The cruellest foods we eat #1: Ortolans

The fifth and final food in our list of the cruellest foods we eat is... ortolans. Read on to see if, like us, you think it's the worst of all five.

Ortolans

What are they?

The Ortolan is a little songbird, which looks a bit like a sparrow, and weighs no more than 25g.

How is it prepared?

1. Ortolans are caught in France whilst migrating to the topical climes of Africa. 

2. Then they're kept in the dark for a month or so to be artificially fattened (believing it to be night time, they gorge themselves on oats and millet). Often they'll have their eyes poked out, so they won’t try and fly away.

3. Once the birds have quadrupled in size, they are drowned in Armagnac, plucked, and roasted in a ramekin for eight minutes. 

5. You eat Ortolan whole – bones and all – and French tradition says that diners must cover their head with a napkin. 

What does it taste like?

Rather crunchy, due to the tiny sardine-esque bones, with the texture and flavour of hazelnuts. It's been likened to a more game-like foie gras.

Famously, a few days before his death from cancer in 1996, ex-President of France François Mitterrand gorged on Ortolan with family members and close friends for a last meal. Jeremy Clarkson certainly enjoyed it too, as you can see in this video. 

Is it still legal?

NO.

In September 2007, the French Government announced its intent to enforce long ignored laws protecting Ortolans.

Now, restaurateurs caught serving Ortolans face a maximum fine of £4,075.

But as The Telegraph reported, François Simon, the restaurant critic for Le Figaro newspaper, said some would still serve it discreetly – "if you are a close friend of the owner who trusts you to guard his secret with your life".