Ortolan

there you go, you found you new business opportunity as an edgy roadstall owner

if you are american, dont foget to throw them in some msg and corn syrup bevore roasting and sell them with a high fat fake cheese sauce

yes, I've eaten it once.

visting some French friend. you'll also eat then with a napkin over your head so God does see you eating this beautiful creature.

Tastes pretty good. The crunching bones make your mouth get cut. But iron taste of the blood definitely goes very well with the sweet meat of the bird.

Not for the fainthearted...

>saying msg like its a bad thing
sounds like somebody fell for the oldest meme in the book

>be american
>Le europoors eat poor food
>Remove bird
>Use cheddar cheese instead
>Wa la improved europoor dish
>O B S E S S E D

MSG is a bad thing. It's for lazy assholes who want glutimate flavor without the effort of utilizing more sophisticated glutimate sources.

Whether or not it's bad for you is irrelevant to whether or not it's the mark of a lazy cook.

>Naive enough to think someone here is actually a food connoisseur.

And yet, someone here has!

And even if we haven't, it's a great starting point for further discussion.

I'm still wondering what is unique about the ortolan that makes this a thing? Is there any reason why I couldn't make an equivalent after catching a sparrow in my back yard and following the same procedure?

(yes, I'm serious. And no, it wouldn't be illegal. In my country the European sparrow is considered an invasive pest animal and thus is legal to kill with no restriction on the method used, number taken, or the time of year)

>browses Veeky Forums
>starts a new thread
>ask if anyone here has eaten ortolans before

Oh boy. I'm just surprised by the simplicity of some people in this forum. Naive enough to think someone here is actually a food connoisseur when, in fact, 98% of the discussions are based on fast-food, grossery store itens and sodas. Good luck on your next threads... Maybe you want to ask if someone here has tryied mac n' cheese and cherry coke.

Sparrows are tough little birds that taste like ass unless they're cooked long and slow. Almost all recipes you'll find will be for pies or stews.

I don't recommend hunting urban sparrows, for they are liable to bioaccumulate heavy metals.

See You may have edited your post but it's just as dumb as it was the first time.

Jeremy Clarkson had one once for a show and I'm pretty sure he said it's one of those deals where its legal to consume just not to sell.

kys

good to know

Sorry, I deleted my answer because I wanted to complement it. Ortolans consumption is no longer allowed in Europe, since they are in danger of extinction. But you can find them on the black market for a relatively high price. By the way, Ortolans are a thing because gastronomic literature recounts its flavor as indescribably rich and intense. People cover their heads off when they chew it to prevent any aroma from escaping, and also to disguise them having to spit out some of the bigger bones. If it was good enough for Roman Emperors, you can see why it's a thing.

Go see a psychiatrist

>Sparrows are tough little birds that taste like ass unless they're cooked long and slow.

While I admit I have not eaten sparrow before, this doesn't seem to make any logical sense. Why would one bird taste or behave radically different from another with very similar behavior, diet, size, etc?

As for toughness, I get what you mean there. But there are two approaches to that. One is to barely cook the meat so it never gets to the point where the proteins firm up. The other alternative is to cook it low-and-slow as you mentioned so the proteins fully break down. Many game birds are given the former treatment--pheasant, grouse, woodcock, partridge, duck, etc. They are cooked such that they are on the "rare" side because they too become tough if you overcook them. I don't know why sparrow would be any different. Assuming you kept careful watch on the temp there's no reason why it would get high enough to make the meat get tough.

>>bioaccumulate
fortunately I'm not in an urban area. And I'm not particularly worried about that anyway:
1) sparrows are short-lived
2) they're low on the food chain
3) I don't plan on eating sparrow often
....so bio-accumulation of toxins is certainly not a concern.

