You’ve probably eaten plenty of venison in your life, but did you know the word is not rooted specifically to deer meat?

It’s true. The word “venison” itself is derived from the Latin word “venari,” meaning “to hunt or pursue,” which entered the English language around the 11th century following the Norman Conquest. Initially, it referred to the meat of any wild game animal acquired through hunting. This included deer (Cervidae), rabbits and hares (Leporidae), wild boar (Suidae), and certain species of goats and ibex (Capra). In some regions like Southern Africa, venison specifically refers to the meat of antelope, a type of Bovidae, as deer are not native to sub-Saharan Africa. 

Early humans were likely among the first people to consume venison as a significant part of their diet. By 2.5 million years ago, they had developed the necessary tools for hunting and their digestive tracts were adapted to meat consumption, making them some of the earliest consumers of venison. 

Venison has been a dietary staple for Indigenous peoples for thousands of years, long before the arrival of domesticated animals like chicken, beef, pork, or lamb in North America. Indigenous hunters in North America relied on venison, along with other wild game such as rabbit, moose and elk. 

Even in more recent historical accounts, the consumption of venison in significant quantities is documented. For instance, at the first Thanksgiving in 1621, the Wampanoag people contributed five deer to the feast, demonstrating the importance of venison in their diet and its availability in large quantities. 

Overall, the historical evidence indicates that venison was a crucial food source for early humans and indigenous populations, signifying its consumption in potentially large quantities long before the modern era.