Venison: bold flavour, firm texture and a reasonable price

Venison: neither tender nor exotic, but increasingly easy to find

Responsible consumption has brought game meat out of the closet. Venison stew is served in bars across Castilla y León, deer is eaten as a matter of course in the mountains of Cádiz, and supermarkets like Alcampo now stock it in the meat section. For anyone expecting a texture similar to fillet steak, a word of warning: wild game meat is usually tough and strongly flavoured.

Flavour and texture: what you need to know first

Anyone trying venison for the first time will find a lean meat, higher in protein than fat, with a much more pronounced grain. The animal is to blame: it lives in the wild, moves around and builds muscle. That's why it's usually cooked as a stew or casserole. Mountain hare, compared with farmed rabbit, is the classic example of that difference in toughness. Roe deer and wild boar are in the same league.

Where to buy it and how much it costs

You don't need to ask a hunter for it. Venison can be found in large supermarkets, in specialist online butchers and in many bars in Castilla y León, where roe deer and venison are a regular offering. There are also venison sausages and cured venison (cecina), though don't expect it to be tender: "hard as a rock", according to those who have tried it. In hunting areas like the mountains of Cádiz, deer meat is considered an affordable product, not a prohibitively expensive delicacy.

Somewhere between the label of "tasty, cheap meat" and "strong flavour, tough texture", the reality lies in the middle: it's a characterful product you can buy at the supermarket. In terms of responsible consumption, it has the advantage of being local protein, with a known origin and no exotic middlemen. If you're looking for something like beef, better to pass it by; if you want variety, venison is already at your supermarket.