Why is ortolan eaten under a napkin?

Ortolan is a traditional French delicacy that is eaten in a very particular way – under a napkin or towel that covers the diner’s head. This unique dining custom has its origins in French culinary history and etiquette. Ortolan eating involves a specific ritual that enhances the gastronomic experience.

What is ortolan?

Ortolan is a small songbird that is found in Europe. It is a protected species in many countries due to declining numbers. However, in France, there was a long tradition of capturing, force-feeding and drowning ortolans in Armagnac to produce a dish considered the height of gourmandise. The French government banned ortolan hunting and consumption in 1999 due to the drastic decline in numbers. The ban is not strictly enforced and some restaurateurs still offer ortolan on the black market.

These tiny birds weigh around 1 ounce each and offer very little in terms of actual meat. The allure of ortolan is in the complex flavors produced by the force-feeding process and the unique ritual that has developed around their consumption.

History of ortolan consumption

References to ortolan consumption in France date back centuries. In the 17th century, Grimod de la Reynià ̈re wrote about the proper preparation and eating of ortolans. The practice of covering one’s head with a napkin to shade the delicate aromas and flavors while eating ortolan dates from this period. The napkin also captures the bird’s aroma as one crunches through the delicate bones.

Ortolan was popularized by the French food writer Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in the early 19th century when he included it in his book The Physiology of Taste as the ultimate in luxurious foods. According to Brillat-Savarin, the tiny songbird should be consumed whole, with only the beak removed, to fully enjoy its sensory pleasures. His writing contributed to the aura of decadence and excess that became associated with ortolan.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ortolan was a dish limited to France’s wealthiest culinary circles. Aristocrats and the upper bourgeoisie, particularly in southwestern France, would hold ortolan dinners and parties where the tiny birds were consumed in an elaborate ritual. These events became associated with excess and indulgence.

Preparation and cooking

The preparation for eating ortolan is lengthy and complex, contributing to its status as a luxury ingredient.

The details vary by region, but generally:

• The bird is captured live and then drowned whole in Armagnac. This helps impart flavor and can make the flesh more tender.
• It is plucked and gutted, often roasted or braised with Madà ̈re wine and aromatics like thyme and shallots.
• The bird is then cooked again, usually roasted a second time.

Other flavorings like peppers, truffles, or foie gras are sometimes inserted under the skin. The preparation enhances the bird’s natural flavors and creates complex aromatic profiles.

The ortolan ritual

The unique and elaborate ritual of eating ortolan has contributed to its allure as a forbidden luxury.

Traditionally, it is consumed:

• In a darkened room, allowing the diner to concentrate on the sensory experience
• Placed on a napkin over the diner’s head, capturing aromas
• Eaten whole, bones and all
• With no more than one ortolan per person
• Using the hands and fingers rather than cutlery
• Accompanied by a glass of Sauternes or Barsac wine

The combination of aromas, textures, flavors, and the secrecy of eating under a shrouded napkin creates a mystical, indulgent experience. The crunch of bones and intensity of flavors are part of the experience.

Why eat under a napkin?

Eating ortolan under a napkin serves several purposes that enhance the experience:

• Capturing aromas: The bird releases an intense aroma as it is eaten. The napkin traps those ephemeral aromas for the diner to savor.
• Focusing attention: Eating in darkness under the shrouded napkin forces diners to concentrate fully on the flavors, textures and aromas of the delicacy.
• Maintaining secrecy: Historically, ortolan was an elite indulgence. Dining under a napkin allowed the eater to keep the forbidden experience private and secretive.
• Connecting to tradition: The napkin ritual has been part of ortolan dining for centuries. It connects diners to the food’s history and culture.

The combination creates an intimate, multi-sensory experience that allows the diner to fully appreciate the rare flavors and aromas of ortolan.

Rituals and meaning

The traditional rituals around eating ortolan give it layers of meaning beyond gastronomy.

Some perspectives on the cultural implications include:

• It was seen as a badge of honor for wealthy gastronomes to eat this rare delicacy.
• The elaborate preparation and rituals elevated ortolan above common nourishment into the realm of philosophical experience.
• Eating under a shrouded napkin added notes of mystery, secrecy and intimacy.
• Consuming such a rare and indulgent ingredient was an unabashed statement of excess and decadence.

