Rabbits were a medieval royal luxury in England until the Black Death
Rabbits, now often seen as pests or inexpensive meat, were once a royal luxury in medieval England and only became commonplace after population and ecological changes following the Black Death. Commenters contrast this historical scarcity with modern overabundance in places like Australia, where rabbits are an invasive species, and share culinary traditions from Europe, Malta, and elsewhere that treat rabbit as everyday food. The thread also touches on linguistic quirks around meat names, legal and cultural shifts in animal keeping, and practical advice on breeding rabbits for homesteading.
Culinary uses and cultural attitudes
- Many commenters describe rabbit as common in traditional cuisines: Spanish paella and “rice with rabbit,” Galician rabbit empanada, Maltese stew (stuffat tal-fenek) and fried rabbit, Hungarian rabbit soup, Portuguese “coelho à caçador,” British stews, Sichuan spicy fried rabbit, Brunswick stew, and French classics like lapin à la moutarde / lapin aux pruneaux.
- Some find it delicious and distinct from chicken; others argue lean meats taste broadly similar.
- In Australia, rabbit was historically a “poor people’s” or Depression-era food, associated with pest status, though some remember it fondly.
- A few people are put off because rabbits look “rodent-like” or “too cute.”
Rabbits’ spread, status, and ecology
- In Australia, European rabbits are noted as a devastating invasive species, prompting the rabbit-proof fence, viral control (myxomatosis), and heavy hunting.
- In Britain, thread participants accept that rabbits are non‑native and at some point transitioned from rare to abundant, but timing and import routes (Romans vs. Normans) are debated.
- Discussion notes predators (wolves, foxes, humans, potential return of lynx in Scotland) as important population controls.
Economics, law, and hunting
- One comment notes rabbit once cost 4–5× chicken; others say rabbit is cheap where raised in volume or home-bred in gardens.
- There’s debate over whether English/Welsh farmers are legally obliged to control rabbits, with a statute about “rabbit clearance areas” cited.
- Another law (UK Allotments Act 1950) is cited as granting a right to keep hens and rabbits despite private covenants, with caveats about nuisance and welfare.
Language and naming
- Extensive side-thread on why English lacks a distinct meat-name for rabbit.
- Older term “cony/coney” is discussed (possible taboo due to similarity to a vulgar word), its Latin/French roots, and links to Spanish “conejo.”
- “Welsh rabbit” vs. “rarebit” is clarified; “rarebit” is described as a later folk re-spelling.
- Other language notes: chicken’s Germanic roots, “poulet”/“pullet,” Swiss German “Poulet,” and the journalism term “lede.”
Nutrition and survival
- “Rabbit starvation” (protein poisoning from ultra-lean meat without fat/vitamins) is mentioned, with historical trappers cited as victims; details beyond that remain limited in the thread.
Homesteading and breeds
- Meat breeds like New Zealand/Californian mixes, heat-tolerant lines, and giant breeds (Flemish/Continental, Altex) are discussed for homesteading, with emphasis that grass-only diets are possible but suboptimal.
Skepticism about the article’s claim
- One commenter strongly doubts rabbits could ever have been a “luxury” given their fecundity, while others counter with the historical fact of their non-native introduction and subsequent spread.