What kind of frogs you can eat. Frog legs - calorie content, benefits and harms Frog legs: product benefits

Ruchkina N.

("KhiZh", 2016, No. 5)

Frog legs, delicate in taste, unusual in appearance and very expensive, are considered a delicacy. However, more and more people on Earth who have tried them, and places where they are bred, and for the inhabitants of developing countries in Asia and the Caribbean, frog legs are their daily food. Every year humanity consumes tens of thousands of tons of frog meat, and there is no reason to consider it exotic.

Is this a French delicacy? In 2013, British archaeologists unearthed traces of a feast in Wiltshire, dating from 7596 to 6250 BC. Among the remains of game and fish, they found a boiled frog leg. This event had a great resonance in Great Britain: it turns out that the inhabitants of the British Isles tasted frog legs earlier than the French and took away the palm from them in their famous frogs! Experts did not consider the possibility of an accidental hit of the amphibian in the cauldron, but at the Wiltshire feast a scene similar to the one described by Mikhail Sholokhov in the novel Virgin Soil Upturned: “Lyubishkin pulled out a piece of meat, carried it to his mouth, but suddenly recoiled and turned pale ... - What is this? - ominously he asked Shchukar, picking up a piece of white boiled meat with his fingertips ... In Lyubishkin's trembling hand dangled a fragile bone, feathered at the end with membranes and tiny claws ... - Brothers! - exclaimed the shocked Akim Beskhlebnov. - And we ate the frog! .. "

More weighty is the archaeological evidence of Czech scientists who discovered 900 frog legs in the ruins of an old fortress near Prague. The find is 5000 years old. The very first written data on the inclusion of frogs in the diet of Europeans date back only to the 12th century. They began to be eaten by Catholic monks, mainly French, instead of meat, which was forbidden on fast days. Frogs have officially been equated with fish because they are cold-blooded. The peasants took up the initiative of the monks. The promotion of the new product was facilitated by the Hundred Years War between England and France (1337-1453). It was a hungry time, and frogs swarmed in ponds and lakes. Over time, the French turned pasture into a delicacy. Alexander Dumas, the father, mentioned in his "Big Culinary Dictionary" about a native of Auvergne named Simon, who made a fortune on frogs. He lived in Paris at the beginning of the 17th century, amphibians were sent to him from his native places, which Simon fed and sold to the best Parisian restaurants. Not surprisingly, the French have become famous as frogs.

Frogs are also eaten in other European countries: Portugal, Greece, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Croatia. Even with the arrogant British, they gained popularity, albeit for a short time. The frog legs owe this to the famous French chef Auguste Escoffier, who prepared them in 1908 for a reception in honor of the Prince of Wales at the Savoy Hotel in London. Amphibian legs, boiled in a broth with aromatic herbs, seasoned with paprika sauce, decorated with tarragon leaves and covered with chicken jelly, Escoffier called "the thighs of the nymph Aurora." True, these thighs did not belong to French frogs, but to imported, Asian ones.

Frog legs are a traditional Chinese dish that was known in southern China at least in the 1st century AD. In Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam and other Asian countries, this is a common food. In the Western Hemisphere, they were actively consumed by the Aztecs, and now they are eaten in the Caribbean and the southern United States. Frog legs are especially popular in Louisiana, a former French colony.

Whose legs are these? At present, human food needs are satisfied by 15-20 species of amphibians. Europeans have long favored green frogs, which Karl Linnaeus described in 1758 under the name Rana esculenta (edible frog). Over time, taxonomists found out that this name unites two species belonging to the genus Pelophylax: pond P. lessonae and the larger lake P. ridibundus, as well as a prolific hybrid of pond and lake frogs - edible frog P. esculenta... The group Pelophylax rather complex genetics of reproduction, which we will not analyze now, as not related to cooking.

Lake frogs are the largest in Europe, body length, measured from the tip of the snout to the anus, reaches 12 cm in males and 17 in females; pond frogs are smaller, edible hybrids have intermediate sizes: females up to 9 cm in length, males up to 11 cm.

Chinese edible frog is eaten in Asia Hoplobatrachus rugulosus, she is an East Asian bullfrog. It is a large amphibian, up to 12 cm long.Chinese farms also breed a pig frog. Lithobates grylio (14 cm) imported from America.

The Western Hemisphere has its own bullfrog L.catesbeianus, it grows up to 15 cm, and other record holders up to 20 cm, and weighs up to 800 g. Its homeland is the east of North America, but this species has penetrated into many regions of North, Central and South America, as well as into Western Europe and Asia.

