Frog legs taste like the combination of fried chicken, mushrooms and lychee. Frog legs have white (pink) meat, just like chicken and have no fat in them. Frog legs meat is soft, tender and juicy with a sweetish flavor. In terms of nutritional value, frog meat is comparable to that of oysters and mussels.

If you have never tried frog legs, it must be hard to understand what they taste like. But how can we describe the taste of frog legs?

How to describe the taste of frog legs? People who have tried frog legs describe its taste and texture like a cross between fish and chicken, so it has its own unique taste. No wonder frog legs are often compared to chicken, as the meat has a similar texture, composition and appearance.

Do frog legs taste fishy? Frog legs should never have a fishy taste after they were cooked. The fishy taste might indicate that the frog is not fresh or was not stored in proper conditions. Frog legs should taste like chicken, not fish. 

In fact, frog legs are similar to familiar meat products and poultry, for example, chicken — the upper part of the legs, which has one main bone, is used for cooking. Chicken has the same physiology, which everyone is used to eating. Not all frogs are suitable for cooking — some of them are poisonous, and the meat itself will not be as tasty.

The French usually cook tender frog legs fricassee stuffed with Provencal herbs, spices and deep-fried in breadcrumbs. It is best to use olive oil for deep frying; this way, the dish will not be very fatty and aromatic. You can additionally serve sauce to frog legs. Almost any French with herbs and spices will do.

Frog legs are not only not harmful to the human body but also useful. Frogs live only in clean water bodies, and therefore their meat cannot be contaminated with toxins or toxic substances. Some scientists argue that frog meat prevents cancer, and the calorie content of legs is very low — only 73 kcal per 100 grams of a precious green product that has won the hearts of gourmets around the world.

Do frog legs really taste like chicken? Frog legs really taste like chicken — something between chicken wings and chicken legs due to the similarity of the structure and texture of the meat and the nutritional properties of the two. It contains 15-16% protein, only 0.3% fat, mostly unsaturated, and almost no cholesterol. Frog meat contains vitamins A, C, D, B6 and B12, calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, potassium.

Of course, the taste of frog legs will directly depend on the way they were cooked. 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. Some chefs make a saute of them, tossing them in a frying pan.

What do fried frog legs taste like? Fried frog legs taste exactly like fried chicken legs or wings due to their similarities in texture and composition. Fried frog legs are mild in flavor, crunchy, juicy, and crispy. Fried frog legs can also be salty and spicy or also topped with chilli-like paprika or hot sauce to give it a spicy taste.

Different countries use different oils, spices and sauces for cooking frog legs. In France, Provencal frog legs (de Grenouilles à la Provencale) with garlic and parsley and chicken legs (de Grenouille à la poulette) with cream eggs are popular. Frog legs can be pre-pickled, and sweet pickles are often used in Asia. Frog legs 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.

Since frog meat is soft and juicy, it goes well with crab meat, dry in nature. For example, chefs make cutlets from frogs and add crab meat to frog meat as they harmoniously complement each other. In France, they love to cook frogs in white wine. Ome of the classic recipes for frog legs is the following:

• Fry the frog legs with shallots, then remove them from the pan. Add white wine to the onion, evaporate it, pour in the fund or broth, boil it again.
• When the broth is ready, add wine or vinegar, balsamic or any other.
• Put the frogs back and serve in a couple of minutes.
• You can boil the frog legs in carrot and celery broth with bay leaves, black peppercorns, leeks. It’s even easier – fry in vegetable and butter.

Although frog legs are associated with the delights of French cuisine, in addition to France, they are cooked and served in many other countries like Portugal, Spain, Vietnam, the USA, Mexico and China. Delicate, juicy, low-calorie frog meat has truly won worldwide fame and has become a favorite dish of real gourmets. But why is it so pricey? What makes leg frogs so unique?

Why are frog legs so expensive? Frog legs are so expensive as the demand exceeds the supply. The Department of Agriculture banned uncontrolled fishing in 1977, and frogs are now imported from overseas — Cuba, the USA, Indonesia. Cost of transportation, lack of frogs after uncontrolled fishing and huge demand make frog legs so expensive.

