Hobbies eat strange rabbit heads of Sichuan people, China

Many companies in Sichuan (China) are importing tons of rabbits from Europe to cater to this "bizarre" local culinary demand: rabbit head and brain.

No province in China has the kind of bizarre cuisine like in Sichuan, where the rabbit head is the delicious night food of many people.

This dish is cooked very spicy, suitable for the traditional use of chili and pepper in Sichuan cuisine. To enjoy, diners must use the hand of the rabbit's head without spicy sauce, smash and eat. Many people love this dish as a target for beer.

A gourmet in Sichuan is enjoying the rabbit's head.(Photo: AFP).

While Westerners are "terrified" of dishes made from discarded parts on animal bodies such as speculum, chicken feet, head types or hearts, many Chinese gourmets consider these dishes to be beautiful sago.

However, except for Sichuan, in China people do not really like the dish made from rabbit heads . Many people conceive that rabbits are sacred animals among 12 animals and are present in many Chinese myths (like the Rabbit Rabbit living on the moon), should not eat meat.

Many others, especially young people, think this animal is very cute, should only be a pet instead of food.

The rabbit head is cooked in a spicy sauce.(Photo: AFP).

Meanwhile, Ms. Wang Min, owner of a restaurant in Chengdu, said Sichuan people are very proud of the rabbit head.

"My family, grandparents and parents all enjoyed eating rabbit heads, this is a traditional dish from many centuries ago, I also like to eat since I was little. My friends in Guangxi and other localities in China it is impossible to understand this, "said Wang Min.

Mr. Yin Dingjun, chef at Ms. Wang's restaurant, said that this recipe seemed simple but required high technique. The rabbit must be taken out of the intestine and marinated in the soup for many hours.

Explaining why the Sichuan people like to eat rabbit heads, Chinese cuisine experts, Ms. Fuchsia Dunlop thinks that they love to "struggle" with the dishes.

" Using your hands to tear and use your teeth to chew each small piece of meat makes many people really satisfied, " Ms. Fuchsia Dunlop said.

Rabbit head is a very popular dish in Sichuan.(Photo: AFP).

Recently, the need to eat rabbit meat in Sichuan is overcoming the local supply.

Rong Lipeng, authorized director of Hage, the leading Chinese company in distributing rabbit meat and products, said the company now sells more than 8 million heads of rabbit each year, but faces exhaustion. domestic supply.

Therefore, nearly 20% of the rabbit heads distributed by the company are imported from Europe, mainly from Italy and France. In 2014 alone, France exported 166 tons of meat and rabbit parts to China. Currently, Hage signs rabbit import contract with French Hycole rabbit distribution company.

Mr. Fabien Coisne, director of Hycole, hopes that the rabbit head will become a popular food outside of Sichuan. However, he also acknowledged that this was not feasible.

"A lot of outsiders in Sichuan never dare to eat this dish because they look really disgusting," said Fabien Coisne.