The Animal Martha Stewart Says Will Never Touch Her Plate

Martha Stewart Shankbone Metropolitan Opera, 2009. Photo courtesy of David Shankbone under CC BY 3.0.

There's a moment at every dinner party when someone picks up their fork, looks at what's been served, and hesitates. For most of us, it's a silent calculation — do I ask what this is? Do I pretend to love it? Do I politely fake a full stomach? But when the guest in question is Martha Stewart, America's original domestic goddess, the decision becomes a cultural statement.

And that's exactly what happened one evening when Stewart sat down to an otherwise unremarkable supper — until she spotted what was on the menu.

A Procyon Lotor Walks Into a Dinner Party

While promoting her new cooking competition show "Yes, Chef!" with famed humanitarian chef José Andrés, Martha appeared on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" and casually dropped a revelation that raised eyebrows — she once attended a dinner where raccoon was served.

Not raccoon as a metaphor. Actual raccoon; the furry critters often seen pilfering pizza crusts from urban dumpsters.

The setting? A "raccoon and chicken supper." The twist? She flat-out refused to try it.

"No, I don't like to eat rare things," she told Meyers, according to PEOPLE. "They're rare on the table," she clarified, sidestepping any claim that raccoon is endangered or exotic in the animal kingdom.

Everyone else at the table apparently dug in with gusto.

But Can You Actually Eat Raccoon?

Here's where it gets interesting. According to MeatEater, raccoon isn't just edible — it's historically been part of the American diet, especially in rural and working-class communities. The meat, especially when smoked or braised, can be tender, flavorful, and surprisingly un-gamey. Some hunters even compare it to a cross between goose and venison.

So why the visceral reaction from Stewart?

Food bias, says MeatEater, plays a huge role. For many, raccoons carry the stigma of urban pests and garbage raids — not fine dining. Eating raccoon can feel culturally dissonant, even taboo, regardless of taste or nutrition. It's less about the animal and more about what we've been taught to see as "acceptable" food.

That said, there are legitimate health concerns. Raccoons can carry parasites such as trichinosis and other pathogens, meaning the meat must be handled carefully and cooked thoroughly — reaching at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit — to be safe to eat.

Martha Stewart's refusal to indulge may say less about the flavor and more about this shared cultural squeamishness — and, perhaps, a dash of caution. After all, this is a woman who built an empire on refinement and restraint. Chicken? Certainly. Raccoon? That's a hard pass.

In Defense of the Decline

Still, her decision wasn't made in protest. There were no gasps of horror or dramatic napkin drops. Just a calm, firm no.

And that's kind of the beauty of it.

This wasn't about being snobby. Stewart even admitted that the other guests enjoyed the meal. But for her, the line was drawn at raccoon — and in an age of omnipresent food delivery and experimental cuisine shows, there's something refreshingly old-school about simply saying, "I'll pass."

It turns out, Martha Stewart will dine with José Andrés, film alongside rooftop raccoons, and try almost anything—but serve her a trash panda in a stew and you'll get a polite, "No, thank you."

And maybe that's what makes Martha, Martha. She knows what she likes. And she's not afraid to leave the raccoon on the plate.

References: Martha Stewart Reveals the 1 Thing She Wouldn't Eat at a Dinner Party | Can You Eat Raccoon? Absolutely | Martha Says She'd Never Eat This Unusual Food at a Dinner Party—See the Clip Here