How much do frog legs cost? According to Citarella, one pound of frog legs (4-6 legs) costs $17.5. As for restaurants, expect to pay $15-$20 per serving of frog legs as an entree. If it is a premium restaurant, the frog legs dish will cost up to $70. The average price of frog legs as main dishes at a restaurant in Paris is $30-$40.

Frog Legs History — Where Did Frog Legs Originate From

Frog legs have become the hallmark of French cuisine. Despite the popularity of this dish among tourists, frogs are a rare delicacy even for the French themselves. Also, France is not the only country to eat this delicacy. The Italians can rightfully be considered the record holder, where these amphibians have been eaten for so long that they have become an ordinary and unremarkable food.

The first frog dish appeared in France in the XIV century during the war with England as a forced means of fighting widespread hunger. Frog legs, which initially became a salvation for the poor, “migrated” to the tables of the aristocracy by the 19th century, becoming not only in demand but also very expensive.

Several centuries later, dishes from frog legs began to appear in the Caribbean’s cuisines, the southern continent in America, Southeast Asia and Europe, where, based on national traditions, their culinary characteristics were introduced into the recipes for their preparation.

After some time, the resourceful French, continuing to experiment with the preparation of frog meat, almost exterminated their own populations of these amphibians. Indeed, to collect one kilogram of frog legs, they had to catch about twenty kilograms of live frogs. The Ministry of Agriculture banned uncontrolled fishing in 1977, and the bulk of the frog delicacy is currently imported from other countries: Cuba, the United States, and Indonesia.

Currently, several states are engaged in the commercial production of this gourmet product. Frog legs are popular in India and Vietnam, from where frog legs in the frozen and packed form are exported to countries worldwide.

Properly cooked frog legs are truly a gourmet dish. They are surprisingly appetizing, juicy, taste like chicken or rabbit meat, but much softer and more tender. Only the upper parts of the frog’s hind legs are eaten. They have a pale pink color and are similar in texture to chicken wings. In terms of taste, this delicacy product is not inferior to the meat of shrimps, oysters, mussels and other valuable seafood.

National Frog Legs Day in the USA

Frog Legs Day in the United States is celebrated on February 29, once every 4 years. The holiday has gastronomic significance. National Frog’s Legs Day is the brainchild of John-Brian Hopkins, a blogger and social media consultant based in the US state of Alabama.

But aside from being a bit of a joke, frog legs are a popular menu item in many cuisines and cultures and are popular in the southern United States. Given this popularity, it’s understandable why Fellsmere, Florida, hosts the world’s largest annual Frog’s Legs Festival.

The festival dates back to 1990 when a small group of Fellsmere residents decided to organize an event that would entertain the children of the city and gain local fame. After several brainstorming sessions, the group decided that celebrating Frog’s Legs Day over the weekend would do the trick.

Locals managed to catch about 400 pounds of frogs in the swamps surrounding Fellsmere, expecting enough to be enough. Naturally, they were wrong, and the frog’s legs dinners were sold out within hours after the city became the center of the universe for one day.

The festival has now turned into a huge three to four-day party. The event attracts over 80,000 people over one weekend and sells 7,000 pounds of frog legs to hungry customers. Simultaneously, the world’s largest festival of frog legs, the Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival, is held in January.

Cooking Frog Legs

Frog legs are used for cooking fresh or frozen. They are fried in a skillet or grill, stewed with vegetables, boiled, breaded in breadcrumbs, or rolled in flour and baked. They are prepared almost instantly.

What do frog legs go with? Frog legs meat goes well with herbs, spices, garlic, porcini mushrooms, nuts, vegetables (especially tomatoes), chicken eggs. It is added to pasta and cereal dishes for interesting flavor combinations. Some chefs stuff frog legs with spinach, finding such an unusual dish delicious and healthy.

Frog legs are used in a wide variety of recipes and combined with many foods. In French cuisine, they are used to prepare tender and spicy fricassee, and in Asian countries, mouth-watering dishes seasoned with various spicy gravies have become widespread.

