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Friday 18 May 2012

Rabbit wings?


I don't usually find cookery books puzzling, but this recipe had me scratching my head. Did rabbits have wings a mere two centuries ago? Sounds tasty enough anyway.

To dress Rabbets to look like Moor-Game

Take a young rabbet, when it is cased cut off the wings and the head; leave to neck of your rabbet as long as you can; when you case it you must leave on the feet, pull off the skin, leave on the claws, so double your rabbet and skewer it like a fowl; put a skewer at the bottom through the legs and neck, and tie it with a string, it will prevent it flying open; when you dish it up make the same sauce as you would for partridges. Three are enough for one dish.
English Housewifery by Elizabeth Moxon, thirteenth edition - 1790.

4 comments:

Sam Vega said...

Maybe they used to be delivered with the hawk still attached?

A K Haart said...

Sam - could be, but they don't mention plucking it first.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps it was an alchemical rabbet, and those in the know understood it was actually a peacock.

A K Haart said...

Roger - I think you are on to something. An alchemical cross breed?