Image via WikipediaScott Simon talks with Michael Paterniti about former French President Francois Mitterrand's last meal, which consisted of a rare — and illegal — dish of Ortolan, a bird about the size of a thumb. Mitterrand died in 1996. Paterniti's article "The Last Meal," for Esquire, gives his impressions of Mitterrand's meal — and what it meant to the late leader. {Read on}Listen
Roasted songbird? French dish now a no-no
Bite-sized ortolan species is endangered, so hunting is banned for now
PARIS - Scottish haggis. Mexican chili-dusted grasshoppers. On the world's list of weird foods, ortolan - a bite-size songbird roasted and gulped down whole - can claim a place of distinction.
It's an endangered place, though, since the ortolan is an endangered species in France. And the French government is out to get poachers hunting the coveted fowl.
Thought to represent the soul of France, ortolan was on the menu at late French President Francois Mitterrand's legendary "last supper" on New Year's Eve, 1995. Though cancer had diminished his appetite, Mitterrand saved room for the piece de resistance, the roasted ortolan, downing the two-ounce bird, bones and all. He died eight days later. {Read on}