The temperate and subtropical zone of America is inhabited by 14 edible species, united in the group of leopard frogs, they also belong to the genus Lithobates... Dominican mountain frog Leptodactylus fallax eaten on some islands in the Caribbean.

Breeding or fishing? Frogs, as economically important animals, should be bred on farms, and frog farms appear in many countries, including Belarus and Ukraine. However, growing them is not easy. Many species are reluctant to consume artificial food; it is difficult to feed them with live prey. Amphibians have to be protected from predators, protected from diseases, made sure that there is no cannibalism, and ensure high quality water. In many countries, they prefer to catch wild frogs - according to the UN, they are eaten by a billion annually, it is not surprising that their number has declined.

In France, hunting for frogs has been prohibited since 1980, only in some areas limited fishing is allowed for your own pleasure, and the catch must be eaten on the spot. Almost all frogs for culinary purposes come to Europe from Indonesia. This country, along with China, has become the largest exporter of frogs, it sells more than 5,000 tons annually, and most of them are caught in nature, and not raised on farms. It is not known how much Indonesians consume in the domestic market; according to various sources, it is 2-7 times more than they export.

Scientists are worried about the lack of accurate data on how many frogs are caught and what species they belong to. Combined with other anthropogenic factors, water pollution and the reduction in the area of \u200b\u200bwater bodies, mass fishing can put many amphibians on the brink of extinction. True, not everywhere. In the western United States, the bullfrog is hunted at night from a canoe or punt, blinded with bright light and stabbed with a spear, and then have a picnic. The authorities encourage this fun: it is useful to control the number of the invading species.

Why is frog meat good for you? The frog meat tastes and textures like a cross between fish and chicken, that is, it has its own unique taste. It contains 15-16% protein, only 0.3% fat, mostly unsaturated, and almost no cholesterol. Frog meat contains vitamins A, C, D, B 6 and B 12, calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, especially a lot of potassium. In 100 g of frog meat, only 75 kcal is a dietary product!

How are frog legs eaten? Frog legs are eaten without skin, and they are usually sold that way. There are 8-12 legs in one kilogram, a portion is two large frog legs or four small ones.

There are dozens of recipes for making frog legs, but most often they are fried: in oil and on the grill, in breading and batter, they make a saute of them (they are fried, tossing them in a pan, which makes them turn over). Different countries use different oils, spices and sauces. In France, the popular Provençal legs (de grenouilles à la provencale) with garlic and parsley and the à la chicken legs (de grenouille à la poulette) with cream and eggs.

Frog legs can be pre-marinated, and sweet marinades are often used in Asia. Paws are added to pies and omelets, boiled and stewed, served with mushrooms, rice, vegetables and fruits. In Indonesia, they make a soup with garlic, ginger and fermented soybeans.

Temptation for Sobakevich... Mikhail Semyonovich Sobakevich said that he would not take a frog in his mouth, even if he covered it with sugar. Let's try to seduce him with caramelized frog legs. Mix three tablespoons of soy sauce and the same amount of honey, minced garlic clove and a pinch of ginger. In this marinade we will hold 4-6 frog legs for an hour, then we will pour it into a saucepan, and salt and pepper the legs and dip in cornstarch.

In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil (the original recipe suggests canola oil - edible rapeseed oil of low acidity). Fry the legs for two minutes on each side, they should become golden and crispy. In the meantime, bring the marinade to a boil in a saucepan, put the fried legs there and cook for three minutes. This dish is served sprinkled with finely chopped green onions.

The most complete coverage of the topic: "what frogs you can eat" with a detailed analysis and recommendations from a professional nutritionist.

Features of survival and autonomous existence in the wild

The edible or pond frog (Rana esculenta, Pelophylax kl. Esculentus) is one of the most common species of frogs in Europe. They can be found in streams, marshes, ponds, backwaters, and small rivers.

Catching frogs and toads. Methods for preparing and eating frogs and toads.

It is much easier and easier to catch frogs than other animals. Some ways to catch them:

Kill the frog with a long stick from the shore and then collect.
- Catching a frog with an improvised net, for example, made of a branch forked at the end and a piece of cloth tied to it.
- Catching a frog with an improvised fishing rod, attaching a piece of bright rag or leaf to a fishing or homemade hook and moving it in front of the frog's eyes.

There is a widespread misconception that only the hind legs of frogs are edible. Yes, they really make up the most meaty and attractive, from a gastronomic point of view, part of it, but you can eat the whole frog only after removing the head and entrails.

