The French Love to Eat This. Why Don’t Americans?



It remains a mystery to me why a delicious rabbit dinner, a habit in France, is such a hard sell in the United States, a meal many Americans would shy away from. This is not to say that you can’t buy rabbit here, but you don’t see it on a daily basis in butcher shops or at the supermarket.

When I lived in Paris about 10 years ago, rabbit was always in the weekly dinner rotation. Every butcher shop has rabbits, fetchingly displayed belly-side up, so shoppers can see how fresh, pink and pristine they are. (Rabbits are sold in the poultry section, but chickens there are actually more expensive.)

My favorite place to buy a rabbit in France is at the outdoor markets, where the poultry stand butchers are invariably women, with sure hands and sharp knives at the ready. Nothing gets wrapped in paper without at least a little trimming.

Quickly cutting up a rabbit is not a problem. “Avec ça?” she will ask afterward, giving you the opportunity to buy something else, some eggs, perhaps. Even if your reply is “Non, merci, Madame,” she’ll tuck a few chicken livers into a plastic bag — a little gift with purchase makes for loyal customers.

Recipe:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018651-white-wine-braised-rabbit-with-mustard
White Wine-Braised Rabbit With Mustard

Last edited by Goose (3/12/2017 7:17 pm)