myzeneye Posted August 28, 2008 Report Share Posted August 28, 2008 (edited) when i speak to people about eating rabbit, ive found that anyone older than say 55 replies that they "used to" eat rabbit regularly and would love to have some....obviously from the war days when food was food etc......however, younger people think its odd and say they've never tried it,maybe would'nt like to try it and the whole eating fluffy bunny conversation kicks off....... yet everyone who does ( often reluctantly) try it, sheepishly addmitts how good a meal it makes.... with that in mind, my missus asked me a question tonight..... if it was once a usual part of peoples weekly diet/shop and more common to eat, why did people stop eating it or it become a sumwhat "unusual" food for the masses ? what happened to change alot of peoples minds on the animal as another simple meat on the menu ? mixy ? peta/animal rights ? brighteyes anyone got any ideas... it cant be the fact that the older generation used to eat it during the war years because meat was rationed etc, it tastes far to good to have drifted away from the table Edited August 28, 2008 by myzeneye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salisburykeeper Posted August 28, 2008 Report Share Posted August 28, 2008 myxi I would say was the main reason once youve seen a rabbit like that its hard to picture it on a plate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triscrx Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 When I go to France all the butchers have Rabbit there in the windows. Skinned hanging up with the head still on.. They still see it as a meal there. I expect it was the mixi that finished it here. Although I did read somewhere that you can eat them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radio1ham Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 (edited) well for those that dont eat rabbit dont know what their missing cant beat it in great in stews etc before i moved house a lad used to take every rabbit i had spare which i didnt mind as they were not getting wasted he use to pay me for the rabbits aswell which payed towards my catridges and his parents liked them aswell today people dont know they are born but if they not told its rabbit they will scoff the lot down its only when you tell them its rabbit they dont like it Edited August 29, 2008 by radio1ham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myzeneye Posted August 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 yes, ive read that too....not sure id like to though..... i guess mixy put alot of folk off it..... but other meats have had nasty health scares, bse, avian flue. etc..and people know the rancid condition some chickens and eggs come from.... but they still scoff em down.... rabbit seems to me, totally organic and completly free range, what more could you want.....? i just wondered what happened to rabbit to make it fall from favour as a delicious meal to something some people cant even imagine eating ? everyone my dads age or over, say they used to have it alot, and loved it, some older folk have told me how when they were a child they got the head ! and ate the brains out with a spoon like a chucky egg !!!!!!!!!!!!!! well, im not gonna try that, but the meat is fantastic... maybe hugh fernley or someone should do an eat healthy, eat rabbit campaighn... like he did with the chickens !! any other idea's what happened to buggs ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dusk2dawn Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 yes, ive read that too....not sure id like to though.....i guess mixy put alot of folk off it..... but other meats have had nasty health scares, bse, avian flue. etc..and people know the rancid condition some chickens and eggs come from.... but they still scoff em down.... rabbit seems to me, totally organic and completly free range, what more could you want.....? i just wondered what happened to rabbit to make it fall from favour as a delicious meal to something some people cant even imagine eating ? everyone my dads age or over, say they used to have it alot, and loved it, some older folk have told me how when they were a child they got the head ! and ate the brains out with a spoon like a chucky egg !!!!!!!!!!!!!! well, im not gonna try that, but the meat is fantastic... maybe hugh fernley or someone should do an eat healthy, eat rabbit campaighn... like he did with the chickens !! any other idea's what happened to buggs ?? Eating the brains out of the head with a spoon..... methinks someones been pulling your leg there Imo rabbit meat will come back into "fashion" its meat is clear of any additives,hormones etc, its lean and rabbits are not stupid they only eat the best as any farmer will tell you. A 3/4 grown young rabbit pan fried takes some beating far better than supermarket chicken. In a year or two Tescos will have it on the shelf, the reason the heads were left on at the butchers is to confirm its rabbit and not cat When you see wild rabbit on the menu try it, you will go back for more. D2D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookie Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 The main reason that I was always given (by my gran) was that they ate enough of it during and immediately after the war that they don't want to eat it now. I used to know someone that worked on ships that ran the same line of logic with whiskey... Never touched the stuff after a particular trip to drop a load off in the far east. