Frog legs

In one of the restaurants of Jakarta

Cooking

Frogs in the menu of Odessa restaurant

Frog legs ( fr. Cuisses de grenouille ; Chinese trade. 田 雞腿 , ex. Р 鸡腿 , pinyin : tiánjītuǐ , pall .: Tianjitui , that is, “legs of the field chicken”) is a delicacy of French and Chinese cuisine . Every year, people eat at least 3.2 billion frogs ^[1] . Indonesia alone exports annually at least 5,000 tons of frog legs.

Amphibians have been part of the human diet since ancient times. In Wiltshire, archaeologists have discovered the burial of the bones of frogs eaten 8000 years ago ^[2] . The monks of Western Europe have diversified the fasting table with frog legs since at least the 13th century ^[3] .

The legs of an edible frog are one of the French favorite delicacies. For this reason, foreigners disapprovingly call the French a paddling pool ^[4] . Many argue that the taste of the paws is something between fish and chicken ^[5] ; they have a mild flavor, and the texture resembles chicken wings.

In the USSR, frogs were bred for export to France and other European countries in the Ukrainian Danube ^[6] . This is especially famous Vilkovo - a small city in the Kili region of Odessa region of Ukraine ^[7] . It is believed that frogs were traditional food for local residents. Nowadays, deep-fried frog legs are served in many Odessa restaurants as a popular Odessa and Bessarabian specialty.

Frogs are also consumed in many other regions: in the Caribbean, in Portugal, in the north-west of Greece, in Italy, Spain and in the American South ( Cajun cuisine ). The wide distribution of frog legs in France has made them a popular dish in Louisiana , in particular in many New Orleans establishments .

In Chinese cuisine , fried or stewed, with the addition of light spices, served without bones. It is also used in porridge ( zhou ). Like in France, frog legs are rarely found on the menu of Chinese restaurants (probably due to prohibitions and restrictions on cooking technology). However, this dish is popular in home cooking.

The cultivation of edible frogs on special farms is widespread in Vietnam , Indonesia and other countries of Southeast Asia. They are frozen, packaged and exported worldwide. In the poorest countries, hunting for wild amphibians is still widespread, which contributes to a reduction in their population; Thus, the Antilian whistle, due to the gastronomic preferences of the local population, is on the verge of complete extinction.

Since amphibians are characterized by more intense rigor mortis than warm-blooded animals, the legs often begin to twitch under the influence of heat during preparation ^[8] . Perhaps this explains the disgust that many have for this dish ^[3] . The famous French chef Escoffier , being in the service of the Prince of Wales, served the British with frog legs under the beautiful and vague name "Dawn Nymphs" ^[9] .