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Eating the Birds of America: Audubon's Culinary Reviews of America's Birds
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- sebmellen 2y agoHow interesting that Audubon, so often associated with conservation and protection of birds, was such a voracious bird consumer! Wild!
- shagie 2y agoThe National Audubon Society (founded 1905) is about c̶o̶n̶v̶e̶r̶s̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ (accursed auto incorrect) conservation of birds. (thank you!) John James Audubon (1785 - 1851) was a very different person. He was a naturalist, painter, and studied ornithology... and his ethics were from that age. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_James_Audubon#Art_and_methods https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_James_Audubon#Art_and_met... > Audubon developed his own methods for drawing birds. First, he killed them using fine shot. He then used wires to prop them into a natural position, unlike the common method of many ornithologists, who prepared and stuffed the specimens into a rigid pose. When working on a major specimen like an eagle, he would spend up to four 15-hour days, preparing, studying, and drawing it. I recall a story with an eagle where he was trying to asphyxiate it with smoke (so that he wouldn't damage it) - the means and the time it took to do that would be considered by today's standards to be quite cruel.
- pvg 2y agoconversation of birds over a delectable meal of birds, no doubt.
- lioeters 2y agoNaturally the conversation turns to the Persian poem, The Conference of the Birds (or Speech of the Birds), where the birds of the world gather and travel in search of the legendary Simorgh, the sovereign of birds. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conference_of_the_Birds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conference_of_the_Birds
- gottorf 2y agoI'm told that hunters drive quite a bit of conservation efforts for other animals as well.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago> hunters drive quite a bit of conservation efforts Hunters are generally exquisitely knowlegeable about the local flora and fauna. That sort of knowledge rarely accumulates without an element of respect. Some of the most effective conservation efforts in the world arose from environmentalists and hunters allying against developers and ranchers. (And by extension, some of the biggest conservation losses from the latter driving a wedge between the former.)
- wepple 2y agoWhilst hunting might involve the killing & taking of an animal, it 100% relies on there being a healthy population to begin with. Not to mention, hunting is actually very difficult (contrary to a lot of belief). You end up spending a phenomenal amount of time learning about animals, their habitat, and behavior. There ends up being deep admiration. Not all hunters of course, some are dipshits. But such is true for any group of people.
- bbarn 2y ago| Not to mention, hunting is actually very difficult (contrary to a lot of belief). This always bothered me. The attitude that you just walk up to some defenseless deer and shoot it and that's some unskilled cruel thing. In reality it's hours or days in a row in a short amount of time a season is open sitting in miserable weather where hopefully the research you've done or the attempts to attract them might outweigh the fact that they can smell you from a mile away and are skittish at every sound in the world. Oh, and the practice and training you've had to do with whatever method you're using to hunt with. Then there's the expense. Licenses, weapons, gear, time off work, you name it. I quit doing it simply because I don't have the time to invest in it as an adult.
- floren 2y ago
- cjensen 2y agoIn Audubon's time, the only way to accurately paint a bird in detail was to shoot it, examine it, then paint it. It's also why so many of his paintings are of birds in unnatural positions. Even today, museums and universities sometimes pay for non-rare birds to be collected by shotgun. Collections are needed for certain types of comparative analysis when trying to sus out whether two birds are different species or just variety within a species.
- FergusArgyll 2y agoOld fashioned conservation (Teddy Roosevelt etc.) was often Human centered, We should see nice animals/places, general ecosystem health etc. Roosevelt believed that the laissez-faire approach of the U.S. Government was too wasteful and inefficient While Muir wanted nature preserved for its own sake, Roosevelt subscribed to Pinchot's formulation, "to make the forest produce the largest amount of whatever crop or service will be most useful, and keep on producing it for generation after generation of men and trees. -Wikipedia conservation movement I get the feeling that todays version is more "ethical" in nature, saving animals for their own sake etc. I'm obviously painting in very broad strokes
- burcs 2y agoOf course our national bird would be "veal in taste and tenderness." The Bald Eagle truly is the modern day forbidden fruit.
