Friday Parasite #35: Gourmet Parasites

As a rule, we try to avoid eating parasites. But every rule has its exceptions, and parasites are no different. A few of them are actively sought out by gourmets – not as a weight loss aid, but for their flavor.

Take the Eurasian woodcock, for example. It isn’t a parasite: it’s a small migratory bird that’s hunted as game in Europe. But it’s usually home to a population of adult tapeworms of the genus Amoebotaenia. The woodcocks get infected when they eat earthworms which contain Amoebotaenia larvae. And apparently the tapeworms enhance the flavor of the bird. Unlike chicken or other game birds like pheasant, woodcock is prepared with its intestines, so you eat the cestodes along with their host.

At least they’re cooked first.

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Woodcock in brandy (from the Larousse Gastronomique)

Cook the woodcock 10-12 minutes. Cut it into pieces and put them into a buttered casserole, arranged in a pyramid. Cover the casserole. Keep hot without allowing to boil.

Dilute the juices in which the woodcock was cooked with a small glass of brandy. Add the chopped intestines, blended with the blood and trimmings from the carcass, one tablespoon of stock, and a dash of lemon juice. Season with a pinch of cayenne pepper. Pour the sauce over the woodcock and reheat.

photo by Mark Schröder

Comments

[Drhoz!]

yum!