From Alaska to Greenland (legally) and probably in Russia (illegally for now) northern Natives hunt polar bears for food and materials. Sales of polar bear parts are allowed subject to restrictions that vary from place to place. The Canadian Inuit web site of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami says that "Polar bear meat is usually baked or boiled in a soup or stew....Cook polar bear meat and add potatoes and carrots for a healthy stew. Serve with bannock and a glass of milk or unsweetened juice." ( Arctic Wildlife ) "Flip" at the blog "Suitably Flip" dug out four or five more detailed recipes from northern sources for this post: The Lumbering Delicacy: Tasy Polar Bear Recipes .

Nathan Myhrvold went to Greenland and wrote abut the trip in Freakonomics ( Eating Polar Bears Is Okay in Greenland ). Myhrvold explored the glacial fjords, got up on the ice cap, sampled the local beer, and tried braised polar bear ("...it was coarse textured meat, probably from the leg, and Salik was right, it was delicious.").

Back to the Inuit web site: It is important that the meat be cooked well: "...Although polar bear meat is considered delicious it is never eaten raw like other meats because it carries many parasites.... Trichinosis is an infection caused by roundworms, found in raw or under cooked polar bear meat. To prevent Trichinosis, make sure polar bear meat is well cooked. Aging or freezing do not destroy the worms found in meat with these worms."

You don't want to eat polar bear liver: "The polar bear liver is never eaten or fed to the dogs because it causes Vitamin A poisoning, which results in severe illness or even death." Wikipedia reports:

The livers of certain animals, especially those adapted to polar environments, often contain amounts of vitamin A that would be toxic to humans. Thus, vitamin A toxicity is typically reported in Arctic explorers and people taking large doses of synthetic vitamin A. The first documented death due to vitamin A poisoning was Xavier Mertz, a Swiss scientist who died in January 1913 on an Antarctic expedition that had lost its food supplies and fell to eating its sled dogs. Mertz consumed lethal amounts of vitamin A by eating the dogs' livers. If eaten in one meal, 30 to 90 grams of polar bear liver is enough to kill a human being, or to make even sled dogs very ill.

Global warming isn't the only threat to the Arctic, it's also impacted by southern pollution. These pollutants have been ingested by animals eaten by northerners, creating some health concerns. However, there is good news on this front: Toxic chemical levels finally dropping in Arctic food animals, new study shows.

Polar bear meat itself is nutritious: "Polar bear meat, like most country foods, is an excellent source of iron and protein. Polar bear fat provides Inuit with Vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids which helps reduce the risk of heart disease....Polar bear meat is an excellent source of iron and protein. Polar bear fat provides us with vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids help to reduce the risk of heart disease."



This is a little off the topic of food, but the Inuit web site article on "Arctic Wildlife" notes that:

The hide of the polar bear is quite remarkable; each hair is able to trap ultraviolet light and conducts radiation to the black surface of the skin, where it is absorbed. Polar bear pelts are used to make clothing, but this practice is not widespread here in Canada as it is with the Inuit of Greenland. This may be due to two reasons, the first of which is, caribou and sealskins are more abundant, and two, the general nature of the polar bear hide, it is wiry and bulky making it difficult to turn into comfortable winter garments.

A polar bear and its skin and fur are an ecological good with cultural importance to northern peoples. This last note is a reminder, however, that there are substitutes for these types of goods. In this case the author of this wildlife note thinks that the cultural significance of polar bear differs among regions because of the availability (relative cost) of substitutes.