Frog meat can be cooked in any way possible - fry over an open fire or skillet, stew or use in soup. But if the frog is planned to be boiled, then besides gutting, it is advisable to remove the skin from it, which gives bitterness in the broth. To make it easier to lag behind the meat when removing the skin, you need to scald the frog with boiling water or hold it in hot water for several minutes.

If there is an opportunity and time, then the prepared frog meat can be soaked for 10-12 hours in cold water, while changing it every 3-4 hours. After this procedure, soaked in water, the meat turns white, swells and becomes tastier. In general, frog meat tastes like chicken meat. The remnants of frog entrails or meat left after cutting can be used as bait or bait to catch other animals.

Just like frogs, you can catch and eat their “relatives” - toads. They belong to the same family and differ mainly in their appearance - the toad's head is smaller, the skin is coarser and drier, the legs are shorter than that of the frog, it crawls more than it jumps. There are no fundamental differences in the methods of their preparation.

Some species of frogs and toads secrete poison with their cutaneous glands, which is dangerous only for animals and completely harmless to humans. As for the species of poisonous frogs and toads that are dangerous to human health, they live mainly in the tropics and are distinguished by their unusual appearance or color.

Everyone knows that in France, frog legs are considered an exquisite delicacy, and many fans of this dish all over the world adore their refined and delicate taste, which slightly resembles chicken.

Frog dishes adorn the menus of the most famous and respectable restaurants in Belgium, Italy, Spain, Greece, Great Britain, Holland and many other European countries.

Frogs are also in price in countries such as China, Vietnam, Laos, where they are bred on special farms, since frog meat is valued much higher than veal and is much more expensive. In the East, no one will be surprised by the assortment of the supermarket, where frozen legs of these amphibians will lie next to the hams of various animals and birds.

In Peru, they even manage to add frog meat to chocolate and biscuits, after drying and grinding them. It is believed that such an unusual treat treats anemia and helps women from infertility.

Fried frog legs have also appeared in the assortment of menus of many Ukrainian cafes and restaurants (as a rule, they prefer to trade in French or exotic cuisine). True, not every frog goes for food, but only large green ones, which are an edible species.

It is noteworthy that in terms of their biological value, in many countries of the world, frog legs are equated to pike and even sturgeon caviar.

In the reservoirs of Ukraine, there are only five varieties of frogs: grass ( lat. Rana temporaria), sharp-faced ( lat. Rana arvalis), fast ( lat. Rana dalmatina), pond ( lat. Rana lessonae) and lake ( lat. Rana ridibunda). The first three species have a brown and brown body color, and the last two species are combined by scientists into a group of "green frogs", which, when crossed, give the same famous edible species.

For the first time, a large green frog, as a separate species, was described by Karl Linnaeus in 1758. It was he who gave her the name (lat. Rana esculenta), which translates as "edible frog." This hybrid species is widely represented in the reservoirs of Transcarpathia and lives in the Danube delta.

During the Soviet Union, these amphibians were massively exported to France, since their value in foreign currency was three times (!) Higher than the price of expensive fish species. Up to eighty tons of this first-class product was exported from the country annually.

Frog legs are considered an integral symbol of France, although the British first came up with them for food. Frog legs were present on the menu of the local population 9 thousand years ago, as evidenced by archaeological excavations near Stonehenge. Frogs are found in many cuisines. The legs of these animals have become a delicacy in many countries of Europe and Asia, they are also found in the cuisine of America and the Caribbean, although frogs have gained the greatest popularity in French cuisine.

Not all types of frogs are used for food, but only those that are grown under special conditions. Vietnam is the main exporter of frog legs. It is he who is the leader in growing frogs. In frozen form, the paws go to the counters of almost all countries of the world.

Properties of frog legs

Frog legs are very low in calories, they taste like chicken meat, they are soft, tender, pale pink in color, easy and quick to cook. Since frogs live only in clean water, their meat is considered environmentally friendly, free of toxins and harmful substances.

Frogs produce special enzymes that effectively fight cancer cells, cancerous tumors.

The frog meat contains a large amount of vitamins, microelements that improve the functioning of the body and have a beneficial effect on human life.

The benefits of frog legs

Frog legs have an anti-inflammatory effect, they are recommended for use in infectious diseases, as well as when inflammatory processes are present in the body.

The paws contain a pain reliever that is stronger than morphine on the body, but does not harm or has negative consequences.

Calcium, which is found in large quantities in frogs, improves the condition of the skin and bones. It strengthens nails, hair, restores their strength and shine, prevents hair loss.

