Ortolan. The illegal luxury delicacy

Illegal since 1999, Ortolans are meant to be eaten feet-first and in one bite, and you’re meant to eat everything except for the beak. So bones, guts, insides, everything Diners traditionally put a napkin over their head before eating, supposedly to keep in all the aromas of the dish and partly to disguise you having to spit out some of the bigger bones I suppose.
Historically though the reason they covered their head and face was because people eating Ortolan wanted to hide their shame of eating such a beautiful creature from the eyes of God.”
#orlotan #illegal #luxuryfood #luxury
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[@tarionmarsden157]

I learned about this from American dad

[@freeman3061]

sam o nella

[@andrewzhan5207]

yes

[@SlinkVI]

This is the single most English video I’ve ever seen on KZbin.

[@naelocklear2730]

For French haute cuisine to be so elite, elegant, luxurious, prestigious, fine, etc., the preparation of foods such as foie gras and ortolans is some of the most savage, barbaric, uncivilized and heinous sadism I've ever heard tell of. Hunting for food is one thing, but there is no elegance whatsoever in this level of culinary debauchery.

[@sammoneyy]

Very eloquently presented! Thank you

[@LuxuryAcademy]

Thanks Sam!

[@sharongtoddlifestyleandfas5361]

What an interesting topic, I never knew about Ortolan birds and the cruelty involved in bringing them on to a menu! Nonetheless it was interesting to listen to you explaining about them and I would certainly pass if they were on any menu! 😊

[@LuxuryAcademy]

isn't it horrendous!

[@Stevelemontrudy]

Rich people are the worst.

[@MegaPlexy]

Yes, it's like child abuse at cocaine party.

[@thegoblinspeaks]

it's the ritual aspect of it that disgusts me

[@TheAnxietyCloset]

According to Anthony Bourdain in his book "Medium Raw", apparently, they don't drown or blind ortolan anymore -- a dark box and supposedly, the whiff of armangac (along with being engorged). Do agree with you though that the conservation of ortolan must take precedence and this luxury black market for ortolan is yet another blow to endangered species.

[@LuxuryAcademy]

Unfortunately as long as their is a market and as long as their are no consequences for eating the bird, the black market will continue unhindered

[@MrTehRave]

Very informative video. As a side note you are incredibly relaxing to listen to. Rare to find someone so well spoken. Subbed :)

[@Desi365]

It has nothing to do with the taste of it. It's a sort of ritual for decadent, privileged people, It was about power, club exclusivity, secretsocieties, all the weird antics surrounding it serve this mythology.

[@LuxuryAcademy]

Yes exactly, you're absolutely correct

[@blacksciencechocolate8984]

Please 🙄... french don't reasoning in that kind of childish way. In France, it's the taste how make the price, not the opposite (as it is too far common in anglo countries...) So yes, this is its taste and the tricky method to obtain it that make ortolan's price.

[@Desi365]

Non, sans blague ? Ecoute, t'es pas obligé de parler de ce que tu connais pas, d'accord ? T'as aussi le choix de rien dire, tu vois...

[@xykelseyyy222]

@@Desi365 you are correct, dont argue with people who will never understand . Those who know, know.

[@lepetitchat123]

Dali loved it

[@phillip357]

Reminds me of the filipino dish balut Thank you for the video

[@LuxuryAcademy]

You're right, it does remind you of Balut doesn't it!

[@ronin1232]

Balut, always wanted to try that. Have you?

[@phillip357]

@@ronin1232 when I was in the Philippines I saw my relatives eating it, but I couldn’t bring myself too try lol. I hear it’s affordable and high in protein so that’s why people like it there.

[@blbkyne]

the human cruelty at its finest...

[@LuxuryAcademy]

In many ways yes you're right.

[@DeltaDusky]

It's super tasty though. If you ever find yourself in the north end of London, reach out to me. I'll introduce you to this delicacy.

[@LuxuryAcademy]

I'm not sure I could bring myself to eat it if I'm honest.

[@jordanwashington4662]

@@DeltaDusky I should do that to you since it’s gonna be super tasty it might be worth it. I mean your not Afraid to eat dead animals so you must not be afraid to di

[@DeltaDusky]

@@jordanwashington4662 Well, Jordan, what you're describing is cannibalism, which is frowned upon here in the North end. I do appreciate the effort though, very hospitable of you 😁

[@lepetitchat123]

I was fascinated by ortolans after seeing the film musical Gigi, which showed how to eat the bird properly

[@user-vd6yd2iv8t]

Спасибо за подробное объяснение. До сегодняшнего дня даже и не знала о таком варварском отношении к маленькой птичке. Если уж человек ест мясо, пусть выращивает его для себя и умерщвляет животное с благодарностью и уважением. Но от этой малютки, даже пользы, в насыщении тела, никакой! Просто ритуал какой-то вырисовывается. 😢

[@fluffytoaster2099]

My french teacher told me about this some years ago

[@HeLIEl]

I am watching the scene on Billions rightnow and i wanted to look up the bird and it led me to your video

[@LuxuryAcademy]

😂

[@HeLIEl]

@@LuxuryAcademy Great show so far. Learning all of the business and trading practices even how they be blackmailing each other.

[@nellymesik9851]

I got to know about the otolan from call od duty world war 2

[@simonkoeman3310]

I'd still try it

[@tarionmarsden157]

Imagine if vips from squid game eating an ortolan like dish? I cannot.

