4 ms·

I'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 n

I'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 ago
Unfortunately 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 ago
    I 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 ago
First the foie gras, now this. Are there any other "Torture the creature before eating it" French dishes we should know about?
- alnwlsn 2y ago
  Lobster?
  - AdmiralAsshat 2y ago
    I'm not aware of any recipes that force the lobster to gorge itself before killing it? Most lobster recipes usually involve bisecting the lobster's head with a sharp knife (killing it instantly), or dunking it into boiling water (which is probably incredibly painful for the duration, but ostensibly kills it within 10 seconds or so).
    - darby_nine 2y ago
      > I'm not aware of any recipes that force the lobster to gorge itself before killing it? Presumably the above poster is referring to the viewing of the practice of boiling the lobster alive as torture.
      - Morizero 2y ago
        Not OP but yeah, it's even illegal in some places: https://i.redd.it/9njvxxae6pad1.png https://i.redd.it/9njvxxae6pad1.png
- dfxm12 2y ago
  Why single out France or foie gras? When you look at factory farms across the globe, force feeding ducks is just one of many ways we torture the animals we eat.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - codetrotter 2y ago
    > Why single out France or four gras? Because foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by force feeding. If the animal wasn’t force fed, it literally wouldn’t be foie gras. Most other forms of animal cruelty in food production is because of industrialization. We could clean up many of those and still sell the products without so much mistreatment. Foie gras can only be made by mistreating the animal. So it’s gonna be specifically called out.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
wepple 2y ago
I recall reading about this in “The Scavengers Guide to Haute Cuisine”. In it. Steven Rinella creates a feast from Escoffier’s classic book. Excellent read.
BoingBoomTschak 2y ago
"Brutal."
01HNNWZ0MV43FF 2y ago
Evidence for solipsism, I say!
az226 2y ago
And eaten with bones and all in one bite.

rwmj 2y ago

Unfortunately 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 ago
  I 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 ago

First the foie gras, now this. Are there any other "Torture the creature before eating it" French dishes we should know about?

alnwlsn 2y ago
Lobster?
- AdmiralAsshat 2y ago
  I'm not aware of any recipes that force the lobster to gorge itself before killing it? Most lobster recipes usually involve bisecting the lobster's head with a sharp knife (killing it instantly), or dunking it into boiling water (which is probably incredibly painful for the duration, but ostensibly kills it within 10 seconds or so).
  - darby_nine 2y ago
    > I'm not aware of any recipes that force the lobster to gorge itself before killing it? Presumably the above poster is referring to the viewing of the practice of boiling the lobster alive as torture.
    - Morizero 2y ago
      Not OP but yeah, it's even illegal in some places: https://i.redd.it/9njvxxae6pad1.png https://i.redd.it/9njvxxae6pad1.png
dfxm12 2y ago
Why single out France or foie gras? When you look at factory farms across the globe, force feeding ducks is just one of many ways we torture the animals we eat.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- codetrotter 2y ago
  > Why single out France or four gras? Because foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by force feeding. If the animal wasn’t force fed, it literally wouldn’t be foie gras. Most other forms of animal cruelty in food production is because of industrialization. We could clean up many of those and still sell the products without so much mistreatment. Foie gras can only be made by mistreating the animal. So it’s gonna be specifically called out.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

wepple 2y ago

I recall reading about this in “The Scavengers Guide to Haute Cuisine”. In it. Steven Rinella creates a feast from Escoffier’s classic book. Excellent read.

BoingBoomTschak 2y ago

"Brutal."

01HNNWZ0MV43FF 2y ago

Evidence for solipsism, I say!

az226 2y ago

And eaten with bones and all in one bite.