One will pass on the swan
modern meat eater cannot claim to be spoilt for choice. Once we have exhausted the domestically reared supply of beef, lamb, pork and poultry, there are few types of wild meat or gamebirds we can buy — and even that takes effort. Of course, there are enough meat cuts and recipes to keep a carnivore interested, but our forebears’ appetites could take in almost anything from the tiny legs of songbirds to the long legs of storks. So many centuries have passed since a medieval feast would include a virtual aviary of species on the table; the practice of eating unfamiliar wild birds seems unacceptable. It does not help that the enthusiasm with which they were pursued drove some to be hunted to near or total extinction.
