What do dormice taste like?

What do dormice taste like?

The edible dormouse is very similar to squirrel, with a rich, greasy flavor and only a few mouthfuls of meat on each one.

Is an edible dormouse really edible?

Despite what its name may suggest, the edible dormouse is not a “true” mouse (family Muridae). It belongs to a separate family (Gliridae), and is more squirrel-like in appearance and size. But you can eat edible dormice. Notably, ancient Romans snacked upon them, usually with a drizzling of honey and poppy seeds.

What stewed dormice?

Obara (stew) is a Slovene national dish. It is a stew served as an independent meal, which is cooked from various kinds of meat and internal organs. Dormouse hunting was not appreciated only for meat, but it also supplied the hunters with large amounts of dormouse fur.

Who ate dormice?

The European edible dormouse or European fat dormouse (Glis glis) is a large dormouse and one of only two living species in the genus Glis, found in most of Europe and parts of western Asia. Its name comes from the Romans, who ate them as a delicacy.

Did people eat dormice?

Excessive consumption Today, the edible dormouse is still eaten in Slovenia and Croatia, where it’s part of the traditional peasant diet, as well as in Calabria, Southern Italy, where dormice are smoked out of their hollows at night, so they can be shot and eaten.

What is the difference between a dormouse and an edible dormouse?

They look like small, fat grey squirrels with long, black whiskers and large eyes and ears. They are much larger than the native, hazel dormouse and are called ‘edible’ because they were often eaten, especially in Roman times. Edible dormice are nocturnal and spend most of their time in the tree canopy or buildings.

How much does a dormouse cost?

Purchasing Your African Dormouse You can ask your local exotic animal veterinarian for recommendations on where you can acquire an African dormouse. Expect to pay around $100 to $300 on average.

What did the Romans stuff dormice with?

pork
Once fat enough to feast upon, dormice were prepared in a variety of ways. Petronius advised sprinkling them with honey and poppy seeds, while Apicius recommended stuffing them with pork, pepper, liquamen (fish sauce), nuts and their own entrails.

Are dormice edible?

To this day, wild edible dormice are consumed in Slovenia, where they are considered a rare delicacy and where dormouse trapping is an ethnic tradition.

When did dormice become a popular food?

Ancient gourmand Fluvius Hirpinus (whose name was probably a misspelling) popularized eating snails and started the practice of fattening dormice for the table in the mid-first century BC. Dormice became a food of the upper classes.

How did they fatten up the dormice?

The channels allowed the dormice to scurry along the sides of their new home (as classicist Mary Beard quipped, they created an ancient version of a hamster’s wheel). To fatten the dormice, “in such a jar acorns, walnuts, or chestnuts are placed; and when a cover is placed over the jars they grow fat in the dark.”

What kind of habitat do dormice live in?

Dormouse habitat Woodland is the primary habitat for dormice that includes deciduous and mixed woodland. They spend most of their time among tree branches rarely choosing to make contact with the ground so they can more easily avoid predators.