from Hacker News

Eating the Birds of America: Audubon's Culinary Reviews of America's Birds

by Morizero on 8/26/24, 4:55 PM with 95 comments

• by KineticLensman on 8/26/24, 7:16 PM

  Why stop at birds? The Victorian William Buckland [0] had a personal mission to eat one of every kind of animal in existence. He was also appointed Dean of Westminster and, like Charles Darwin, belonged to the Glutton Club. Mice on toast were a particular favourite, apparently.

  [0] https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/26/victorian-zoologis...

• by burcs on 8/26/24, 5:56 PM

  Of course our national bird would be "veal in taste and tenderness." The Bald Eagle truly is the modern day forbidden fruit.

• by jihadjihad on 8/26/24, 6:25 PM

  I'm reminded of the Ortolan Bunting, a bird prized in French cuisine and with a most unforgettable method of preparation and consumption.

  They're caught with nets, force-fed with grain, drowned in Armagnac, seasoned, and then cooked in their own fat. When you eat one, you hold onto its head and place it feet-first into your mouth, all while wearing a towel or napkin on your head to "shield from God's eyes the shame of such a decadent and disgraceful act" [0].

  0: https://web.archive.org/web/20210303221803/https://www.teleg...

• by alnwlsn on 8/26/24, 6:13 PM

  from Wikipedia - "Carolina parakeets were probably poisonous – Audubon noted that cats apparently died from eating them, and they are known to have eaten the toxic seeds of cockleburs."

  Interesting that this apparently didn't stop him from eating one.

• by simonw on 8/26/24, 8:59 PM

  My partner works in conservation and goes to a lot of wildlife conferences. One of her favourite ice-breaker questions is "have you ever eaten your study animal?"

• by federalfarmer on 8/26/24, 6:29 PM

  We did some pest control on the farm this year and thinned out the pigeon population. A delicious bird, tasted like steak. I understand why they remain a delicacy in France and Vietnam.

  A shame that some of these less delectable birds are still extinct.

  Thanks for sharing!

• by office_drone on 8/26/24, 6:26 PM

  > When they feed on grasshoppers and strawberries, Upland Sandpipers are “truly delicious.”

  In our era where foodies exist and some number of them have effectively no spending limit, I wonder if any business raises sandpipers for use in a truly rare dining experience.

• by jojohohanon on 8/27/24, 6:14 AM

  No songbirds drowned in cognac, eaten whole with a napkin over your head?

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ortolan_bunting

• by sebmellen on 8/26/24, 5:57 PM

  How interesting that Audubon, so often associated with conservation and protection of birds, was such a voracious bird consumer! Wild!

• by diegoeche on 8/26/24, 7:05 PM

  There's a graphic novel I liked about the life and work of Audubon. For anybody interested...

  Audubon, On The Wings Of The World

• by ilamont on 8/27/24, 12:14 AM

  His anecdotal observations are accurate. This entry on Canadian Geese is right on the mark based on behavior I have seen in some flocks near the St. Lawrence and Charles rivers at dusk:

  Although on these occasions they move with the greatest regularity, yet when they are slowly advancing from south to north at an early period of the season, they fly much lower, alight more frequently, and are more likely to be bewildered by suddenly formed banks of for, or by passing over cities or arms of the sea where much shipping may be in sight. On such occasions great consternation prevails amoung them, they crowd together in a confused manner, wheel irregularly, and utter a constant cackling resembling the sounds from a disconcerted mob.

  I was also unaware how long his writings on birds were - the entry about Canadian Geese is over 5000 words long:

  https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america/canada-goose

  Regarding TFA, there is a dark humor looking back on the behavior of eating practically every animal he studied - including owls, sandpipers, and eagles - but balked at a few species such as cormorants:

  The fishermen and eggers never gather their eggs, they being unfit for being eaten by any other animals than Gulls or Jagers; but they commit great havoc among the young, which they salt for food or bait. The old birds are too shy to be killed in great numbers, otherwise their feathers, although they smell strongly of fish, might be turned to account. I have never eaten Cormorant's flesh, and intend to refrain from tasting it until nothing better can be procured.

  https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america/double-crested-corm...

• by chasebank on 8/26/24, 7:17 PM

  Funny this popped up on hn. A friend of mine in Montana has been hunting crane lately. Said they’re dubbed “ribeye of the sky”. Can’t wait to try one!

• by ForOldHack on 8/26/24, 6:32 PM

  Obligatory:

  The Endangered species cook book:

  https://elizabethdemaray.org/2015/06/07/recipes-from-the-end...