Frogs have a beneficial effect on the human circulatory system, improving the condition of the blood, blood vessels and heart. Potassium, which is found in large quantities in frog meat, makes blood vessels more elastic and strong.

Application of frog legs

Powder from frog legs is used to combat dropsy, toothache. It is an effective remedy for bleeding gums. It improves the functioning of the heart muscle. Frog legs are advised to be used for arrhythmias, colic of the heart muscle, as well as problems with blood vessels and pressure.

The frog mucus has a bactericidal property, therefore it is used in pharmacology, and in ancient times frogs were placed in jugs of milk so that it did not sour.

Frog legs are rich in protein, so they can be used for diets. They can also be eaten after serious illnesses, operations, when the body needs recovery without foods that are heavy on the stomach.

There are quite a few substances in frog meat that actively fight against various neoplasms. For this reason, the feet are used in the prevention of cancer and in the treatment of tumors.

Frog legs are widely used in the culinary arts. They are served as a separate dish or with a side dish. The paws can be boiled, fried, stewed and even stuffed. They are added to salads, soups, sprinkled with spices, pickled and even canned.

The harm of frog legs

Frog legs can cause allergies, therefore they are not recommended for food for people with individual intolerance to the product.

Dishes made from frogs of non-edible species can cause acute poisoning, and if there is poison in the body of a frog, it can be fatal.

You should not use the paws for people who have problems with the digestive system, as well as any inflammatory processes in the body.

Everyone knows that the French are sometimes disparagingly called frogs because they eat the meat of these amphibians. By the way, the culinary traditions of other peoples, mainly Asian, admit this.

Of course, you need to understand that when they talk about the taste of frogs, they do not mean those green jumpers that are found in abundance in Russian swamps. Only frogs of a special breed are considered edible. In countries where there is a long culinary tradition of eating frog meat, it brings good dividends, but is it possible to organize such a business in our country?

Preparatory stage

There are two ways to grow frogs for sale: in an open reservoir or in artificial conditions. In the first case, the technology of breeding and keeping amphibians is much simpler. The costs of creating the necessary infrastructure are also significantly reduced. The downside is that during the cold period of time the frogs will go to the bottom and stop reproducing.

Raising frogs for meat in a special insulated hangar allows you to successfully solve this problem - with the creation of suitable conditions, breeding continues all year round, which provides the enterprise with a greater turnover. However, calculations of profitability show that the first option is still preferable, that is, breeding frogs in their natural habitat.

The fact is that continuous breeding is associated with the need to create special conditions. First of all, this is a separate insulated room with an area of \u200b\u200bat least 20 sq. m. Terrariums are installed in it - special glass containers, the cost of which is about 7 thousand rubles. The water in terrariums should be kept at 25-27 degrees, which will require heating devices in winter. In addition, it will need to be cleaned regularly by passing it through filters, which also cost money.

All this will cost a tidy sum - no less than 100 thousand rubles. For comparison, when using an open reservoir, only the installation of special barriers to prevent the escape of frogs becomes the main expense item. Thus, owning a frog business starts to pay off almost immediately, while growing indoors it will take several years.

In general, the best option for organizing such a business is a joint one in a pond, which was originally created for fish farming. In this case, costs are minimized, and such a neighborhood is only beneficial to a man-made ecosystem.

Types of frogs and breeding features

Today, only three types of frogs are eaten: pond, lake, and an edible frog, which is a hybrid of the previous two varieties. For the Russian natural conditions, the edible frog should be recognized as the most suitable, since it is most adapted to our climate.

Starting a business by growing frogs for meat from scratch, you will have to take care of the acquisition of eggs, from which the tadpoles will hatch later. You can, of course, take a sexually mature pair of already adult frogs, but due to some circumstances it is much more difficult to do this.

First, you can buy healthy adult frogs only from those who are seriously engaged in breeding them, and such entrepreneurs are unlikely to want to breed competitors. Secondly, there is a large number of scammers in this market who, using the insufficient level of knowledge of novice businessmen, can try to sell them defective individuals.

Therefore, the option with caviar, which can be bought in large pet stores, still looks preferable. Eggs should be placed in an environment suitable for the emergence and further development of tadpoles. It is better if at first they will be kept not in a reservoir, where they have many natural enemies, but in small artificial reservoirs. For these purposes, you can use prefabricated pools or plastic vats, on the bottom of which the earth is poured. Along the edges of improvised frog incubators, it is necessary to equip earthen ramparts, which are regularly moistened.