>mfw the height of Euro gastronomy is kidnapping some songbirds and stuffing them with grain before drowning them in wine
>they won't even remove the shit sack
>mfw the shit sack is part of the experience
>mfw the height of Euro gastronomy is eating bird shit

ANNNND I'M PROUUD TO BE AN AMERICAN

> but it's apparently illegal in the EU now
Thanks a lot, BRUSSELS

>By the way, Ortolans are a thing because gastronomic literature recounts its flavor as indescribably rich and intense

OK. But is there a biological reason behind this? Or is it just random luck that this dish got associated with that specific bird and in reality any similar bird will do?

Is there a particular feature of the Ortolan's biology, anatomy, or habits that would make it unique from similar birds in this regard?

willful ignorance is sad, user.

The bird's diet could certainly affect its flavor.

Perhaps that's the purpose behind feeding them grain before eating them? It's pretty common for people who want to eat game animals to catch them live (if possible) and feed them a "clean diet" for a while before killing them.

What the fuck are you babbling about

>Why would one bird taste or behave radically different from another with very similar behavior, diet, size, etc?

House sparrows and buntings have little in common other than being omnivorous songbirds (which covers over 5000 unique species and I somehow doubt every single one tastes the same). One is migratory, one rarely ventures farther than a few km from its hatching site. One builds its nest on the ground, the other prefers holes, cracks, crevices high up in the air. One is reliant on human and human-induced activities, one is not. They're very different birds unless all birds are the same to you, in which case no argument I field can convince you and you might as well chow down on rare cooked sparrow.

Also, you're going to need a lot for this scheme. All of the birds you mentioned, from pheasants to ducks, have SOME meat on their bones. Sparrows have fuck all. Better grab your .22 and get to work.

Yes, these birds feed easily with fruits and herbs. Once caught, the ortolans are kept in dark cages with artificial light. The birds keep eating constantly, as long as they are unable to distinguish day and night. Once drowned and cooked in armagnac, it's still possible to identify the taste of some fruits (dried figs and grapes, in general) when you're biting their internal organs. But the flavor thing comes from the ortolans fat, which is described as a hazelnut flavor.

>Not even an endangered bird.

Willful ignorance is fine provided it saves me from chowing down on """"exquisite"""" bird shit. Between this and the maggot cheese, I do wonder about delicate Euro "sensibilities".

Why are these things considered a delicacy or high class when it's literally just force feeding it bird feed and then drowning/butchering it?

>Sodium Chloride is a bad thing. It's for lazy assholes who want salt flavor without the effort of utilizing more sophisticated salt sources.

I'm a froglander and Veeky Forums is one of the only places where I've ever seen it discussed. I live in Paris and I have no idea where I could eat some. Presumably you need to be rich as fuck or have serious connects in the restaurant milieu.

>implying you don't overuse salt

Enjoy the hypertension asshole!

>be Am*rican
>grind bacteria infested meat scraps to a paste
>use artificial flavoring and food coloring to cover it up
>have it fried by ((((Am*rican College)))) graduates who need to pay off their loan at Shekelberg bank
>"And make it super size :DDD Dog bless ameriga :DDDD"

That's literally what foie gras is except you're only eating the liver.

Wellllllll, if you can buy some Armagnac, some grain, and catch a sparrow, you can make it yourself and say "fuck the police."

>common for people who want to eat game animals to catch them live and feed them grain

Wat? No. People who want to eat game animals enjoy the richer and deeper flavor of game. That's one of the whole points. And good luck catching wild game birds or mammals live, and getting them to eat. They usually starve themselves from the trauma of being held captive. Furthermore, you'll have to trap or net them which would not be legal anywhere I'm aware of.

>be European
>eat literal bird shit as a delicacy

... lol I don't even need to add anything else, it writes itself!

Says the guy that disagrees with using a versatile ingredient on a baseless principle

Says the guy who is trying to justify flavor in a tube and thinks people won't consider him lazy for it (or oversalting food, for that matter keek)

>versatile ingredient

Brainlet spotted.