You can cook a tasty soup with frog legs or stew them in sour cream, creamy or soy sauce to obtain a juicy and mouth-watering dish. You can serve frog legs independently or in addition to various cereals. Before cooking, meat is usually soaked in water and then marinated with apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, wine, or milk.

Skilfully prepared frog legs help diversify the traditional and festive menu, bringing a special, delicate taste to the usual culinary recipes.

Frog Legs Health Benefits

Are frog legs good for you? Frog legs are a truly ideal component of any dietary menu, and are almost free of cholesterol, do not contain animal fat and are an excellent source of protein, which plays an important role for the human body. Frog legs are rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamins D, E, K, C, PP and group B.

Frog meat is considered an environmentally friendly and safe food product since these amphibians live exclusively in reservoirs with clean water.  The skin of frog legs contains a special component that normalizes blood circulation and has a beneficial effect on the work of blood vessels and the heart. In the states of East Asia, it is dried specially and then used to prepare a medicinal tincture, with the help of which dropsy is cured, and toothache is eliminated.

Frog meat has a bactericidal, disinfectant and anti-edema effect. Selenium helps to rid the weakened body of inflammatory processes. Experts have found that frog meat is an excellent agent that prevents malignant tumors in the brain.

France is not the only place on the planet where the meat of an edible frog has won the love of the locals. Since ancient times, it has been eaten in China, Indonesia, Thailand and other Asian countries. Today, the delicacy is eaten by the Spanish, Greeks, Italians, Portuguese, residents of the Caribbean and some states in the southern United States.

What goes with frog’s legs? The frog’s legs go well with chili, basil, garlic and fish sauce. In Asia, South America and France, frog’s legs are fried or boiled with local herbs and spices. In France, they are traditionally breaded in flour, pan-fried and served with lemon and garlic butter.

What Do You Eat with Frog Legs? Ultimate Guide on What Goes Well With Frog’s Legs

What do you eat with frog legs? What side dish goes with frog legs? Vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, pepper, or eggplant, cereals and pasta are considered ideal side dishes that go with frog legs. Dry white wine made from Chardonnay grapes or beer will go well with frog fricassee and baked thighs in béchamel sauce.

Frog legs are delicious and tender. They taste like tender poultry meat and are often compared to fried chicken. Frog legs are so tender and soft that you do not need any cutlery for cutting the meat. According to eating etiquette, you should eat frog legs just with your hands and not with a knife or a fork. In restaurants, you will be given a bowl of water and lemon to rinse your hands.

There are many variations in frogs’ preparation in France, including original recipes and seasonal menu items from eminent Parisian chefs. But the classic frog legs recipe is Cuisses de grenouilles à la provençale with garlic, butter, parsley, lemon and spices. A similar recipe is popular in Lyon – Cuisses de grenouilles de la Dombes (seasoned with garlic and parsley) or deep-fried (friture de la Saône).

It is not difficult to cook frog legs at home. The easiest recipe is to fry them in boiling oil, but Thai cuisine recommends serving them with chili, basil, garlic and fish sauce.

Properly cooked frog legs are truly a gourmet dish. What do frog legs taste like? Frog legs are surprisingly appetizing, juicy, and taste like chicken or rabbit meat, but much softer and more tender. They have a pale pink color and are similar in texture to chicken wings. Frog leg meat is not inferior to the meat of shrimps, oysters, mussels and other seafood.

How do you eat frog legs? Take frog legs with your hands, just like small pieces of chicken. Cut the legs in two at the joint if they are too big. As frog legs are very tender, you will not need any cutlery. Just take the frog legs and bite them. Rinse the hands in the bowl of water if needed or wipe with a napkin.

Cooking Frog Legs

Frog legs are used for cooking fresh or frozen. They are fried in a skillet or grill, stewed with vegetables, boiled, breaded in breadcrumbs, or rolled in flour and baked. They are prepared almost instantly.

What are frog legs served with? Frog legs are served with herbs, spices, garlic, porcini mushrooms, nuts, vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers), chicken eggs. Frog legs can be added to pasta and cereal dishes for increasing flavor combinations. Some chefs stuff frog legs with spinach, finding such an unusual dish very tasty and healthy.

