The use of gibier promoted by Wakayama Prefecture｜Tasty ways of eating gibier and efforts to popularise it.

SEN.RETREAT offers a wild boar shabu-shabu hotpot every autumn and winter.
The locally-caught wild boar meat is cut by skilled dismembers, so it has a refreshing, odourless taste and is well received by many customers.

In fact, did you know that gibier from Wakayama Prefecture is secretly gaining popularity under the brand name Wakayama gibier? The number of requests from restaurants in other prefectures such as Tokyo to stock Wakayama gibier is increasing, and its deliciousness is slowly becoming well-known.

We asked the Livestock Production Section, Agricultural Production Bureau, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department, Wakayama Prefecture, which is working to promote Wakayama gibier, about the current state of animal damage in the prefecture and how to eat delicious gibier.

-Wakayama Prefecture is working hard to promote gibier. Please tell us about the gibier you handle in Wakayama.

There are two types of wild boar and deer being handled as Wakayama gibier. However, in many cases the animals are not in good condition at the time of capture, and only about 2,000 of them are used as wild boars and deer.
The amount of damage to crops caused by wild birds and beasts is approximately 300 million yen every year, causing serious damage to farmers and local residents. Therefore, in order to make effective use of captured wild boars and deer, the use of gibier is being promoted.

-What is the system for utilising gibier?

There are 24 gibier processing facilities in the prefecture, five of which are certified by the prefecture.
Hinata no Mori, which distributes gibier to SEN.RETREAT, is one of the certified facilities.

The prefecture certifies facilities that have introduced hygiene management and product history management in line with HACCP in order to provide safe gibier. In addition, for the first time in the country, a meat quality grading system for gibier has been established to make it easier for restaurants and consumers to purchase gibier according to their needs.

For example, the fatty A grade is preferred for botan nabe (hotpot), while the less fatty B and C grades are preferred for stewed dishes such as curry. The meat grading system enables the best gibier to be served according to the cuisine.

-If you have any recommendations on how to eat gibier, please let us know.

Wild boar meat is delicious in stews such as the classic botan nabe, or minced and made into meat sauce or taco rice.
For those who are not comfortable with gibier, it is recommended to mince it and eat it as hamburger steak.
The prefectural cafeteria offers a limited menu on the first day of the event every year, and the mille-feuille cutlet, which is made by layering thin slices of wild boar meat and frying it, was very popular.

-The Wakayama Gibier Festa, which involves restaurants in the prefecture, has been well received.

The Wakayama Gibier Festa is a campaign in which people who eat gibier dishes at some 90 restaurants in the prefecture are entered into a draw to win meal and accommodation vouchers.It is held every year from December to February, when the meat has plenty of fat.

Many people have an image of gibier as smelly or are unfamiliar with it.That is why we started this project in 2011 to familiarise the people of the prefecture with gibier.The fact that the governor of the prefecture at the time was a gibier lover was also behind this.Some people participate without fail every year and visit various restaurants.

-SEN.RETREAT TAKAHARA also participated in the 2022 Wakayama Ghibier Festa.We would like to continue to welcome our guests this year with fresh and tasty gibier, so please do not hesitate to contact us!