Frog legs

Frogs are mainly in the kitchens of France, western Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Louisiana and the Caribbean and in general in South and East Asia and parts of Africa as a delicacy. Are mostly used only the frog legs above the hind legs with the approach of the spine of various types especially from the family of the Real frogs ( Ranidae ) and their closer relationship.

Background

The meat of the frog legs recalls in taste and consistency to that of a young chicken. In an old cookbook states: " The most tender calf meat of frogs tastes almost like that of young chickens. It is a little fatter and effeminate, but this is more pleasant as unconstitutional. The meat of frogs is tender and fine. They are best in the fall, around this time the frog is best nourished. They are ranked according to a dozen rods and sold on the market. "

The Oeconomische Encyclopedia of Johann Georg Krünitz from the 18th century also mentioned eating frogs and are corresponding recipes. Krünitz also describes the methods of hunting; usually a special crossbow was used for hunting frog, called the frog toggles. At the " funniest " but to catch frogs with a so-called Klich - fishing, in which a red cloth was used as bait was. The preparation is described below:

" Bey of the preparation of frogs for eating, cut the front part completely off, pulls the skin over the back parts from, hacket of the latter Front off, and put it on a night in cold water to it auszuwässern; then these rear quarters are fricassirt with the back, sprinkled with flour or semolina, and baked with lard, or dressed like young chickens. "

Already at this time frogs were more common in Italy and France eaten loud Krünitz than in Germany, but still in Meyers encyclopedia end of the 19th century, we read: " In southern Germany and throughout southern Europe, the legs are boiled as a tasty, easily digestible and healthy dish fried and eaten; in Italy you eaten the whole eviscerated frog ".

In Asian cuisine, for example in the Philippines or in Cambodia, frogs also be served whole and stuffed. These mixed minced pork is filled in the well-cleaned inside of the frogs, for example, with garlic, vinegar and spices that are rubbed with spices and hung out to dry in the sun. Then the frogs are fried in hot oil until they are golden brown.

Origin, buyers among the Western countries

While until the 20th century in Europe frogs were caught for consumption - namely water frogs such as Rana kl. esculenta or Pelophylax kl. esculentus - today they are mostly imported from Asia, especially wild caught from rice fields and the great outdoors, also known as frogs from breeding farms. From a formerly the seasonal trade for the respective local market, the frog legs trade has developed into a year-round and global mass market. Previously, India and Bangladesh were the main exporters, now Indonesia has taken over this role. The main customers in Europe is France with 150 million frog legs each year. Approximately 150 tons of frog legs are imported in Switzerland. 1999 in the European Union - mainly to France, Belgium and Luxembourg - 9700 tons imported frog legs. Within a year, but also, for example, six million Chinese bullfrogs ( Hoplobatrachus rugulosus ) have been shipped from Thailand to Hong Kong.

The United States imported from 1998 to 2002 nearly 15 million amphibians and over 5000 tons of wild-caught amphibians parts. Of these, 4,000 tons were used for the purpose of human consumption. The United States can thus be regarded as one of the largest importers of frog legs, about 20 percent from Asia. The most important exporter, Indonesia, led in 2002 alone, about 3800 tonnes of frog parts, mostly wild-caught. The largest buyer of Indonesian frog legs but Europe with a share of over 83 per cent of exports of this country.

Animal welfare, wildlife conservation and nature protection

Nature and animal protection organizations criticize those marked as cruel and tormenting animal slaughter methods used for consumption frogs. Often the living frog is separated on a stationary knife blade of the abdomen from the rest of the fuselage. The front unused portion of the still-living animal ( head and torso with front legs ) is usually discarded.

Another problem is the mass removal of wild frogs and toads from the landscape, the one under the aspects of species conservation, and secondly because of interference with the ecological balance. It was reported from Bangladesh on mosquito plagues occurring after he was snatched away in a big way frogs from paddy fields and wetlands. This in turn made ​​the use of large quantities of insecticides required. In India, the legal trade was adjusted with frog's legs in 1987, among other things, animal welfare and species conservation considerations. However, still exist illegal trade flows from India.

In Germany, all European species of amphibians, including all the frogs, after the Federal Species Protection Ordinance ( BArtSchV ), Appendix 1, and the Federal Nature Conservation Act ( Federal Nature Conservation Act ) " special protection ", unless they are already " strictly protected " by Federal Nature Conservation Act. Also for the grocery significant non-European species such as the cultivated farms in North American bullfrog ( Rana catesbeiana or Lithobates catesbeianus ) and the often wild-caught Asian Bullfrog (also: Tiger Frog; Hoplobatrachus term rinus ) are especially protected by Federal Nature Conservation Act. ( As another to a greater extent in the export reaching or locally traded species including the Philippines Frog, Fejervarya cancrivora, the Southeast Asian rice frog, Fejervarya limnocharis and the tooth frog, Limnonectes are macrodon to call. )

"Especially protected " means that the representatives of this kind not captured, injured or may be killed. However, the provision covers only the scope of the Act, ie Germany, from. The importation of some species is not affected if they do not, such as Hoplobatrachus term rinus, are covered by international protection as the Washington Convention.