Frog legs
Frog legs are the muscular hindlimbs of frogs that are consumed as food by humans in some cuisines. Frog legs are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and potassium. They are often said to taste like chicken because of the mild flavor, with a texture most similar to chicken wings. The taste and texture of frog meat are approximately between chicken and fish. Frog muscles do not resolve rigor mortis as quickly as skeletal muscles from warm-blooded animals do, so heat from cooking can cause fresh frog legs to twitch.
In French cuisine, they are considered a national delicacy. Other parts of the world that eat frog legs include Singapore, Southern China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Northeast India, Korea, Northern Italy, the Alentejo region of Portugal, Spain, Albania, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Northwestern Greece, Odesa Oblast of Ukraine, South Africa, and the Southern regions of the United States.
As of 2014, the world's largest exporter of edible frogs is Indonesia, followed by China. In Brazil, Mexico, and the Caribbean, many frogs are still caught wild. Edible frogs are raised commercially in certain countries, including Vietnam. Ethical concerns have been raised about the trade due to minimal transparency or regulation over supply chains, disruption of ecosystems, and inhumane treatment during slaughter.
In world cuisines
France
Frog legs, or cuisses de grenouille as it is known in France, are a traditional dish particularly found in the region of the Dombes. Eaten for over a thousand years, they have been part of the national diet of France. Roughly 4,000 tonnes of frog legs are consumed every year in France.China
In culinary environment, frogs are known in Chinese as . Frog legs are also eaten in China, but are generally restricted to Southern Chinese cuisine traditions such as Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine. Bullfrogs and pig frogs are farmed on a large scale in some areas of China, such as Sichuan.In Chinese cuisine, frog legs are usually stir-fried and mixed with light spices, stewed, fried, or made into congee.
Indonesia
In Indonesian cuisine, frog-leg soup is known as swikee or swike, most probably brought by the Chinese community in Indonesia and popular in Chinese Indonesian cuisine. Swikee is mainly frog-leg soup with a strong taste of garlic, gingers, and fermented soya beans, accompanied by celery or parsley leaves. Swikee is a typical dish from Purwodadi, Grobogan in Central Java province. Frog legs are also fried in margarine and sweet soy sauce or tomato sauce, battered and deep fried, or grilled. Frog eggs are also served in banana leaves. The dried and crispy fried frog skin is also consumed as krupuk crackers; the taste is similar to fried fish skin.Indonesia is the world's largest exporter of frog meat, exporting more than 5,000 tonnes of frog meat each year, mostly to France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Most of the supply of frog legs in Western Europe originates from frog farms in Indonesia; however, there is concern that frog legs from Indonesia are poached from wild populations, which may endanger wild amphibians.
Italy
Frogs are a common food in the northern part of Italy, especially throughout Piemonte and Lombardy and within these two regions especially in the Vercelli area in Piemonte and in the Pavia and Lomellina areas in Lombardy. In these places, frogs are part of the ancient culinary tradition and a typical staple food. The consumption of frogs is mainly related to the availability of animals due to the rural activities and typical agriculture in these places.The large presence of frogs is mainly due to the agriculture typical of these areas which have always been known for their rice. The large cultivation of rice means that there is a large presence of artificial water channels used to flood rice fields during the growing season, which makes a perfect habitat for frogs. During the growth period when fields stay flooded, and even more during the draining of the fields, farmers and others often gather to go frog hunting armed with nets. Some towns even organize collective hunting sessions and games.
Frogs have gained much culinary relevance in these areas, with many rural towns hosting food festivals called sagre – centered on frogs – where frogs are prepared in various ways. They typically take place during the rice-harvesting periods. With frog consumption closely connected to rice production and being the native land of the Italian dish risotto, one of the most common dishes is frog risotto, risotto alle rane. Other local frog dishes include them being dipped in egg batter, breadcrumbed and then fried, or in soups and stews.