However, as awareness of endangered songbird species grew in the late 20th century, the traditional ortolan eating customs became controversial.

Some view the rituals surrounding ortolan as outdated culinary relics that are at odds with modern ethics regarding animal rights and conservation. Critics argue that the killing methods and indulgent consumption practices should no longer have a place in contemporary gastronomy.

Nevertheless, the ortolan eating tradition holds an important place in France’s culinary history and literature. The ritualized dining customs reflect how food can become intertwined with cultural identity. So while ortolan consumption is now rare, its rituals are an acknowledged part of France’s culinary patrimony.

Rarity in modern times

Since the French ban on hunting and selling ortolan in 1999, availability has been limited. France temporarily lifted the ban in the early 2000s which led to imports of caged birds from Eastern Europe. This remains controversial but demonstrates that the delicacy still has a certain mystique.

Ortolan can still be found illegally on some French menus, usually for hundreds of euros per bird. The high prices and difficulty of sourcing the banned ingredients have made ortolan meals extremely rare. This has added to the aura of transgression and luxury surrounding the dish.

A few traditional French chefs have kept the ortolan custom alive, preparing the birds through rare providers, sometimes for special events or private dining clubs. These rare ortolan meals follow similar rituals to tradition – napkins covering diners’ heads, correct wines pairing, and concentrating fully on the sensory experience. For those participating, it maintains the sense of indulgence and connection to culinary history.

Substitutes and alternatives

With ortolans nearly extinct in France outside of wildlife areas, chefs have tried to recreate the dish’s flavors and textures using alternative legal ingredients.

Substitutes for ortolan include:

These are cooked and prepared in similar ways to traditional ortolan to try to mimic the original flavors. Chefs may wrap quail or other small birds in caul fat to replicate the mouthfeel of ortolan. The dining rituals are recreated with diners eating under napkins and savoring the sensations.

While ortolan alternatives lack the forbidden indulgence of the rare original, they allow chefs to demonstrate their skills and connect to food history. The continued interest shows how potent the aura of luxury and rarity surrounding ortolan remains, even when substitutions are necessary.

Controversy and ethics

The traditional method of producing ortolan fueled controversy in France as awareness grew around the 21st century.

Criticisms of ortolan preparation include:

• The songbirds are endangered and hunting them is illegal in many European countries.
• The typical process of capturing, force-feeding and drowning live birds is considered unethical and cruel by many.
• The indulgent consumption ritual conflicts with modern sensibilities around conservation and animal welfare.

As a result, France eventually banned the commercial sale and hunting of ortolans. But enforcement has been inconsistent. The high prices and demand for rare ortolan meals probably still puts pressure on wild songbird populations according to conservation groups.

Some opinions on the ethics and controversies around ortolan:

• The hunting and consumption should be allowed to continue under strict quotas as part of France’s culinary heritage.
• The preparation process needs higher animal welfare standards even if small numbers are allowed.
• The traditional methods are outdated and unethical – commercial sale and hunting should be comprehensively banned.
• As a fatally indulgent dish, ortolan has no place in modern, progressive gastronomy.
• Diners participating in ortolan meals enable unethical and illegal activities.

The ethics are debatable but it’s clear that diners and chefs engage in a certain amount of deliberative ignorance around ortolan’s preparation. The aura of transgressive luxury is part of its enduring appeal.

Conclusion

The custom of eating ortolan under a napkin has its roots in an old French culinary tradition once limited to aristocratic circles. The elaborate preparation and consumption ritual became associated with luxury, decadence and rarity. The napkin helps capture ephemeral aromas, concentrate the dining experience and connect to history.

However, the hunting and cooking methods involved in traditional ortolan meals do not align with modern environmental and ethical attitudes. Its current illegal and rare status continues to give this tiny songbird an aura of indulgence and mystique. But diners and chefs arguably have a responsibility to move away from outdated traditions that depend on practices many see as unethical and harmful to endangered species.