Frog legs are included in a wide variety of recipes and combine with many foods. In French cuisine, delicate and spicy fricassee is prepared from frog legs, and in Asian countries, mouth-watering dishes seasoned with various spicy gravies have become widespread.

Frog legs are used for cooking soups or creamy sauces. Frog legs can also be stewed in sour cream and garlic and can be served separately or in addition to various cereals. Before cooking, meat is usually soaked in water and then marinated with apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, wine, or milk. Skilfully prepared frog legs help diversify the traditional and festive menu, bringing a special, delicate taste to the usual culinary recipes.

Hot sauces with an abundance of spices are categorically not suitable for frog meat delicacies. Frog legs are usually served with mild spices: mayonnaise, tartar sauce, hollandaise sauce made from olive oil with lemon juice. As a side dish, pumpkin fried with slices, celery, various salads from fresh vegetables are quite appropriate. As for drinks, connoisseurs recommend white wine like Chablis or any other classic dry white wine.

How to Cook Frog Legs At Home?

To make the frog legs tasty and retain the maximum amount of nutrients, follow these recommendations:

• Use a small amount of salt, add it at the end of cooking.
• As for the spices, you can choose any to your taste, the main thing is a moderate amount.
• Heat treatment should not be long-term since frog legs are a very delicate product, and otherwise, they will simply fall apart.

Frog legs are a national product in France. Not all amphibians can be consumed, though, so do not use those that live in the nearest body of water. In general, the French call this product frog legs since it is the upper part of the legs that is eaten. It contains only one bone, which is difficult to get rid of. Many people say that this delicacy tastes like chicken. Frogs that will be eaten are raised on special farms, where all the necessary conditions are created.

Frog legs are a real delicacy that the French especially love. They can be boiled, stewed, baked or fried. In France, it is customary to cook frog legs without using any additives and already serve it with various sauces to reveal the taste of the product more fully. As with other meat products, frog legs can be used to make soup.

The French are very selective about food. It seems that the cult of food reigns in this country. The French highly appreciate fresh and high-quality products, reverently approaches the table setting and serving dishes. France has a huge number of restaurants and cafes. Many are ready to drive a hundred kilometers just to have lunch or dinner at their favorite establishment.

Do French really eat frogs’ legs? French really eat frog legs because of their nutritional properties, low-calorie content and tasty meat. France is the number one country for eating frog legs, and the French eat an estimated 80 million frogs a year (that’s 160 million frog legs).

Why Do French Eat Frogs Legs?

The French eat frogs’ legs because of their nutritional properties and exquisite taste. The French began to eat frog legs during the Hundred Years War with England as ordinary people simply had nothing to eat except frogs, snails and onion soup. In the 16th century, frog legs became a delicacy. 

Initially, frog legs appeared in the region now called Auvergne — Rhone — Alpes, where there are many rivers, ponds and streams here. This rainy land is a great place to catch frogs. The main edible frog species are considered to be Pelophylax kl. esculentus, the most common in Europe is a hybrid of a marsh frog and a pond frog that originated 5,000 years ago.

In 1977, the French Ministry of Agriculture banned the massive catch of amphibians. You could catch frogs only for 15 days a year.  In those days, one of the largest exporters of frogs was the Soviet Union. They were caught mainly in the Volga and Dnieper deltas and delivered to France and Italy. Today, chefs prefer fleshy American bullfrogs (adults weigh up to 500 g). In Asian countries, hybrid breeds are specially bred for culinary purposes and supplied to Europe.

The French got their nickname (frogs) from the British back in the XIV century. At this time (from 1337 to 1453), an exhausting war was going on between the English and French nations, which still could not divide the thrones and territories. Each side tried to hurt its opponent, and the British did not miss the opportunity to prick the French for their love of frog legs.

The second most popular version of how frogs became popular in France appeared because of the royal prohibitions on hunting in the forests of the aristocracy. Given that most of the country’s population was engaged in agriculture, people had to eat meat every day. Therefore, I had to look for an alternative to deer, partridges. An excellent substitute for steel frogs

In fact, there is still debate about whether, at that time, the French really loved these amphibians so much or were forced to include frogs in their diet due to food shortages during the war. There is an opinion that it was during this time of famine that the famous French dietary onion soup appeared. Nowadays, frog legs are quite popular, not only in France. They also like this delicacy dish in other countries of Western Europe, Southeast Asia, and Russia.

