Venison

Venison refers primarily to the meat of deer, or of antelope in South Africa where no native deer exist, and the term covers any edible part of the animal, including organs, divided into cuts such as roasts, sirloin and ribs much like beef or pork. The word comes from the Latin venari, to hunt or pursue, and entered English as the Norman French venaison after the Norman Conquest of the eleventh century, alongside the establishment of Royal Forests; historically it also covered meat from rabbits and hares, wild boar, and some goats and ibex. Venison can be prepared as steaks, tenderloin, roasts, sausages, jerky and minced meat, and compared with beef it has a finer texture, higher moisture and lower calories, cholesterol and fat, though its leaner cuts often need added fat when cooked.