This morning, I read about a fascinating (and kind of really disgusting) dish once served in France. The Ortolan is a bird in the bunting family and is native to Europe and some parts of western Asia. It is prepared and eaten as such:

You catch the ortolan with a net spread up in the forest canopy. Take it alive. Take it home. Poke out its eyes and put it in a small cage. Force-feed it oats and millet and figs until it has swollen to four times its normal size. Drown it in brandy. Roast it whole, in an oven at high heat, for six to eight minutes. Bring it to the table. Place a cloth—a napkin will do—over your head to hide your cruelty from the sight of God. Put the whole bird into your mouth, with only the beak protruding from your lips. Bite. Put the beak on your plate and begin chewing, gently. You will taste three things: First, the sweetness of the flesh and fat. This is God. Then, the bitterness of the guts will begin to overwhelm you. This is the suffering of Jesus. Finally, as your teeth break the small, delicate bones and they begin to lacerate your gums, you will taste the salt of your own blood, mingling with the richness of the fat and the bitterness of the organs. This is the Holy Spirit, the mystery of the Trinity—three united as one. It is cruel. And beautiful. According to Claude Souvenir, chewing the ortolan takes approximately 15 minutes.

The napkin and references to the Catholic Trinity might be one interpretation. I’ve also read that the napkin’s purpose over the head is to retain the aromas released from the bird as it is chewed, so that the nose can fully appreciate them.

Since the bird is endangered, eating ortolan is illegal. Supposedly, former French president François Mitterrand was secretly served one in 1996 as part of his dying wish. I’ll pass.