Are Frog Legs Popular in France?

Are frog legs popular in France? Frog legs are extremely popular in France thanks to the taste and nutritional properties. Delicate frog legs meat, which tastes like fish and chicken, is valued in France to this day and is considered a national pride. Every year the French eat approximately 80 million frogs (160 million frogs legs).

Contrary to popular belief that frogs legs belong only to French cuisine, the facts suggest the opposite: they are eaten in Portugal, Greece, Italy, Spain, the Caribbean, and even in the Midwest in the United States, not to mention Asian countries — in Vietnam, for example, frogs legs are sold in the form of instant convenience foods, like dumplings or chicken legs.

In the twentieth century, a real scandal erupted in France related to the disappearance of frogs. Frog legs used to weigh only 20-50 grams (for one individual). This means that you need to use 3-6 frogs to make you full.

To prevent the extermination of amphibians, the French government in 1980, at the legislative level, banned the capture of frogs for subsequent consumption. Moreover, they even created a special voluntary movement for the protection of frogs. They help frogs during migration to safely get to their swamp.

But the French did not give up their delicacy: frog legs are now imported here from Indonesia, Greece, Thailand and Albania. According to some reports, hundreds of tons of frog meat are eaten every year all over the world. Frog meat is low-calorie, contains many vitamins and minerals. The legs taste like chicken but with a slightly fishy flavor.

What country eats frog legs? Even though France is the country that eats the most frogs’ legs, Asian countries, especially China and Thailand, eat a lot of frogs’ legs, too. Restaurants in Germany, Belgium and the United States cook frogs legs raised on special farms and exported from Asia due to their tender meat and dietary properties. 

From time immemorial in France, there has been a debate about whether it is generally safe to eat frog legs. But as always, it is possible to single out supporters of this dish and those who are categorically against eating these amphibians: some doctors believe that eating frog “meat” is very useful; others, on the contrary, argue that it is even dangerous. Various animal welfare societies are advocating for the protection of frogs. As the defenders of nature trumpet with one voice, it is simply absurd to kill frogs just because of someone’s whim. Indeed, out of the entire mass of the frog’s body, which is 125 grams, only two legs go on the table.

Currently, in France, catching frogs outside a certain calendar period is punishable by a fine. Most of the frog legs in the country are exported from Asia and other European countries. They are not an everyday dish at all, and most of the population has never tried them.

Nature is rich in its inhabitants, and snails are no exception. The number of snail species is very large. In Australia alone, there are more than 3000 species. Snails were eaten even in ancient Rome and Greece. They were fed with flour, aromatic herbs and given wine, making the taste of the meat unique and delicate. Definitely, not all snails can be eaten as there are so many. Let’s find out what kind of snails you can eat.

What snails can you eat? Traditionally, in Europe and the USA, they eat land snails of the Helicidae family, including Helix Pomatia (grape snail), Helix Lucorum, and Helix Aspersa (garden snail). Cepaea Nemoralis, Cepaea Hortensis, Achatina Fulica snails can also be eaten, but they are not as popular as grape varieties.

Although there are many edible snails, grape and garden snails are considered the most delicious and are used in cooking.

Types Of Edible Snails

What kind of snails can you eat? In European countries, they mainly eat land snails of the Helicidae family, which has subspecies depending on the habitat:

• Helix Pomatia is a grape snail. Its homeland is Central and South-Eastern Europe. It is believed that its meat tastes better than other types of meat.
• Helix Lucorum is found throughout the Eastern Mediterranean region, mainly consumed in Greece and Georgia.
• Helix Aspersa is better known as the garden snail. It is most common in many countries around the world but most often found in the Mediterranean region, Western and Eastern Europe. There are several subspecies of it: Helix Aspersa Muller and Helix Aspersa Maxima.

Grape and garden snails are grown on specialized farms in large quantities for sale, supply to restaurants and shops, and for the pharmaceutical industry. French gourmets eat grape snails, but garden snails have found their way too.

