe, whale could once be hunted locally throughout the Middle Ages for their meat and oil.〔 Larousse Gastronomique, p.1151, under "whale"〕 Under Catholicism, aquatic creatures were generally considered "fish"; therefore whale was deemed suitable for eating during Lent〔 and other "lean periods".〔,〕 An alternative explanation is that the Church considered "hot meat" to raise the libido, making it unfit for holy days. Parts submerged in water, such as whale or beaver tails, were considered "cold meat."〔, p.62〕 Eating whale meat did not end with the Middle Ages in Europe, but rather, whale stock in nearby oceans collapsed due to overexploitation, especially the right whales around the Bay of Biscay.〔, ''The voyages of William Baffin, 1612-1622'', p.xxvi〕 (See History of Whaling.) Thus European whalers (the Basques, especially, were known for their expertise) had to seek out the New World to catch whales.〔e.g. . William Baffin's expedition is recorded as having Basque crew catching whales, though mostly the harvesting of fat and whalebone (baleen) from whales and the fat and teeth (ivory) from ''sea morse'', i.e., walrus is described, and not much to say about eating〕 The Dutch (Flemish) were also active in the whaling commerce during the Middle Ages,〔, pp.301-9〕 and a number of records regarding the trafficking of whalemeat and taxation on it occur from historical Flanders (extending to cities like Arras or Calais in the département of Pas de Calais). French surgeon Ambroise Paré (d. 1590) wrote that "the flesh has no value, but the tongue is soft and delicious and therefore salted; likewise, the blubber, which is distributed across many provinces, and eaten with peas during Lent".〔〔, "Le chair n'est rien estimée: mais la langue, parce qu'elle est molle et delicieuse, la sallent: semblablemaent le lard, lequel ils distribuent en beaucoup de prouinces, qu'on mange en Caresme aux pois: ils gardent la graisse pour brusler"〕 This blubber, known as ''craspois'' or ''lard de carême''〔amended from ''craspols'' or ''lard de carème'' as given in Larousse Gastronomique, p.1151〕 was food for the poorer strata on the continent. The whaling industry in North America may have supplied rendered fat, partly for consumption in Europe.〔 In early America, whalemen may have eaten blubber after rendering, which they termed "cracklings" or "fritters", said to be crunchy like toast;〔,p.21〕 these were certainly reused as fuel chips to boil down the fat.〔, p.113〕 Colonial America also more commonly consumed the meat and other portions of the "blackfish" (or pilot whale).〔 However, by the beginning of large-scale commercial whaling, whale meat was not consumed by the general American public, as it was not seen as fit for consumption by so-called civilized peoples. During the post-World War II period in the United Kingdom, corned whale meat was available as an unrationed alternative to other meats.〔(Corned Whale ) – ''The Spokesman-Review''. Published 24 August 1951. Retrieved 10 July 2012.〕 Sold under the name "whacon", the meat was described as "corned whalemeat with its fishy flavour removed", and was almost identical to corned beef, except "brownish instead of red".〔("Whacon" not fishy ) - ''The Mail''. Published 30 June 1951. Retrieved 10 July 2012.〕 The Food Ministry emphasised its "high food value".〔(Whacon for U.K. dinners ) – ''The Sunday Times''. Published 8 July 1951. Retrieved 10 July 2012.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Whale meat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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