Good enough for Roman Emperors, lol
Soooo can I stab you? A dagger to the side has been good enough for many a Caesar

Good to know, thanks. I'm mostly just intrigued/disgusted by it, but I'd try it just for the experience and to say I had.

if you think this is neat, I assume you know about how the Romans ate Dormice so Slovenians still do. P close to how they did Ortolan

Is there a video somewhere which details the entire preparation of the meal, from the feeding the ortolan, drowning, and cooking?

Have yoy heard about this new thing called the internet?

reminds me of pic related

The bird likely emptied its bowels in terror while it was being drowned in booze, so there's not going to be any shit left in it after cooking.

what if you're unlucky and get the bird with constipation before it died?

Then you die of bird flu. Good thing you hid under a towel when eating this tortured innocent songbird, so God won't send you to Hell for it.

I love this annual thread

>Furthermore, you'll have to trap or net them which would not be legal anywhere I'm aware of.

It's very common in the southern US to trap feral hogs (wild pigs). The standard procedure is to feed them corn or commercial animal feed for a couple weeks, then to kill and eat them.

If you read any great-depression era or "redneck" style cookbooks that discuss animals like raccoons or opossums they are also fed in captivity for a while (if possible) before being eaten. Though that's more a measure of desperation than fine dining....

>Why are these things considered a delicacy
Because they taste good.

>>or high class
Because they're expensive and often involve elaborate presentation. It takes a lot of feed, time, and labor to make foie gras. Likewise it takes a lot of effort to catch a tiny bird, fatten it up, and prepare it.

I have an autistic aversion to bones and gristle in my food, so this is just about as nightmare-ish as it gets.

I don't believe you, but the description you cribbed from the internet does make it sound delicious.

I haven't seen any drowning vids mr snarky pants

You're really looking for something to hate

It does sound rather gross but I imagine it's part of the experience

Do people ever eat shrimp shit?

>You're really looking for something to hate
typical SJW/alt-right(nu-/pol/) behavior

>Do people ever eat shrimp shit?

Sure. Not to mention crawfish shit every time you have a boil....

So you marinate them in a mixture of booze and bird feces?

booze sterilizes it. It gets left behind in the marinade anyway.

People have been eating birds for thousands of years. Im sure they were all tried until they found the best one

>You should ignore any advances in food science since 1900 for "reasons"

I remember watching Clarkson do it

Honestly, what part of this sounds delicious to you? The only info in that description about the bird or the preparation is that it's marinated in booze, then you eat it.

It's all theater and pseudo elitism. Ortolan is like the stretch limousine of food: it's not what the elites actually do, it's what poor people do to dress up like their retarded idea of what elite life looks like.

>what part of this sounds delicious to you?
Most of it.

>tiny bird
Sounds great. I love all kinds of poultry, especially anything that's not a flavorless factory-farmed chicken. Wild bird? Even better.

>Fed a lot so they're fat
Delicious. Fat = flavor.

>Drowned in booze
Sounds like it could be tasty.

>Oven roasted
Fuck yes

>Eaten whole
I've had whole small birds before (deep fried). I've also had small fish that are eaten whole. I admit I'm not too keen on the idea of eating bird guts, I'm not going to pass judgement on that until I try it.

What is with french surrender monkeys torturing birds? Fucking sadistic scumbags.

>New

the only part that sounds questionable is eating them guts and all

otherwise who the fuck wouldn't like an oven-roasted fat little bird? that sounds amazing.

t. versatile ingredient brainlet

Enjoy your fast food loooool

>they don't devein

Seriously questioning how hard this board is into scatplay now.

I feel as if this would work with quail, though I wouldn't try it

It's meme food. it's not really tastier than anything, but the whole shitty ritual make people think they achieved something special by ingesting big shit and alcohol with a towel on their head.

>>You should ignore any advances in food science since 1900 for "reasons"

No, you should realize that the only "advance" with MSG as opposed to other sources of that flavor is it's cost & ease of industrial production.

It's only an "advance" for cheap processed food. It's a step backwards if you care about flavor.

I know adding MSG to my stir-fry will make it taste good. But why would I do that when I could add douchi instead, and blow it out of the water?