The Original Road Kill Cookbook (1985)
by B.R. “Buck” Peterson
Satire always gets there first, eager to poke fun of where the winds are blowing before we ever get there. This humorous book of “recipes” was a gag gift worth a few chuckles back in the 1980s, back when “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” was considered edgy comedy.
How to cook … Roadkill: Gourmet Cooking (1993)
by Richard Marcou
Again, a humor book aimed at the gag gift-giver, with the cover gag joking about “Meals from Under Wheels.” In the early days of the Clinton administration, Americans were still laughing over the idea of creating meals out of crushed critters.
The Wild & Free Cookbook (1995)
by Tom Squier
Mostly a book aimed at those who have access to plenty of fresh protein and produce and the time to make everything from scratch. On the cover it touts, “includes special ‘roadkill’ section.” No word on how realistic it is, but we begin to see how the subject is now part of an actual book on food and preparation.
Roadkill Cooking for Campers (2009)
by Charles G. Irion
No, it’s not quite an actual roadkill cookbook. The author, an outdoorsman and RV resort owner-operator, collected a bunch of recipes starring unusual game proteins, from pheasant to lamprey. The book’s subtitle The Best Dang Wild Game Cookbook in the World, is more accurate. Recipes include “Bear Paw Stroganoff,” but the name is just there to grab your attention and help express the author’s interest in dishes that are unusual and extraordinary.
Quick-Fix Cooking with Roadkill (2010)
by Buck Peterson
So, who finally gets us to the point where we take a serious look at eating animals killed by cars? Unbelievably, it’s the original joker who authored the original humor title in 1985. Now he sounds very sincere. “Roadkill is sustainable. … Roadkill is wild game, and wild game flavors are unique.” There are even nutritional charts, solid advice and, to be sure, more than a few corny jokes.