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salisburykeeper Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 yes, ive read that too....not sure id like to though.....i guess mixy put alot of folk off it..... but other meats have had nasty health scares, bse, avian flue. etc..and people know the rancid condition some chickens and eggs come from.... but they still scoff em down.... rabbit seems to me, totally organic and completly free range, what more could you want.....? i just wondered what happened to rabbit to make it fall from favour as a delicious meal to something some people cant even imagine eating ? everyone my dads age or over, say they used to have it alot, and loved it, some older folk have told me how when they were a child they got the head ! and ate the brains out with a spoon like a chucky egg !!!!!!!!!!!!!! well, im not gonna try that, but the meat is fantastic... maybe hugh fernley or someone should do an eat healthy, eat rabbit campaighn... like he did with the chickens !! any other idea's what happened to buggs ?? Eating the brains out of the head with a spoon..... methinks someones been pulling your leg there Imo rabbit meat will come back into "fashion" its meat is clear of any additives,hormones etc, its lean and rabbits are not stupid they only eat the best as any farmer will tell you. A 3/4 grown young rabbit pan fried takes some beating far better than supermarket chicken. In a year or two Tescos will have it on the shelf, the reason the heads were left on at the butchers is to confirm its rabbit and not cat When you see wild rabbit on the menu try it, you will go back for more. D2D no its quite true back just after the war kids would fight to get the rabbits head a lot of people have told me this ill stick to cream eggs ta! with rabbits I dont eat them as the smell puts me off but there are no shortage of people that do and also the farm cats prefer a rabbit to tinned meat and they always eat the head first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curly87 Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 (edited) yer i never got y our cats eat the heads first then normally leave the rest of the rabbit sitting behind the sofa next to the warm radiator whos up for some rabbit brain pate then?!?! i think as soon as they enter the supermarkets all nicely packed up behind some cling film, then people will start to eat more rabbit. at the moment its just too much effort for most people to get a hold of them. they dont smell that bad! a sheep id say is alot worse than a rabbit when gutting them out Edited August 29, 2008 by lloydt87 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 I don't think there's any likely hood that Rabbit will ever become a staple in the English home in any near future, whether Tescos and the like stock it in cling film and polystyrene or not. Look at the hassle Hugh had convincing people to eat the whole chicken and not just the breast. The general populous has become uneducated and removed from reality, especially when it comes to meat. There are hundreds if not thousands of children that couldn't tell you where beef or bacon comes from and you think they are going to grow up to eat Rabbit? The only way people are going to accept Rabbit as a staple is to reeducate them. Bring back the butcher and allow him to hang his wares in the window. Mum always used to tell me how her father would come home with offal on a Friday as treat. I have to ask her about Rabbit and the brain. I guess it must be like the marrow I used to enjoy eating from pork and lamb chops, god how I miss that. Would like to know the answer to the original question though, its a very good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosd Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 Greek butchers have always got rabbit hanging up for sale. Being Greek (no wise cracks) I have eaten rabbit since I was a kid so I don't find it unusual at all. What's "normal" when it comes to food? Every country, race or religeon eat different food and find it normal. It's only ignorance, and I don't mean that rudely, that puts people off different food stuffs. I hope this won't turn too many peoples stomach, but a Greek delicacy is sheeps head. Personally I am not over keen on the majority of the meat on sheeps head (cheek, tongue, brain and even eyes), but one thing that is absolutely lovely is the brain! As mentioned already, it's very much like the marrow of a bone, it's soft in texture, sweet and tastes lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 two things i have tried and cant eat are brain and lungs. makes me throw up the rest of the rabbit makes a tasty meal and i have a feeling it will appear on a "jamie oliver" supermarket shelf soon. just hope they dont take the smell away and make it all "plastic". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evilv Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 two things i have tried and cant eat are brain and lungs. makes me throw up the rest of the rabbit makes a tasty meal and i have a feeling it will appear on a "jamie oliver" supermarket shelf soon. just hope they dont take the smell away and make it all "plastic". I saw a Jamie Oliver programme a few months ago. He and his Italian mate went out lamping and they showed them shooting at rabbits. I didn't see any hit, but after Jamie had a few shots (which missed) the next scene showed him carrying some rabbits back to the pickup. Anyway - they cut away to him cooking them and he went on in his usual way about them being totally organic and healthy food - and delicious of course. He did some fried rabbit joints if I remember rightly. Looked OK - like fried chicken. It's quite true that all over the Mediterranean rabbit is an expensive delicacy. I hate the number I am wasting at the moment. Nobody wants them much around here - least ways, not in the numbers I can get just now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookie Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 Selfridges stock two different sorts of rabbit on their butchery counter: Wild English and farmed Dutch. you can tell the difference immediately in the colour of the meat, wild meat is a lot darker. It looked like very few people buy it though as the rabbits were skinned and gutter, but still had the heads on. Not a good way to show it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustyfox Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 I was at a train station last week and this chav/ned started talking to me while i was waiting for the train. Anyway somehow we managed to talk about rabbits and I said that you could eat