SC - Butchering
Varju@aol.com
Varju at aol.com
Thu Jul 3 08:12:06 PDT 1997
In a message dated 97-07-02 17:59:47 EDT, you write:
<< >Well, if you're talking about the early Celtic peoples of Britian,
>they didn't eat rabbit because rabbits didn't exist in England much
>before the Normans. I believe they were a Norman import (again,
>working from memory, I believe the source is Ann Wilson's Food and
>Drink in Britian)
From Maggie Black's _A Taste of History_, page 63, "The Evidence for
the Foods Eaten in Roman Britain": "Not only were large game kept in
parks, small game such as hares were kept in 'leporia' or hare gardens
attached to the villas of the more well-eo-do Romas so that they would
be quickly available when needed for the table."
Alys Katharine >>
This is an excellent piece of documentation to answer the question "Did this
people eat this food at this time?" In this case, however, there's a
problem. Hares and rabbits are different species. The hare is, I believe,
native to the British Isles; the rabbit is not. Many people, however, don't
realize that there is a difference between the two animals and think that
"hare" is another name for "rabbit", so the mistake is understandable.
Now mind you, if you can't find somebody selling hares, I would assume that
rabbit would be the closest alternative if you want to cook "hare" for a
feast.
Brangwayna Morgan (previously known as Bronwyn Morgan o Aberystwyth; changing
my name in quest of increased authenticity.)
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