After theEscargot (And perhaps even before that), frogs are undoubtedly the most controversial delicacy of French cuisine. The French probably began eating them during the 11th century, when the church permitted them as a substitute for meat during Lent, and frogs reached the height of their culinary popularity in the early 20th century, when the famous chef Escoffier began serving them in his restaurants.
Those who live in the south of France rarely see frogs on the menu because they need a cool, humid area to reproduce. Therefore, if you feel like feasting your heart out on a dish of frogs, it is recommended to go to the Vosges region in northeastern France, where nature has blessed mountains, rivers, and thousands of bodies of water where frogs, considered to be the tastiest in France, live. There, in the city of Vital, known primarily for its mineral water, the Frog Festival is held on the first and last day of April, organized by the “Brotherhood of Foot Tasters,” during which about 7 tons of frogs are eaten.
Vital's Frog Festival
https://youtu.be/19f8pz3mxEY
The festival was conceived by Rene Clement, a restaurateur and frog farm owner in 1972, who earned the nickname “Rene the Frog” for his work. Legend has it that it all started when Rene discovered that during the spring frogs had “taken over” his pond. Unlike the ancient Egyptians, Rene did not lose his temper but began to hunt the frogs with great vigor and sell their fried legs with French fries to the city’s residents. Word of the delicacy spread throughout France And after thousands of people began flocking to the city to fill their stomachs with plump frog legs, Rene decided to create the festival. In the early years of the festival, only local frogs were served, but water pollution and European Union regulations hit the region's frog farming industry, necessitating the importation of frogs from Asia and shortening the festival from four days to two.
Few people I know would be willing to taste a frog, but almost everyone is curious to know what it tastes like. I personally had the opportunity to taste frog legs once in my life in the city of Nantes in Brittany. The frog legs looked like chicken wings and they even smelled like them, but to my surprise when I tasted them they tasted… like fish. I haven’t had the opportunity to taste this dish since, which has become relatively rare in France, so if you have, please share your experience in the comments below.
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