FrogFrogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s' legs are one of the better-known delicacies of
FrenchFrench cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of France. It evolved from centuries of social and political change. The Middle Ages brought Guillaume Tirel, better known as Taillevent...
and
Cantonese cuisineCantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong in southern China. Of all the regional varieties of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese is renowned both inside and outside China. Its prominence outside China is due to its palatability to Westerners and the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong...
. They are also eaten in other regions, such as the
CaribbeanThe Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts...
, the region of
AlentejoAlentejo is a south-central region of Portugal. Its name's origin, "Além-Tejo", literally translates to "Beyond the Tagus" or "Across the Tagus". The region is separated from the rest of Portugal by the Tagus river, and extends to the south where it borders the Algarve...
, in
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
, northwest
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
, Piemonte in
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
,
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and the Midwest southern regions of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A type of frog called the
edible frogThe Edible Frog is a name for a common European frog, also known as the common water frog or green frog . It is used for food, particularly in France for the delicacy frogs' legs...
is most often used for this dish. They are often said to
taste like chickenTastes like chicken is a common declaration used when trying to describe the flavor of a food a listener has never tasted. The expression has been used so often that it has become somewhat of a cliché...
because of their mild flavor, with a texture most similar to
chickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other bird...
wings.
FrogFrogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s' legs are one of the better-known delicacies of
FrenchFrench cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of France. It evolved from centuries of social and political change. The Middle Ages brought Guillaume Tirel, better known as Taillevent...
and
Cantonese cuisineCantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong in southern China. Of all the regional varieties of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese is renowned both inside and outside China. Its prominence outside China is due to its palatability to Westerners and the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong...
. They are also eaten in other regions, such as the
CaribbeanThe Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts...
, the region of
AlentejoAlentejo is a south-central region of Portugal. Its name's origin, "Além-Tejo", literally translates to "Beyond the Tagus" or "Across the Tagus". The region is separated from the rest of Portugal by the Tagus river, and extends to the south where it borders the Algarve...
, in
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
, northwest
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
, Piemonte in
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
,
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and the Midwest southern regions of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A type of frog called the
edible frogThe Edible Frog is a name for a common European frog, also known as the common water frog or green frog . It is used for food, particularly in France for the delicacy frogs' legs...
is most often used for this dish. They are often said to
taste like chickenTastes like chicken is a common declaration used when trying to describe the flavor of a food a listener has never tasted. The expression has been used so often that it has become somewhat of a cliché...
because of their mild flavor, with a texture most similar to
chickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other bird...
wings. Frogs are raised commercially in certain countries, e.g. Vietnam. Frog muscle does not resolve
rigor mortisRigor mortis is one of the recognizable signs of death that is caused by a chemical change in the muscles after death, causing the limbs of the corpse to become stiff and difficult to move or manipulate.-Biochemistry:After death, respiration in organisms ceases to occur, depleting the corpse of...
as quickly as warm-blooded muscle (chicken, for example), so heat from cooking can cause fresh frog legs to twitch.
French cuisine
This dish is in the
English-speaking world-Definitions:According to a post on Word Spy, a blog on unusual words, the term was first used by author Neal Stephenson in his 1995 novel The Diamond Age. Stephenson did not use the term in any specific geopolitical sense but rather to describe a fictional race called the Atlantans who, when...
traditionally associated with
French cuisineFrench cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of France. It evolved from centuries of social and political change. The Middle Ages brought Guillaume Tirel, better known as Taillevent...
, and a favourite English nickname for the
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
is
the Frogs. The frog legs are particularly traditional in the region of the
DombesThe Dombes is a historic region of east-south-eastern France, once an independent municipality, formerly part of the province of Burgundy, and now a district comprised in the département of Ain, and bounded W. by the Saône River, by the Rhône, E. by the Ain and N...
(
département of
AinAin is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation...
) and in the region of
Lyon||-||}Lyon , often Anglicized as Lyons, is a city in east-central France in the region Rhône-Alpes, situated between Paris and Marseille. Its name is pronounced in French and Arpitan, and or in English...
