One of the stops for my New Zealand research was Not Quite Nigella’s blog posts about a trip she had made there. One in particular spoke about a Queenstown visit she had made to a fish and chip shack, where she tried something called mutton bird.
Despite it sounding a little unsavoury, I was intrigued at a foodstuff I had not eaten before, and hoped I’d get a chance to give it a go.
When we eventually found ourselves standing outside Aggy’s Shack (Marine Parade, Queenstown), staring at the menu, it suddenly seemed less appealing compared to the crispy fish and chips I could see other people tucking into. After much deliberation though, I threw myself on my sword in the name of experimentation and ordered it.
After a short wait, the mutton bird (also known as titi) arrived resting on a bed of golden chips. I eyed it suspiciously. It resembled a bony portion of duck, and did not look very appetising. I poked it a bit with a fork and eventually levered off a shred of meat and popped it in my mouth.