rabbits he blatantly didnt know you could eat them and he said to me that if you eat a rabbit I will eat you. Some must of got put of by myxi and some dont know you can eat them. Df Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiercel Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 A 3/4 grown young rabbit pan fried takes some beating far better than supermarket chicken. When you see wild rabbit on the menu try it, you will go back for more. D2D D2D Your spot on there I have been waiting for these since Febuary. TC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poacher Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 I think the reason is in tiercels picture. BONES !!!! theres quite a few in rabbit and the meat isn't so easily accesible in large filet like portions like a chicken breast, being a bit more fiddly to eat/prepare and time consuming i think most can't be bothered (thats providing they had the choice and the intention) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quist Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 The trick with rabbits: First joint them and then soak in salty water overnight. This will remove any taint and make the meat cook moist. Pop it in a slow cooker on high in a cook in sauce for four hours and you will have a very nice meal. My favourite is a Korma cook in sauce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthshooter Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 shot rabbits on our home farm clean shot with airgun! my grandad wanted them as been brought up next to no money and allways greaghtfulll. cook them myself in slow cooker in a stew spuds/carrots ect but best; next day fished out and put on a butty with mayo, flakes appart like tuna very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted August 29, 2008 Report Share Posted August 29, 2008 Last season I found a farm shop through a local keeper and I couldn't keep up with the demand and it got embarrassing. I have delivered 65 scuts, gutted, skinned, anal glands removed on a Monday morning @ £1.50 a piece and they were calling me asking for more on the Wednesday A award winning butcher near Canterbury had scuts in the window in fur at £6.50 last season. If I had the time, and a good team, to do this 5 days a week there would be a living to be made form this especially if we could long net at night. It may not be in the supermarket top ten but it is definitely selling well in rural areas and farmers markets in affluent areas LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 I was at a train station last week and this chav/ned started talking to me while i was waiting for the train. Anyway somehow we managed to talk about rabbits and I said that you could eat rabbits he blatantly didnt know you could eat them and he said to me that if you eat a rabbit I will eat you. Some must of got put of by myxi and some dont know you can eat them. Df It sounds like a real meeting of minds... Pray, tell us more.. ZB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evilv Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 (edited) The bones in rabbit are a pain. I remove the glands and do the overnight soak (when I have time the soak, but the gland removal is a must). I joint them throwing away the ribs which only have pointless amounts of meat anyway, then I part cook along with about a third as much by weight of belly pork, or other cheap pork cuts in a pressure cooker for about 20 minutes, let them cool and strip the meat in large chunks off the bone. Small scraps go to the dog, decent white chunks of meat which is most of it goes into a pie mix with some part cooked vegetables and herbs. The only parts with a worthwhile amount of meat are the hind legs and the back in my opinion - maybe the shoulders too. Thirty five minutes in a pie dish should see the pastry cooked, a fine meal and usually - no bones. Tiny bones can make the meal far from enjoyable so get them out of the way beforehand and discard them. Last year I was making rabbit burgers with a proportion of lamb - about 30%. These were very good really and easy to make. Good seasoning and herbs really make a big difference. Edited August 30, 2008 by Evilv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Sweepy Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 We went to a BBQ last weekend . And took some bunnie sausages with us. The only person who knew what they were was the person manning the food. We can away with about four orders for bunnie sausages and burgers. We know for the fact if we had told people before they ate then. That they were rabbit No one would have tried then. We have also found that people will turn their nose up at Venison. xxxxsuzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myzeneye Posted August 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 some god points and answers here... my comment about eating the brain is completely true, the 83 yer old raf vetran who i hold in very high reguard has no reason what so ever to make up such tales, and, he actually was embarresed to tell me about his "little treat"..... still he said they were lovely.... i believe in birmingam,faggot territory,where he's from, they eat lites with are lungs.... after experiencing a rabbits lungs "hissing" at me, i dont think ill be eating any lungs too soon !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TuftySnuffer Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 My dear old nan used to tell me that she had apprehensions eating bunnies on the basis that they were the only freely available meat without rationing in WW2. So she would be happy never to eat rabbit ever again on the basis of having had too much of one thing! I suppose if you had to eat bunny every 2 days for 5 years of your life then you might get a bit sick of it. Especially with no real ingrediants which were in short supply. I'm sure if she were still here now some of your recipies could change her mind! ATVB Tufty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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