ortolan
nounUK /ˈɔː.təl.ən/ · US /ˈɔɹ.tə.læn/
Etymology From Middle French hortolan (“gardener”), from Latin hortulānus (“gardener”). Doublet of hortulan.
1
A small European migratory bunting (Emberiza hortulana), once eaten whole as a delicacy.
- […]this taught him to consider Sophia as a most delicious morsel, indeed to regard her with the same desires which an ortolan inspires into the soul of an epicure.1749, Henry Fielding, chapter VI, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book VII:
- […]the last flavor Mitterrand wished to savor belonged to the flesh of the endangered ortolan, a songbird the size of a human toe that is a crime to buy or hunt, and is certainly illegal to eat. Mitterrand devoured it in the traditional manner, first covering his head with an embroidered cloth, then inserting the entire bird into his mouth.[…]Only its head should dangle out from between your lips. Bite off the head and discard.2003, Stewart Lee Allen, In the Devil's Garden: A Sinful History of Forbidden Food, page 73:
2
US Any of various similar birds, especially the bobolink, sora, or snow bunting.
3
The greater short-toed lark (Calandrella brachydactyla).
- Derived terms
- ortolan bunting