Since rabbits reproduce quickly, easy to raise, and so nutritious, why don't Americans eat more rabbits?!
Almost always, he would be followed by a band of local kids, curious to watch what he did. It was like a street theatre performance for us kids!
The local housewives rushed out to buy one or two freshly killed rabbits. He would skin the rabbit carcass on the spot, and wrap it in newspaper for his customer, with a smile!
Times do change, lol.
Back then, rabbits were considered a 'poor person's food', as were ingredients such as offal (tripe, liver, etc). We ate them because they were cheap and easy to get, and because we still had a very 'English' style of cuisine, not yet influenced by the cuisine that came with the post war greek and italian immigration.
As our society became more wealthy, these meats were rejeced in favour of steak and lamb. And the introduction of myxomatosis into the Australian rabbit population to control the numbers in the wild stopped people buying rabbit as food almost totally, unless they raised their own.
Meats such as rabbit and venison have a stronger, 'gamier' taste which is not in line with modern tastes, so whether they ever become popular again is doubtful.
Cheers :-)
Answers: When I was a child, I remember the "Rabbit-o" in his blood stained canvas apron wheeling a hand cart, draped with rabbit carcasses, down the street where my grandmother lived.
Almost always, he would be followed by a band of local kids, curious to watch what he did. It was like a street theatre performance for us kids!
The local housewives rushed out to buy one or two freshly killed rabbits. He would skin the rabbit carcass on the spot, and wrap it in newspaper for his customer, with a smile!
Times do change, lol.
Back then, rabbits were considered a 'poor person's food', as were ingredients such as offal (tripe, liver, etc). We ate them because they were cheap and easy to get, and because we still had a very 'English' style of cuisine, not yet influenced by the cuisine that came with the post war greek and italian immigration.
As our society became more wealthy, these meats were rejeced in favour of steak and lamb. And the introduction of myxomatosis into the Australian rabbit population to control the numbers in the wild stopped people buying rabbit as food almost totally, unless they raised their own.
Meats such as rabbit and venison have a stronger, 'gamier' taste which is not in line with modern tastes, so whether they ever become popular again is doubtful.
Cheers :-)
maybe because no one is selling them in stores
Because many people here consider them to be PETS.
There ARE people here that eat rabbit, though.
It's true: there would be more people (in Middle America) eating rabbit if rabbit was more readily available. Not counting rabbits that are harvested by independent hunters, you very rarely see rabbit on an American dinner table.
Around here (middle of Pennsylvania), we have three major grocery stores in the neighborhood. One of them is Wegman's, and they have recently (last year) begun carrying "farmed" rabbit regularly. It's cleaned and dressed, just as a chicken would be. The other two supermarkets haven't carried rabbit at all.
I think people have come to think of rabbits as "cute" and "cuddly", so much so that they're put off by the idea of eating them. But I do agree that they are tasty, high in protein and other nutrients, and economically priced---about the same as beef; and the price would come down considerably if the demand/production went up.
well i have seen them in grocery stores.. but not very many.. and some people do eat them.. but mostly they are pets.. cute fuzzy little Bunny's.. hard to eat one when you think of how gentle they are...and there is not much meat on them.. but then again there is not much meat on a squirrel.. but people will eat that little rodent as well..my bf likes lamb..i prefer the cow or chicken my self
They are not easy to raise. They fight and turn on humans quickly, more so than you think. They spray that smells worse than a male un-neutered cat.
Because it's like eating yours or someones pet. There's tons of dogs in the world too, but you probably wouldnt consider eating one of them. It's simply, just not right!
That is an excellent question. I myself like rabbit and I used to buy it in the grocery, although it was frozen. I cannot find it in the stores anymore, but my brother-in-law raises them now. I think the reason that grocery stores don't carry them is because many Americans have never tried rabbit and the stores could not make a profit. However, there may be someone in your area that raises rabbits, either privately or on a farm. I would look into it.
Many people of european decent do still eat rabbit but many grocery stores don't carry it. the "old fashion" groceries do carry it and will order it for you if you ask. many "new age" cooks don't know the old ways of cooking so they don't know how to prepare rabbit. here's some recipes that will help.
Rabbit in Squazet with Polenta
CONIGLIO IN SQUAZET CON POLENTA
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
1 roaster rabbit ( 3-4 pounds)
? cup olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 slices bacon, diced
3 bay leaves
4 sage leaves
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
4 whole cloves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ? tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
Directions: Cut (or have your butcher cut) the rabbit into eight pieces or buy deboned rabbit and cut into 1 ?” cubes - for deboned rabbit cooking time is 25 minutes.
