Cockchafer soup
Cockchafer soup is a European dish made from the cockchafer beetle.[1] Cockchafers were once a common pest insect in Europe, with population explosions every four years.
The origins of cockchafer soup extend back at least as early as 1844, when German medical officer Johann Joseph Schneider reported that in his hometown of Fulda in Hesse cockchafers were regularly consumed raw, as well as sugared, candied and in soup. Schneider described the flavour of the soup as similar to crab soup. However, it is unclear how prevalent the consumption of cockchafers including in soup really was (all recipes for cockchafer soup in German are based on Schneider's 1844 version), and is has been suggested that its prevalence has been exaggerated since the 19th century by newspaper stories due to its shocking and sensational nature, leading to it being described as a "myth".[2]
Excessive pesticide usage caused their populations to collapse by the 1970s, with complete extirpation in many areas.[3]
Preparation
According to a French recipe from the 1800s, a batch of cockchafer soup requires 500 grams of the insect with their legs and wings removed.[3] They are fried in butter, then cooked in a chicken or veal broth. The soup can be strained and eaten as a boullion, or crushed cockchafers can be mixed with egg yolk and roux. The soup was served with slices of veal liver or dove breast[4] and with croutons. A single serving contains approximately 30 beetles.[5][6][7][8]
See also
References
- ^ Hyman, Vicki (May 29, 2013), "Insect bites: Cooking with cicadas, New Jersey's newest crop Archived 2018-07-10 at the Wayback Machine." NJ.com. Retrieved May 31, 2018
- ^ "Der Mythos der Maikäfersuppe" [The myth of cockchafer soup] (in German). Retrieved 2026-03-11.
- ^ a b Warner, Dick (May 8, 2006), "Bug has a long, colourful history Archived 2019-02-14 at the Wayback Machine," Irish Examiner. Retrieved May 31, 2018
- ^ Manoi. "Maikäfersuppe" (in German). Archived from the original on 2018-04-20. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ Helge May. "Die Maikäfer sind wieder da" (in German). Archived from the original on 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ Schneider, Johann Joseph (1844). "Maikäfersuppen, ein vortreffliches und kräftiges Nahrungsmittel". Magazin für die Staatsarzneikunde Nr 3 (in German). Vol. 3. pp. 403–405. ISBN 3-87038-366-6.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ^ "Maikäfer in Luxemburg : Historisches und Kurioses" (PDF) (in German). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-05-28. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Heyden, Bertha (1887). Kochbuch oder Gründliche Anweisung, einfache und feine Speisen mit möglichster Sparsamkeit zuzubereiten (in German) (16 ed.). Reutlingen: Enßlin und Laiblin. p. 40.