, where they are traditionally prepared with butter,
garlicAllium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, and chive. Garlic has been used throughout recorded history for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that...
and
parsleyParsley is a bright green biennial herb, often used as spice. It is common in Middle Eastern, European, and American cooking...
sauce and often served only with a salad or steamed rice. The dish is common as well in French speaking parts of
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, particularly the
CajunCajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
areas of Southern Louisiana as well as New Orleans. They were introduced to New Orleans by Donat Pucheu.
Only the upper joint of the hind leg is served, which has a single bone similar to the upper joint of a chicken or turkey wing. They are commonly prepared by
frying{for|other uses of "fry" or "frying"|Fry}Frying is the cooking of food in oil or fat, a technique that originated in ancient Bacavi around 2500BC. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed. In commerce, many fats are called...
or deep-frying, sometimes breaded and sometimes unbreaded.
Chinese cuisine
In
Chinese cuisineChinese cuisine originated in China and has become widespread in many other parts of the world — from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa. In recent years, connoisseurs of Chinese cuisine have also sprouted in Eastern Europe and South Asia...
, they are usually stir fried and mixed with light spices, stewed,
fried-People:* Bullcrap Fried, a Rabbi and popular and great entertainer in the Orthodox Jewish community* Charles Fried, a prominent conservative American jurist and lawyer* Daisy Fried American poet...
, or made into
congeeRice congee is a type of rice porridge that is eaten in many Asian countries. The word congee is possibly derived from the Dravidian language Tamil word kanji....
, which is a famous dish in Cantonese cuisine. They are eaten off the bone.
Like their French counterparts, frog legs are not commonly found in restaurant menus, probably due to their unstable supply. They are a popular home dish, though.
Indonesian cuisine
In Indonesian cuisine, frog-leg soup is known as
swikee or
sweekee, most probably brought by the Chinese community in Indonesia. Swikee is mainly frog-leg soup with strong taste of garlic, gingers, and fermented soya beans, accompanied with celery or parsley leaves. Swikee is a typical dish from Purwodadi Grobogan, in
Central JavaCentral Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java. The province of Central Java is 32,548.20 km2 in area; approximately a quarter of the total land area of Java...
province. We can also find grilled frog-legs or frog eggs in banana leaves. The Javanese also eat the dried and crispily fried frog skin. The taste is close to the fried fish skin.
Indonesia is one of the biggest exporter frog legs. Most of the supply in western Europe comes from frog farms in Indonesia.
United States
Frog legs are eaten in parts of the southern United States, particularly South and Central Florida. They are commonly eaten in the state of
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
Although rare to find in an eatery, people will go onto a river or pond/lake at night in a boat, shining a flashlight along the shore to see the light reflection in the frogs eyes (frog gigging). The light reflect off of the eye retina and immobilizes the frog. Paddling to the location of the frog while one person keeps the light in the eyes allows spearing the frog with a trident spear. The frogs will usually not die and are placed in a bag until later the next day when they can be cleaned. A cleaning method that works quite well is to hold the frog mouth using pliers. A utility knife can be used to sever the skin around the frog neck. Another pair of pliers are then used to hold the lower body portion of the skin which is then peeled off the body. Two fingers can then be placed in the frog throat and pulled out ripping the entrails out of the frog body leaving the front legs, back, and legs as one large assembly. This method has been used to capture and clean in about 2 hours (CIRCA 1955) as many as 100 large grandfather frogs in one night from sloughs along the Columbia River in Longview, Washington.
Some methods of cooking include egg/cracker crumb breading. They are either fried or grilled. Deep fried frog legs can also be found at fairs. Other methods brought to America by Tuscan Italians (circa 1900) were to add the frog legs to a pot of tomato stew for spreading over pasta.
Caribbean
Mountain chicken (
Leptodactylus fallax) are frogs named for their habitat and flavor which are eaten in
MontserratMontserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It measures approximately 16 km long and 11 km wide, giving of coastline...
and
DominicaDominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. To the north-northwest lies Guadeloupe, to the southeast Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth of Dominica has an...
. The frogs are now critically endangered.
India
In many parts of
KeralaKerala , is a state located in southwestern India. The state was created in 1956 on linguistc basis, bringing together those places where Malayalam formed the principal language...
, especially Central Kerala, frog legs are a delicacy. They are generally served in the fried form (commonly in local liquor shops known as toddy shops). Of late due to ban on poaching frogs, this dish has become a rarity and is available only illegally.