Crocodile: The new game in town

By Elvis Basudde Taste it, mister," a friend suggested, "or you might not know what you have been missing for years." His facial expression suggested it was no idle suggestion. He meant it. He had tasted crocodile meat before and had found it sumptuous. So he was advising me to stop fussing eating it. I was sceptical about the whole affair. First of all, the sight of a crocodile puts me off. I detest its looks. It was one of the most dreaded things. Since childhood, I had nursed a concept that a crocodile was a very fierce and cruel animal that eats people. With that notion, it was difficult to imagine eating it. A friend had also told me that eating crocodile meat is like eating a carnivore's meat, the likes of lions, hyena and such flesh-eating animals. It was out of persuasion and curiosity that I had finally accepted to taste it. I wanted to know how it tastes and how those courageous people who eat it manage to keep their teeth without them being broken by the animal's tough skin. My anxiety intensified as the waiters delivered two plates of crocodile steak, served with buttered naan, some Irish potatoes and some vegetables. This was at Sam's Restaurant along Bombo Rad next to Sabrina's pub. Wow! The meat looked very appetising at a glance. It gave a good impression. Just the mere sight of the meat on table made my colleague start salivating. "It looks quite delicious. It must be a delicacy," he remarked, even before tasting it. Sam's restaurant is no place for ordinary people. A plate of crocodile steak costs sh13,500 and juice goes for sh3,400. That was my choice. My colleague ate the same, but with a soda instead of juice. A soda goes for sh800. Now I tasted real crocodile meat for the first time, but I did not regret it. I can describe its taste as being between that of fatty chicken and fish, although it depends on the individual. My colleague said it tastes like pork. Whichever way it goes, it is very delicious. In Uganda, crocodile meat is served at only Sam's Restaurant and at the Carnivore Restaurant in Kansanga. Sam Patel, proprietor of Sam's Restaurant, says that he ventured into serving crocodile meat in his restaurant because of increasing demand. He says the majority of people who eat crocodile meat are Europeans and Ugandans. The Europeans eat it regularly because they are more used to it. "Ugandans eat it particularly because they want to taste it and know how it is. Some of them like it and continue ordering it whenever they visit the restaurant, but the majority of them only try it once," says Sam. Patrick Kanyari, the manager of the restaurant, says that of late crocodile eating at the hotel has become very popular. He says that on average they sell over 15 plates of crocodile meat a day. He categorises crocodile meat as white meat class along with fish, chicken, pork among others while red meat includes beef, along with goat, lamb, ostrich and impala flesh. Sam says that in his hotel they serve only the crocodile tail because the other parts are so tough they can not easily be eaten. He says crocodile meat is prepared like any other meat. " I also fancy eating crocodile meat. It is a rare new delicacy that has hit the local menu, and sooner or later, it is likely to sell like hot cakes," observes an African customer called Joseph. At the restaurant, there are two crocodile dishes: crocodile steak and crocodile Tikka, which is crocodile fillet cooked in a Tandoori. This is the only place in Africa where you can get a Tandoori crocodile Tikka," says Sam. The Tandoori delights include chicken Tikka, beef Tikka, Tandoori pork chops, Tandoori lamb chops, Tandoori chicken and Tandoori lobster tails. They also serve grilled tilapia hollandaisa, grilled pork loin chop, fillet steak, chicken steak, ostrich steak and game meat. Initially, Sam used to import the crocodile meat, but for the last two years he has been buying it from Uganda Crocks, an upcoming local company which farms crocodiles. Sam's restaurant was started four years ago. He says that their advertising is done by word of mouth. "We ensure that quality is our number one priority, because we believe that quality pays in the long run," he says. The restaurant has its own buttery to ensure that the quality is maintained. It has two kitchens: the Indian and the continental kitchen, so a person can choose what he wants. They serve breakfast, lunch, and supper among other arrangements.