- saalweachter 2y agoThere's a reason the Bald Eagle won out over the Turkey for national bird.
- dwcnnnghm 2y agoJapan’s national bird (green pheasant) is, IIRC, the only national bird that’s also a game bird. There’s not many stories or symbolism with green pheasants (as opposed to, say, cranes) and it’s mostly known in the country as food. I’ve seen it argued that it was selected because it’s delicious (though the official line seems to be their ability to recognize earthquakes)
- paranoidrobot 2y agoThe animals on Australia's coat of arms: Emu and Kangaroo, are both able to be eaten. The Emu is our national bird. I don't know if they're technically game meats but I can buy them both commercially. Kangaroo meat is in most supermarkets, and Emu in speciality butchers.
- sien 2y agoYou can get a 'Coat of Arms Pizza' at the Australian Heritage Hotel in Sydney "half emu & half pepper kangaroo, slow roasted tomato, charred peppers, lemon myrtle mayo" It was good the last time I had it.
- technothrasher 2y agoWhen I was in Namibia and saw oryx on the menu at a restaurant, I ask them if they really ate their national animal. The waiter's response was, "oh, heck, no. These oryx are from South Africa!" Touché.
- seszett 2y ago
- alnwlsn 2y agofrom Wikipedia - "Carolina parakeets were probably poisonous – Audubon noted that cats apparently died from eating them, and they are known to have eaten the toxic seeds of cockleburs." Interesting that this apparently didn't stop him from eating one.
- sharpshadow 2y agoI think toxins distribute in various areas with different amounts in the body. Eating the flesh should have less than some organs I guess. Cats probably eat everything and they are quite small. After a while the toxins wear off.
- pasquinelli 2y agoif anything, a cat might eat the organs and leave the rest.
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- jihadjihad 2y agoI'm reminded of the Ortolan Bunting, a bird prized in French cuisine and with a most unforgettable method of preparation and consumption. They're caught with nets, force-fed with grain, drowned in Armagnac, seasoned, and then cooked in their own fat. When you eat one, you hold onto its head and place it feet-first into your mouth, all while wearing a towel or napkin on your head to "shield from God's eyes the shame of such a decadent and disgraceful act" [0]. 0: https://web.archive.org/web/20210303221803/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/11102100/Why-French-chefs-want-us-to-eat-this-bird-head-bones-beak-and-all.html https://web.archive.org/web/20210303221803/https://www.teleg...
- rwmj 2y agoUnfortunately not a historic curiosity. I know somehow who ate one in France a decade or so ago.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago> know somehow who ate one in France a decade or so ago Technically banned for over a decade, FYI [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ortolan_bunting#Legal_status https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ortolan_bunting#Legal_status
- MisterBastahrd 2y agoI remember reading this article in Esquire about Francois Mitterand and his last great meal: https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a4642/the-last-meal-0598/ https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a4642/the-last-meal-05...
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- AdmiralAsshat 2y agoFirst the foie gras, now this. Are there any other "Torture the creature before eating it" French dishes we should know about?
- office_drone 2y ago> When they feed on grasshoppers and strawberries, Upland Sandpipers are “truly delicious.” In our era where foodies exist and some number of them have effectively no spending limit, I wonder if any business raises sandpipers for use in a truly rare dining experience.
- bwestergard 2y agoThey are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty, and in the U.S. under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
- office_drone 2y agoThat just means that certain permits may be needed, and only in two countries out of the bird's natural range of two dozen.
- msrenee 2y agoThree countries, but your point stands.
- foreigner 2y agoThis is the plot of "The Freshman", which is an excellent movie. Starring Matthew Broderick, and featuring Marlon Brando parodying himself in The Godfather!
- federalfarmer 2y agoWe did some pest control on the farm this year and thinned out the pigeon population. A delicious bird, tasted like steak. I understand why they remain a delicacy in France and Vietnam. A shame that some of these less delectable birds are still extinct. Thanks for sharing!
- perihelions 2y agoAlso in the Maghreb! I believe that's where France imported the concept from (but I'm not sure). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastilla https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastilla
- federalfarmer 2y agoPigeon pie is now a bucket list delicacy.
