‘Unbelievable’: Iguana pizza makes its debut in Florida
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Iguana trapper Ryan Izquierdo brought some iguanas to the Bucks Coal Fired Pizza restaurant at North Palm Beach where they unveiled The Everglades – pizza topped with iguana meat.
PHOTOS: RYAN_IZQUIERDO/INSTAGRAM
Stunned iguanas which dropped from trees due to the recent cold spell
Iguana trapper Ryan Izquierdo brought some of the reptiles to the Bucks Coal Fired Pizza restaurant at North Palm Beach where they unveiled The Everglades – pizza topped with iguana meat.
Mr Izquierdo said he cleaned the iguanas before removing the skin from the reptiles’ limbs.
“We only used the legs and the tail for the pizza,” he told People Magazine, adding that he “sanitised the meat, everything was good to go, and we just put the pizza together.”
A Feb 3 video posted on his Instagram account showed Mr Izquierdo standing outside the restaurant with three stunned iguanas in his arms.
It then cuts to an employee at the restaurant seasoning the meat and roasting it in an oven.
The employee further described the other ingredients used to make the one-of-a-kind pizza: bacon, venison, olive oil, parmesan cheese, ranch dressing and of course, iguana meat.
The assembled pizza was then put into the oven. Once it was cooked and cut into slices, Mr Izquierdo took a big bite.
“Unbelievable,” he said. “The iguana meat really tastes like frog leg. It’s a little bit sweet, I can’t really describe it.”
The unusual creation has divided the Internet.
“Eeeeyyuucckkkkk,” said commenter _karmaaaa, while nathalia_x21 said it’s “disgusting”.
Another commenter with the handle thequaint1 said: “I just threw up.”
“This is totally animal cruelty! We live in a country where you can eat anything you want, why would you (eat) an iguana who does no harm?!,” said gloriasfamilykitchen.
Some, however, were unfazed by the unusual culinary offering, pointing out that some cultures include the invasive species in their diets.
“We eat Iguana in Trinidad and Tobago and it’s delicious,” said netizen captain_frothy.
Another with the handle fredzambrano said: “In Venezuela, they prepare it in different ways: iguana stewed in coconut sauce, grilled iguana, they eat iguana eggs, iguana pie, and I’ve never seen it on pizza. It looks good.”
Many are also eager to give it a try.
“I’d drive up from Miami to try this,” said a j_sinnn.
“I gotta get one of these, I trade you iguana tacos,” said commenter gray_davis.
Jokes abounded too.
“Wow, a new kind of meat lovers pizza,” said Ms Maureen Montagne, while another netizen with the handle melissamariaofficial noted: “Bro you got the whole animal kingdom on that pizza.
Mr Izquierdo remains unfazed by the bouquets and brickbats.
He posted a follow-up video on Feb 5, where he was seen making an omelette from the eggs of green iguanas, which he said was “absolutely delicious to eat”.
