When you think of a hunter, you more than likely think of a chiselled long-haired man wielding a spear ready for his hunt. This image may not be too far from the truth, but the modern-day hunter, more than likely, looks a lot like you or me and enjoys slow cooking pork ribs or steak or some tender chicken skewers instead. But other than booking a table at Australia’s best steak restaurant Hunter & Barrel, how can you eat like a true hunter-gatherer?
The Traditional Hunter and Gatherer
Meat and vegetables are the pinnacle of the hunter-gatherer diet and were consumed in relatively large quantities. It’s estimated that modern hunter-gatherers around the world generally consume 30% of their calories from meat.
Being a traditional hunter-gatherer would involve the hunt to source meat, alongside the foraging for wild fruits, vegetables and seeds. It is how our Paleolithic predecessors had lived and can be often referred to as a paleo or caveman diet. The ideas behind a hunter-gatherer diet stem from the Paleolithic period between 2.5 million and 10,000 years ago, a time when our ancestors hunted and gathered all of their food. At Hunter & Barrel, we have taken this concept of eating and applied it to our menu. We will hunt and gather for you, so that you can enjoy the best steaks straight from our Melbourne and Perth restaurants.
The Modern-Day Hunter and Gatherer
In contrast, modern-day hunter and gatherer diets likely source much of their meat from their purveyor of choice and their fruits, vegetables and seeds from their local supermarket. And instead of eating raw meat we are now slow cook pork ribs, and indulge in tender chicken skewers or wagyu rump. Needless to say, meat-eating has improved for us! But is the meat quality the same, well we think so, if you source it like we do..
So, where do you source steak that still provides the quality expected from a hunter and gatherer?
Besides a quality steak restaurant like Hunter & Barrel, we suggest looking online for meat suppliers in your area. Look for quality cuts like eye fillet, eye of rump, or rib eye. If you’d like to adventure a little further you can delve into Wagyu or even dry-ageing.
It seems that meat has been an essential part of the human diet for millions of years, so it appears likely this hunter-gatherer way of eating will continue to be an important part of your diet for many years to come.
When it comes to eating meat, quality is key! Our Hunter & Barrel Melbourne and Perth restaurants serve you nothing but the best, served the true hunter’s way, straight from the coal pits.