- rsynnott 2y agoUnlikely; breeding pigeons for meat in Europe goes back to, at least, the Romans, so the French likely got it from them if they weren’t previously doing it.
- Loughla 2y agoWe live near some bridges that attract pigeons. We have purposely built roost areas and leave grain out to bring them in to shoot. Not sure it's super legal to do that though. They're delicious.
- jmalicki 2y agoThey're also a delicacy in the US, just marketed as squab to avoid the ick factor many might feel. Appears on many a Michelin star menu.
- ForOldHack 2y agoObligatory: The Endangered species cook book: https://elizabethdemaray.org/2015/06/07/recipes-from-the-endangered-species-recipe-book-animals-that-have-gone-extinct-or-are-going-extinct-and-the-recipes-that-we-have-used-to-eat-them/ https://elizabethdemaray.org/2015/06/07/recipes-from-the-end...
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- diegoeche 2y agoThere's a graphic novel I liked about the life and work of Audubon. For anybody interested... Audubon, On The Wings Of The World
- KineticLensman 2y agoWhy stop at birds? The Victorian William Buckland [0] had a personal mission to eat one of every kind of animal in existence. He was also appointed Dean of Westminster and, like Charles Darwin, belonged to the Glutton Club. Mice on toast were a particular favourite, apparently. [0] https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/26/victorian-zoologist/ https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/26/victorian-zoologis...
- perihelion_zero 2y ago[flagged]
- djtango 2y agoThanks for sharing, thoroughly enjoyed that read
- Loughla 2y agoI was into it until he ate a mummified human heart.
- standardUser 2y ago> Inside the locket was a piece of the mummified heart of King Louis XVI. On being shown the artifact, Buckland promptly ate it. I admire the dedication! Though question the immediate destruction of a unique artifact.
- gerdesj 2y agoJust riffing on the Roman thing: Mice - glires. Remarkable Italian invention ... Nothing is new
- jojohohanon 2y agoI think Roald Dahl had one story about a man who went to great lengths to eat a ghost.
- greggsy 2y agoMice are the sardines of the mammal world.
- chasebank 2y agoFunny this popped up on hn. A friend of mine in Montana has been hunting crane lately. Said they’re dubbed “ribeye of the sky”. Can’t wait to try one!
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- birbLover 2y ago[flagged]
- simonw 2y agoMy partner works in conservation and goes to a lot of wildlife conferences. One of her favourite ice-breaker questions is "have you ever eaten your study animal?"
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- ilamont 2y agoHis anecdotal observations are accurate. This entry on Canadian Geese is right on the mark based on behavior I have seen in some flocks near the St. Lawrence and Charles rivers at dusk: Although on these occasions they move with the greatest regularity, yet when they are slowly advancing from south to north at an early period of the season, they fly much lower, alight more frequently, and are more likely to be bewildered by suddenly formed banks of for, or by passing over cities or arms of the sea where much shipping may be in sight. On such occasions great consternation prevails amoung them, they crowd together in a confused manner, wheel irregularly, and utter a constant cackling resembling the sounds from a disconcerted mob. I was also unaware how long his writings on birds were - the entry about Canadian Geese is over 5000 words long: https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america/canada-goose https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america/canada-goose Regarding TFA, there is a dark humor looking back on the behavior of eating practically every animal he studied - including owls, sandpipers, and eagles - but balked at a few species such as cormorants: The fishermen and eggers never gather their eggs, they being unfit for being eaten by any other animals than Gulls or Jagers; but they commit great havoc among the young, which they salt for food or bait. The old birds are too shy to be killed in great numbers, otherwise their feathers, although they smell strongly of fish, might be turned to account. I have never eaten Cormorant's flesh, and intend to refrain from tasting it until nothing better can be procured. https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america/double-crested-cormorant https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america/double-crested-corm...
- jojohohanon 2y agoNo songbirds drowned in cognac, eaten whole with a napkin over your head? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ortolan_bunting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ortolan_bunting