Ortolan Bunting - Gastronomy

Gastronomy

For centuries, a rite of passage for French gourmets has been the eating of the Ortolan. These tiny birds—captured alive, force-fed, then drowned in Armagnac—were roasted whole and eaten that way, bones and all, while the diner draped his head with a linen napkin to preserve the precious aromas and, some believe, to hide from God.

— The Wine Spectator

However The Wine Spectator was wrong in saying the birds are force fed (as it is impractical to do with such a niche market and the creatures' size). Instead the ortolan is placed in a dark box with millet, and as a natural reaction to darkness it proceeds to eat continuously. Also saying that diners drape their head with a napkin to 'hide from God' as if they were doing something shameful is incorrect, as it is actually to hide the mess, inevitably made while eating a bird in a single bite, from your fellow dinners as a courtesy.

One way French diners ate ortolans was to cover their heads and face with a large napkin for the gourmet's aesthetic desire to absorb the maximum odour with the flavor. This famous use of the towel was launched by a priest, a friend of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.

At one time, the island of Cyprus formed a chief depot for the exportation of ortolans, which were pickled in spices and vinegar and packed in casks containing from 300 to 400 each. In the early 20th century, from 400 to 500 casks were annually exported from Cyprus.

In the 1958 film Gigi, Gigi attends a luncheon with her Great Aunt Alicia as part of her instruction in the life of a courtesan. Ortolan are served as the main course, and the young girl struggles to eat the meal and answer a series of questions put to her by her demanding instructor.

François Mitterrand's last meal included this specially prepared bird which was illegal to prepare and eat at that time.

Anthony Bourdain describes the eating of ortolans in the opening to his 2010 book Medium Raw.

In 1975, food critic Craig Claiborne made a winning $300 bid in an auction for a dinner for two, courtesy of American Express, at any restaurant in the world that takes its credit card. Claiborne selected Chez Denis in Paris for a $4000 meal that included a course of ortolans.