Slovenia
Frog legs are a popular dish in Slovenian cuisine, especially in areas of eastern Slovenia. They are also quite popular in the country's capital, Ljubljana, and have been considered the "basis of the traditional city cuisine of Ljubljana". Up to modern times, they have been traditionally considered Lenten food and were especially popular in spring. They are also a popular traditional dish in the Vipava Valley in western Slovenia and are served in numerous restaurants in the Slovenian Littoral.Croatia
Frog legs are popular in some parts of Croatia, especially in the Gorski Kotar region in the northwest of the country. They are considered a specialty in the Lokve municipality, where they are served cooked, fried, or in a stew, sometimes with polenta on the side.Spain
In the western part of Spain, Extremadura and Castilla y Leon, frog legs are served deep-fried. They are a delicacy among its citizens. Frog legs also have great culinary value on the sides of the Ebro.Albania
In Albania, frog legs are regarded as a delicacy. Frogs are mostly collected from the wild.Greece
In Greece, frog legs are particularly associated with the city of Ioannina and its adjacent lake Pamvotida.Mexico
The capture of frog legs is usually carried out in states such as Baja California, Chihuahua, Jalisco, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Zacatecas, and much of the Central Plateau of Mexico. It occurs almost year-round and the haunches are consumed fried, in soups, broths, or stews such as haunches in green sauce.Romania
In Romania, edible frogs are known as pui de baltă. The legs are eaten breaded and fried.Ukraine
Fried frog legs are a specialty of the small city of Vylkove in Odesa Oblast, Ukraine, but they have also gained popularity in Odesa.United States
Frog legs are eaten in parts of the Southern United States, particularly in the Deep South and Gulf states where French influence is more prominent, including South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The legs are almost always served battered and fried. The Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival in Florida celebrates the dish every January. They are also eaten in Eastern states, but not as commonly. Frog legs are a popular dish in Cleveland, Ohio, especially in its Little Italy and Asiatown neighborhoods. The most common kinds of frogs eaten are bullfrogs and leopard frogs, as these are abundant in most of the country, including the South. Although the consumption of wild native frogs is generally discouraged, the harvest and cooking of invasive bullfrogs, especially in the Western US, has been encouraged as a form of control and to promote local cuisine.Some methods of cooking include egg-/cracker-crumb breading or battered. They are either fried or grilled. Deep-fried frog legs can also be found at fairs.
Raccoons, possums, partridges, prairie hens, and frogs were among the fare Mark Twain recorded as part of American cuisine.
Caribbean
are frogs named for their habitat and flavor which are eaten in Montserrat and Dominica. The frogs are now critically endangered.United Kingdom
In 2013, archaeologists digging at Blick Mead, Wiltshire found the remains of a cooked frog leg which was served as part of a feast in BC during the Mesolithic era. However, in the modern era frog legs are widely regarded as "repellent" in Britain. "Frog" has been used as an anti-French slur in the English-speaking world since the late 18th century. During the late 19th century, French restaurateur Auguste Escoffier tried to rename them "nymphs" in a vain attempt to sell them to London diners. In recent decades, several British celebrity chefs have introduced frog leg dishes to their menus, notably Heston Blumenthal, whose recipes have included frog blancmange.Australia, New Zealand and Canada
In Australia and New Zealand, frogs are more exotic, usually eaten at Asian or French restaurants and mainly the hind legs are the priority. In Canada, they are a little more common, mainly in eastern and northeastern Canada.Issues
Trade
Each year about US$40 million worth of frog legs are traded internationally, with most countries in the world participating in this trade. The world's top importers of frog legs are France, Belgium, and the United States, while the biggest international exporters are Indonesia and China. While these figures do not account for domestic consumption, when production from frog farms is taken into account, it is conservatively estimated that humans consume up to 3.2 billion frogs for food around the world every year.Health
Movement of live or unfrozen, unskinned amphibians is a potential way for deadly amphibian diseases such as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Ranavirus to be transported around the world, and despite recommendations on preventing disease spread from the World Organisation for Animal Health, which regulates the international spread of epizootic diseases, few countries have adopted these recommendations as law.In Canada, the sale of fresh or frozen frog legs is illegal unless they are determined free from bacteria of the genus Salmonella, as per the official method MFO-10, Microbial Examination of Froglegs.