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While deer have never been fully domesticated, they have been eaten by
hominids as far back as half a million years. The ancient Gauls, in
pre-Roman times, rode to hounds in pursuit of deer. And Roman legions
heading into Scotland relied heavily on the good venison to be obtained from red deer and roebuck.
For centuries, European deer parks have been both a source both of
recreation (hunting) and protein for aristocrats. Part of the joy many
immigrants to the U.S. felt upon arrival in a country rife with deer came in knowing that anyone, not just aristos, could hunt venison.
In the 19th century, Queen Victoria started the trend of deerstalking i.e hunting down for sport the biggest and most buff stags of the glen --- but the best-tasting venison actually comes from younger, less-imposing-looking deer. Another case of appearance versus reality.
Due to the elimination of its natural predators, there are as many, if not more, deer in the U.S. now than when the Europeans came to settle. Although deer are Eurasian in origin, they have been in the New World for several milliom years, allowing for the development of 20 different species.
Moose are called "elk" in Europe. However, in the U.S., elk are the members of the deer family who are larger than deer but smaller than moose. Elk are sometimes called "Wapiti", a term related to a Shawnee word for "white" (either referring to the white on elk rumps, or the white of elk winter coats). Elk meat, like venison taken from deer, lends itself well to being cooked with sweet sauces made from wine or berries. Lewis and Clark believed that venison taken from elk was far more nutritious pound-for-pound than beef. Venison taken from either elk or deer is sometimes called cervena.
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