In a large, nonreactive casserole, heat the olive oil and add the onion, bacon, herbs and cloves. Sauté over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until the onion is wilted, about 3 minutes.
Season the rabbit pieces with salt and pepper, add them to the casserole, and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Add the tomato paste and mix to coat the rabbit. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the casserole. Add the stock and simmer, half-covered, over moderate heat until the sauce is well reduced and the rabbit is cooked through, about 40 minutes.
Remove the rabbit pieces and strain the sauce. Serve the rabbit and its pan sauce with polenta.
Farmer Style Rabbit
Coniglio Contadino
SERVES 6
Southern Italians are very fond of country-style rabbit dishes. In Sorrento, you begin the preparation for the following dish by making a visit to the market to pick out a fresh rabbit. Then it must be cleaned, cut into pieces, and soaked to remove some of its gaminess.
We do not have the same demand for rabbit as in Italy, but if you can find it fresh rather then frozen, you will be surprised at how delicate this dish is.
2 pounds rabbit pieces
? pound pancetta or salt pork, diced
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 ? cups coarsely chopped onions
? cup King Arthur? Unbleached, All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or teaspoon dried
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine, preferably Soave
3 tablespoons Colavita? Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup shelled fresh peas
Place the rabbit pieces in a bowl and add cold water to cover. Add the lemon juice and refrigerate, covered, overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Remove the rabbit pieces from the water and dry well. Combine the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and lightly flour the rabbit pieces.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the rabbit pieces and brown them on all sides. Add the pancetta or salt pork and sauté for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the rosemary and remove from heat.
Spread the onions in the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange the rabbit pieces, with pancetta or salt pork, on top. Add the wine, peas, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes, or until the rabbit pieces are tender.
Serve in the baking dish or transfer the rabbit to a serving platter and spoon the vegetables and pan juices over.
Spanish Rabbit Stew
4 slices bacon, diced
1 large rabbit, cut into 68 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onion
4 tablespoons slivered garlic
1/2 cup blanched almonds, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup dry sherry
Butter to thicken sauce
Toasted sliced almonds for garnish
Heat a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook the bacon until it is brown and crisp, about 7 minutes. Remove bacon to drain on paper towels.
Season the rabbit with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining bacon fat and sear the rabbit pieces until golden on all sides, turning often, about 56 minutes. Lift out the rabbit pieces and reserve. Add the onion to the pan and saute until the onions are soft and caramelized, about 57 minutes. Add the garlic, almonds, cinnamon, red pepper flakes and salt, and cook until the aromas are released, about 1 minute. Add the wine and reduce by half.
Add the stock, browned rabbit pieces, browned bacon and bay leaves. Cook, covered, until rabbit is fork tender, about 1 hour.
Carefully lift out the rabbit pieces and transfer to a serving platter. Add the sherry to the sauce along with enough butter to thicken the sauce, whisking until the butter is incorporated. Pour the sauce over the warm rabbit pieces and garnish with toasted sliced almonds.
Vegetable Paella with Chorizo and Rabbit
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup olive oil
1 (2-pound) rabbit, cut into 2-inch pieces (on the bone)
1/4 pound sweet chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 scallions, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
8 mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup frozen lima beans
1/2 cup frozen organic peas
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
Salt
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
3 cups short-grain rice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Combine the stock, saffron, and wine in a saucepan, and bring to a boil while cooking the meat and vegetables.
Heat the olive oil in a wide paella pan set over two burners. Add the rabbit pieces and cook until lightly browned all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer rabbit to a plate and keep warm.
Add chorizo to pan and cook about 3 minutes. Add all of the vegetables, except the tomatoes and garlic, and saute until vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.
Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, and paprika, and saute 1 minute to release the aromas. Add the rice, toss to coat it with the vegetables, and stir in the parsley.
Preheat an oven to 350degrees F.
Add the hot broth to the pan. Boil for 5 to 10 minutes, or until some of the liquid reduces. (Paella should have just enough liquid to cook rice, but not be soupy). Stir in the reserved rabbit pieces, and adjust seasonings.
Transfer paella pan to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until rice is almost cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Remove paella from oven, cover loosely, and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
hope these help. enjoy.