Is there a practice of drowning birds in alcohol in France?

Question

A friend told me that they was a (now frowned upon) practice of drowning the birds in some kind of alcohol to flavour them. This sounds like it could be true but I can't find any information about it anywhere. Help!

Answer 1

Yes it is true, its an age old way of eating a particularly small bird and has recently come under fire. Below is a link to the article explaining the history and recipe and why it is facing a ban as a custom.
http://www.ttc.org/cgi-binloc/searchTTC.cgi?displayZop+1029

Answer 2

Yes. Jeremy Clarkson (British TV presenter) went to France for his show 'Meet the Neighbours.... France'. He had some secret meal where they all ate these very small birds WHOLE whilst hiding under towels. The birds had been drowned in alcohol. Most odd. But apparently very delicious. Here is an article discussing the issue:
"A songbird the size of a lemon has feathers flying between the European Court of Justice, the French government, vigilant environmentalists and politically powerful hunters. European rules ban hunting the endangered bruant ortolan, but the migratory bunting is still so sought after by gastronomes for its delicate flavor that former President Francois Mitterrand ordered 20 for one of the last meals before his death.
It's a mythical bird, a bird that has been eaten for centuries, Pascal Quantin, a founding member of Brotherhood of the Ortolans, told The Tocqueville Connection. The group is based in one of the biggest hunting areas, the Landes, about 400 miles southwest of Paris.
In France, the ritual calls for fattening the bird for three days after its capture and drowning it in cognac. The birds are brought sizzling to the table. That's the diners' cue to cover their heads with napkins and inhale the delicate vapors. Cloaked in privacy, they pick up the bird by its beak, and in one motion lob the whole thing into their mouths, crunching on bones and guts and slurping the juices."

Answer 3

I seem to remember it wsa featured on a TV programme a couple of years ago. If I rememebr right it was Jeremy Clarksons "Meet the Neighbours"

He pointed out that it was now illegal under EU law, however the French, or at least some decided the law didn't apply to them.....

Answer 4

Yeah, they're called Ortolan.

They're kept in the dark and made to gorge on millet or other 'stuffing', then when they're as big as they can get they are drowned in Armagnac and cooked for a few minutes. As it looks so gross when they're eaten, I think it was customary to wear a napkin over your face so as not to put other diners off theirs!

I think Jeremy Clarkson ate one in a TV show once ...

Answer 5

I hope this is not so, but it would not surprise me if it were real. Still, in some locations, Paté Frois gras is made by nailing the feet of geese to the floor and grinding food down their throats to fatten them against their will.
Many of these behaviors are illegal, but that doesn't stop them from happening.

Answer 6

never heard of it will ask my mate who,s french to see if he knows

Answer 7

i really hope not, as doing that to any animal is evil and cruel.

Answer 8

yup

Answer 9

yeah its a dish called 'coq au vin' LOL

Answer 10

http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/skills/b-p/drowning.htm