Tadpoles develop very quickly. After 4 months they can be released into open water, and in a year they will reach a marketable state when they can be caught and sent for processing. In this case, it is better to leave large individuals for reproduction. With this approach, it is possible to maintain the number of livestock at the required level without problems and additional costs, because one female can lay about 15 thousand eggs per year. The only drawback is that tadpoles hatched from the eggs reach sexual maturity only in the third year.

Fodder base

Edible frogs can grow to very large sizes - the maximum weight of mature individuals reaches 1.5 kg. Of course, such a result is rather an exception, but still, a frog weighing about 1 kg is not at all uncommon. Naturally, for an amphibian to reach this size, it needs a lot of food.

The basis of the diet is animal food, mainly arachnids and cockroaches, which can be purchased at special pet stores. In some cases, even mice or small lizards can be used. However, with growing frogs for meat in an open reservoir, most often, natural resources are used, which can significantly reduce the cost of fodder and, as a result, finished products.

For this, light sources are installed above the surface of reservoirs in places of the greatest accumulation of frogs, which are switched on at nightfall. This attracts a large number of insects, which the frogs catch and eat.

Sales of finished products

But the biggest challenge is growing frogs for meat associated with the sale of finished products. As a rule, the captured frogs are killed with a blow of a mallet, after which they are skinned, cut, frozen, and in this form are packed in bags, getting the goods ready for sale.

Potential consumers are restaurants and supermarkets, although the latter, of course, to a lesser extent, especially in the periphery. If in Moscow, St. Petersburg and a number of other large cities the fashion for frog legs can already be considered quite successful, then in the provinces this product is still viewed with suspicion.

And yet, some Russian supermarkets are happy to buy frog meat, while the wholesale price is 4.8-5 thousand rubles per kg. If there are conditions for deeper processing, it is possible to organize the production of an exotic snack for beer - dried frog legs with pepper and other spices.

Also, one should not lose sight of such a factor as the lack of clear regulations for the trade in such meat. Indeed, in order to sell frog legs, you need to obtain the appropriate permission from the veterinary services, which themselves do not quite understand how to work with such a product and draw up permits.

Be sure to read:

When it comes to French cuisine, the first thing that comes to mind is frog legs. In addition to France, they are used in many other countries: the Caribbean, Portugal, northwest Greece, Italy, Spain, and the midwest of the southern regions of the United States. Commercial production of frog legs is widespread in Vietnam. They are frozen, packaged and exported around the world.

Cooking methods

Only the upper part of the hind legs is eaten, which has one bone - the same bone is present in the wings of a chicken or turkey. The frog legs taste like chicken, and the texture is like chicken wings.

Not all representatives of the Frog family are used for food, and some are not at all edible. For culinary purposes, frogs are raised and fattened to keep their legs thick and fleshy. Before cooking, the frog legs must be washed and dried, the lower part of the leg must be cut off.

In French cuisine, it is customary to cook tender fricassee from the paws, fry in batter and deep-fried, or stuff it with fragrant herbs. It is best to use wheat flour dough as a batter, and bread in breadcrumbs mixed with spices. For deep frying, choose olive oil with garlic.

The methods of preparing and serving "frog meat" are similar to the preparation of chicken wings. So, by analogy, frog legs can be fried in batter and served with hot sauces. Any traditional French herb and spice sauce works well with the feet. If you want to cook a more delicate dish, the legs can be stewed in a creamy sauce to keep their juiciness. Often, before cooking, the legs of frogs are soaked in various marinades: here you can use wine, lemon juice, milk. In Chinese cuisine, paws are used fried or stewed, with the addition of light spices. They are usually served boneless and sometimes in a porridge called zhou.

Beneficial features

It is known that frogs live only in clean water bodies, so their meat is considered environmentally friendly. In addition, scientists have recently found out that some substances produced by the body of frogs serve to prevent cancer and can be used in the treatment of malignant brain tumors.

Frog legs contain a significant amount of vitamins C, E and D, calcium, iron.

Interesting Facts

The healing properties of amphibian venom are known. Powder from dried toad skins is used in China and Japan for dropsy, to improve heart function, toothache and bleeding gums.

In the tropical forests of South America, a tree frog has been found that secretes substances 200 times more effective than morphine.

In Russia, there used to be a custom to put a frog in a jar of milk so that it would not turn sour. As it turned out, our ancestors were right - frog slime has bactericidal properties.

Calorie content and nutritional value of frog legs

Calorie content of frog legs - 73 kcal.

Nutritional value of frog legs: proteins - 16.4 g, fat - 0.3 g, carbohydrates - 0 g