Helix Pomatia is one of the most common culinary varieties. Its meat is valued more than other snails. It reaches the size and weight necessary for eating in 2-3 years, its weight can reach 30-45 grams.

Helix Aspersa Maxima is also known as a large gray snail, differing from the grape snail in a shorter growing cycle. To achieve a size that meets commercial and consumer criteria, one season is enough for them, that is, a period of 5-7 months from spring to autumn. An adult of this species weighs 16 to 25 grams and is capable of laying 120-180 eggs.

Helix Aspersa Muller, also known as gray small, has the advantage of being used in cooking as a whole. Although it is small, its meat is very tasty and does not require special initial processing. Prepare it together with the shell without removing the intestines. Its weight reaches 6-10 grams and lays 80-120 eggs. The time it takes to reach its maturity is shorter than that of large relatives and is only 5-6 months.

A lesser known but also edible species is the Otala Lactea, milk or Spanish snail. It is not widely cultivated, but it is eaten by the Spanish, Portuguese, Greeks and other Mediterranean countries. It is harvested from the wild and considered an invasive agricultural pest. It is slightly smaller than Helix Aspersa, the pattern on the shell varies greatly, but overall it is beige with darker brown stripes.

Snail Nutritional Value

Snail meat is not only tasty but also a healthy product — it contains a lot of vitamins, is rich in amino acids and proteins, but there is little fat in it. It is almost 80% water. 100 g of snail meat contains 15% proteins, 2.4% fats.

What Snails Do They Eat in France?

In France, they mostly eat Helix Pomatia, grown in Burgundy, to prepare an exquisite dish called Escargot de Bourgogne. The French are the largest consumers of snails in the world. They eat about 27 thousand tons or 700 million pieces every year, while their demand is satisfied by only 60-70%. Naturally, Burgundy alone is not enough to feed all gourmets, so Europe imports a gourmet product from other countries.

Escargot is an expensive dish. Most often, you can try it in an elite restaurant or at a banquet as a delicious snack for alcoholic beverages. But traditional recipes are not complicated at all, so the French cook escargot at home. The basic principle of all French snail recipes is that fillets are boiled, cut and mixed with oil, fresh herbs and spices. The finished filling is stuffed in shells. Instead of live snails, you can use frozen or canned ones. So you do not necessarily need to use live snails for cooking.

Precautions for Cooking Land Snails

At first glance, in everyday life, it is not difficult at all to collect garden snails in your own yard and enjoy a delicacy. But catching and trying to cook something from garden molluscs from your own garden is not worth it.

Can you eat garden slugs? You must never eat garden slugs. Forest and garden snails that live in their natural environment are often infected with certain types of parasites. These parasites, once in the human body, can cause various unpleasant diseases and even lead to meningitis.

Professional chefs, before starting to prepare dishes from live snails, perform a number of procedures with them. First, the snails go through a kind of quarantine — for three days, the mollusks are placed in an empty container without giving them food. Then they take it out and feed it with flour for a week and give them water to drink — this is necessary for the complete cleansing of the shellfish’s body. And only after that, the snails become edible.

What Do Snails Taste Like?

The taste of European snails reminds the taste of chicken and mushrooms, which is most intense in Burgundy and less pronounced in gastropods from the Balkans. The meat of Burgundy snails has a light brown hue. Balkan snails are much darker. The taste of African women-Achatina resembles russula mushrooms. Achatina shells, unlike Helix, are very fragile.

That said, there are several types of these snails that you can eat. These are Helix Pomatia (grape/Burgundy snails), Helix Lucorum (mountain/land snails), and, of course, the delicious Mediterranean Helix Aspersa Maxima and Helix Aspersa Muller.

Snails are symbols of France, where residents include shellfish on the menu more often than in other countries of the world. Every year the French eat about seven hundred million pieces.

In Italy and Greece, edible snails are used to make pasta sauces. Meat is added to salads and soups, as well as second hot dishes. For Germany, edible snails are also valuable. The same applies to Spain as well as Portugal. Snails are served at various bistros in America. Farmers in Germany and Poland, as well as Greece and Indonesia, successfully breed snails.