[@e.jenima7263]

I dont know..I kindda want to try them , but out of guilt aside from hiding my shame from god it probably decide to have a few caught for me and be kept as pets.

[@w.loczykij5354]

What's horrific is the mint jelly goat or some such. Haggies anyone?

[@angelface925]

I think if we can 'normalize' the bird, it would lose it's exclusivity. If they were raised on farms only for consumption, it would lose the exclusivity. Much as adolescent recreational use of marijuana in the US has dropped where it has been legalized. Imagine Gucci being sold at Walmart! Ethically, I don't believe animals should have to suffer before they are slaughtered. Maybe a bit of something that would knock them out so they would be unconscious for the drowning? I'm not educated about medicine regarding birds, but doesn't seem to difficult. That's what America does to prisoners sentenced to lethal injection. They're sedated and then their heart is stopped. Personally, I don't have an urge to eat any. I'd much rather have a steak! Good job on this! Very informative and well put together!

[@LuxuryAcademy]

I think it has more to do with how they're prepared and eaten. They're drowned alive in brandy!

[@angelface925]

@@LuxuryAcademy you're correct... Didn't think that one through... Well, they boil lobsters alive. Ortolan: the new lobster! 🙃

[@LuxuryAcademy]

Also barbaric!

[@copheart]

The bird needs to be alive for the drowning because it inhales the Armagnac into its lungs which gives it it's flavor when you eat it whole. The whole things is just pretentious and weird.

[@LuxuryAcademy]

@@copheart I would tend to agree

[@joshuabrumback9681]

Sounds like a great appetizer for seal. I don't care. Seals look like delicious sea piggies and if sailors world club them far and wide into extension to the extent they did. Then they must taste absolutely wonderful

[@csickpuppy]

They don’t club the baby seals for the meat, they kill them for the fur but unless you’re from some parallel universe, I suspect you knew that already.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

You should try living with any Inuit community up in Northern Canada. Their diet still consists of seal. Fun fact, seal meat has vitamin C in it...

[@conger34]

I think More cruel, is maybe the way of eating live animals in China (Fish, Chinese lobster, octopus…)

[@LuxuryAcademy]

Yes they eat some of the alive don't they!

[@marcwinkle3054]

No different than fatting chicken to 3 times their normal size, same as cattle! God said "arise and Eat!"

[@spierslp]

I’d try it

[@damienleimbach6574]

hunting and serving wild ortolans should be illegal if the species is at risk, but if they were farm grown like chickens, then their consumption would have no effect on the wild population.

[@gregoryambres1897]

Your diction is sweet balsam.

[@LuxuryAcademy]

😂 thank you

[@twen7yseven]

Surely it can be prepared without such barbarity and in such a way that doesn’t push them to extinction.

[@naushaddossani6555]

I got here while researching this illegal luxurious cuisine, after seeing it in the show, BILLIONS ,, the chef in that scene tells the same story about this bird, Ortolan ,, I too agree, it's a cruel way of cooking this bird and if it's getting extinct, good that hunting, serving in restaurants and eating them is banned 😊

[@monto39]

I was obsessed for years with finding these small game birds that are eaten guts and all. I went to a French cooking school in NYC in the mid 90's, and I was able to find illegally imported truffles, a fresh young raw milk cheese + absinthe (which was then illegal in the US) - but never these birds (I'd have happily settled for frozen). A few years later I worked in Philly and the Chef used bring in 50-150 woodcock once a year, that they trapped in Canada. We'd post a lookout for the health dept. while we all plucked them and prepped em for freezing. I was able to a eat a Woodcock a good few times, and Chef Larbi showed me how to prepare an excellent Madeira/truffle sauce finished w/the entrails (treated like a hare stew thickened with blood). BUT...today is finally the first time I've seen the image of a roasted Ortolan. Now I've got to get my hands on some!!

[@smi2le4ever]

it was VERY hard to get through this pretentious guys video, and Im a HUGE Frasier fan mind you.

[@hizurumegumi5727]

The birds are considered least concern at the moment

[@aditisk99]

So? Doesn't mean they should be consumed again.

[@hizurumegumi5727]

@@aditisk99 I agree yes, they shouldn’t be eaten

[@thlee3]

i want to try

[@Mortum_Rex]

Foie Gras is still worse.

[@LukePackenham]

Fair statement

[@dutch_asocialite]

>extremely fat songbird >size of my thumb >marinated in brandy and roasted >eaten whole in one go >only made illegal for conservation efforts, not for any ethics or lack thereof >probably costs 500 monies God I want to try it so bad 😭

[@joaoportesantava1412]

I do not agree at all of horrifying! Horrifying is what the democrats do to this world! I’m a chef and what they do to pugs is worst

[@fc2rs]

of course a democract conspiracy theorist would disagree that drowning and eating a small songbird is horrifying. Appropriately characteristic.

[@ronin1232]

I'm playing devil's advocate here. Did not God say that man is dominion over all animals? God did condone the slaughter of animals to please him, no? Then... God drowned much of humanity and animals at some point in history, didn't God"?

[@LuxuryAcademy]

Well I suppose your viewpoint would very much depend on whether you believe God to be real or a human construct wouldn't it. 😋

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

Counterpoint: the Old Testament book of the Bible (along with the Jewish Torah and the Islamic Quran) laid out guidelines and rules as to how to kill animals for food, all of them saying that the killing should be quick and painless. Also, Noah made God promise not to flood the Earth again after making a sacrifice in honor of God...