Weimar restaurant serves raccoon to promote sustainable use of invasive species

In Weimar, Germany, the Gasthaus Lindeneck has begun serving raccoon as a specialty to promote the sustainable use of invasive species. Chef Steffen Haaßengier, who describes the meat as a tender delicacy with notes of beef and game, has been processing hundreds of kilograms of raccoon meat following the idea he conceived two years ago.

The Ecological Hunting Association (ÖJV) of Thuringia has partnered with the restaurant to host cooking courses for hunters. These sessions aim to reduce psychological barriers to eating the animal and to ensure that animals culled to control the invasive population are utilized meaningfully rather than wasted. Participants have described the meat as “butter-tender” with a unique flavor, typically prepared as roasted drumsticks served with red wine cranberry sauce, red cabbage, and dumplings.