Roast hedgehog

[Morten]

I found this articled on timesonline.co.uk

Good old-fashioned British cooking, for most of us, means turkey at Christmas or perhaps fish and chips.

Nettle pudding, roast hedgehog and fish-gut sauce are less likely to feature on a list of traditional favourites.

Yet these are among the earliest delicacies our countrymen tucked into, according to researchers who traced Britain’s culinary history using evidence from recipe books to archaeological artefacts.

timesonline.co.uk

As im a history buff too, i found it interesting to read about a little about how food develops.

Im not certain that a roasted hedgehog would be a headline creating dish if made today

[Kouign Aman]

Can you see it in court times, with all the skin carefully stretched back over, each spine in place, for service?

Its right up there with the 4&20 blackbirds.

[Daniel Rogov]

Not so much a question of history and/or archeology but one of culture. Hedgehogs are still valued fare among many on the Greek mainland as well as among the Bedouins of North Africa, Jordan, Syria and Israel. And small songbirds remain exceedingly popular country fare throughout parts of Greece, Turkey and Corsica.

And don't knock prairie dogs either. Delicious fare when grilled.

[Malkavian]

Am I right in thinking european hedgehogs are a bit larger than the ones you see in the pet trade?

I also just had this image of each place setting having a little hedgehog belly up in some strange serving apparatus like a cross between an egg cup and a colander.

Edited September 15, 2007 by Malkavian (log)

[maher]

Daniel is right. the bedouins of the Middle East have hunted hedgehogs in this region to extinction. Their meat is supposedly quite sweet tasting.

[StInGeR]

Personally, I prefer roast Koala

[DerekW]

Regarding hedgehog spines: I recall reading that one traditional method of cooking involved thickly coating the hedgepig in clay and baking it in the embers of the fire. On removing the cooked animal from the ashes one cracked open the clay shell and the spines remained embedded. Pity that the animals are so scarce; I imagine them to be good campfire finger food.

[The Old Foodie]

There is another type of "hedgehog" in early cookbooks (not 6000 years ago of course) - a type of meatloaf or sometimes a pudding stuck with almonds to represent spines. More politically correct nowadays - although PC-ness was hardly an issue centuries ago.

Edited September 18, 2007 by The Old Foodie (log)

[broadway]

According to my dog they are excellent sport and are easy to catch, but its a bit difficult to know what to do with them next.

[Domestic Goddess]

Broadway - your dog looks like he's saying "I was only playing with it, Mom".

[ellencho]

I have a feeling timesonline is going to get a lot of angry letters from hedgehog lovers about this recipe. However, unless you live in an area that is abundant in hedgehogs, I can't imagine that most cooks would be willing to pay hundreds of pounds for such a small amount of meat.

[broadway]

Broadway - your dog looks like he's saying "I was only playing with it, Mom".

←

Maybe, I think he he saying "it's nothing to with me dad".