of some animals are good to eat, notably those of calf and pig. The cartilaginous meat has to be softened by lengthy cooking (sometimes wrapped in muslin bags), after which a crisp finish can be given to the ears by breadcrumbing and baking or grilling. Grimod de la Reynière gave them room on his menus for gourmands and a fine recipe for stuffed calf's ears is given by Lucien Tendret. That they were fondly recalled by noble palates is clear from the Duke of Newcastle's paean to his former cook Clouet's ‘veal tendons, rabbit fillets, pigs’ and calves' ears and several other dishes of that kind’ in 1758. Crisp ears have greater appeal than squeamish spirits might allow and have always been consumed in market dining rooms and urban tapas bars with enthusiasm. See also offal; tapas.
A German dish, Erbsensuppe mit Schweinsohren, is a split pea soup with pig's ear. Some recipes for mock turtle soup use ears simmered and cut into strips (see Schwabe, 1979).
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
Schwabe, Calvin W. (1979), Unmentionable Cuisine, Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia.
