• Menu
  • Menu
  • News
  • Subscribe now
    Digital subscription Print subscription Subscribe to Newsletters
  • Logout
Digital subscription
Print subscription
Subscribe to Newsletters
Trending
UAE holidays 2021 Golf in UAE Expo 2020 MS Talks Year of the 50th
  • Latest News
  • UAE
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Year of the 50th
      • News
      • UAE's Progress
      • Photos
      • Videos
      • People
      • Culture
      • Milestones
      • Future
    • Health
      • Better Health
      • Why Worry
    • Transport
    • Science
    • Weather
    • Reader Complaint
    • Ask the Law
    • Games
    • UAE's Hope Probe
  • Living In UAE
    • Visa+Immigration
    • Housing
    • Phone+Internet
    • Banking
    • Transport
    • Health
    • Education
    • Relocate
    • Ask Us
    • Safety+Security
  • UAE Success Stories
  • Business
    • Banking
    • Aviation
    • Property
    • Energy
    • Analysis
    • Tourism
    • Markets
    • Retail
    • Corporate News
  • Best Buys
    • Electronics
    • Home and Kitchen
    • Offers
    • Consumables
    • Lifestyle
  • Your Money
    • Saving and Investment
    • Budget Living
    • Taxation
    • Expert Columns
    • Community Tips
    • Cryptocurrency
  • Food
    • Cooking and Cuisines
    • Guide to Cooking
  • Games
    • Daily Crossword
    • Weekend Crossword
    • Sudoku
    • Word Search
    • Play
  • Play Games
  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Learning & Play
    • Child Health
    • For Mums & Dads
    • Ask Us
    • Games
  • World
    • Gulf
      • Bahrain
      • Kuwait
      • Oman
      • Qatar
      • Saudi
      • Yemen
      • Games
    • Mena
    • Europe
      • Brexit
    • Africa
    • Americas
      • US Presidential Elections 2020
    • Asia
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • Philippines
    • Oceania
    • Offbeat
    • Coronavirus
    • Infographics
    • Games
  • Special Reports
  • Photos
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Letters
    • Off the Cuff
    • From the Editors
  • Sport
    • UAE Sport
    • Horse Racing
      • Dubai World Cup
    • Cricket
      • IPL
        • Chennai
        • Delhi
        • Punjab
        • Kolkata
        • Mumbai
        • Rajasthan
        • Bangalore
        • Hyderabad
        • Schedule
        • Live Scores
        • Point Table
        • Top Scorers
      • ICC
      • T20 World Cup 2021
        • Schedule
        • Live Scores
        • Point Table
        • Top Scorers
    • Football
    • Motorsport
    • Tennis
      • Dubai Duty Free Tennis 2020
    • Golf in UAE
      • UAE
      • World
      • Photos & Videos
      • Course Reviews
      • Eagle Eye
      • Learn to Play
      • Gear
    • Rugby
  • Entertainment
    • Hollywood
    • Bollywood
    • Pakistani Cinema
    • South Indian
    • Arab Celebs
    • Music
    • TV
    • Books
    • Theatre
    • Arts+Culture
  • Expo 2020
    • News
    • Photos
    • Pavilions
    • Visit the Expo
    • Experience the UAE
    • Entertainment
    • Videos
    • Buy tickets
  • Going Out
  • Auto
    • News
    • Test Drives
    • Car Culture
    • Auto Care
  • Lifestyle
    • Health+Fitness
    • Community
    • Fashion
  • GN Reach
  • Jobs
  • Tech
    • Electronics
    • Gaming
    • Media
  • Videos
    • How-To
    • Best Of Bollywood
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Business
    • Sport
    • Community
    • Technology
  • Travel
  • GN Focus
    • Special Features
  • Ms Talks
  • The Kurator
    • Share
    • Dare
    • Flair
  • Bayat Chapters
  • Gold-Forex
  • Notifications
  • Gold/Forex
  • Prayer Times
  • Cinema Listing
  • Discount Codes
  • About Gulf News
  • Contact us
  • Work with us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Gulf News store
  • Advertise with us
  • Reach by GN
  • GN Focus
  • Gulf News epaper
  • Sitemap
  • Have your say
    • © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2021. All rights reserved.
    Photos: French frog farmers jump to meet restaurant demand

    Photos

    Login / Sign Up
    Logout
    Wednesday, December 8, 2021
    Gold / Forex

    Photos News

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
    All Sections

    Photos: French frog farmers jump to meet restaurant demand

    Frogs have been eaten in France for centuries, particularly in the country's east

    Published:  October 10, 2020 11:21 AFP  and  Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Senior Web Editor
    1 of 12
    Frog gallery
    Pierralatte, France: Every year, the French consume some 4,000 tonnes of frogs' legs - the equivalent of 40 blue whales. But nearly all the amphibian limbs that land on French plates come from abroad, since wild harvesting of the protected creatures is all but banned and their cultivation strictly controlled. Image Credit: AFP
    2 of 12
    Frog gallery
    One of France's handful of frog farmers, Patrice Francois, provides "cuisses de grenouille" to the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants and neighbourhood bistros alike. Yet the 100,000 animals being raised at his greenhouses in Pierrelatte in southeast France hardly make a dent in demand for a delicacy that helped earn the French the nickname "frogs," at least in the English-speaking world. Image Credit: AFP
    3 of 12
    Frog gallery
    "Raising frogs is hard!" Francois said amid a deafening chorus of croaks coming from dozens of ponds teeming with marsh frogs, his farm's speciality. "It is starting to work out, but I am not yet making a living from it," said the 56-year-old, who started France's first frog farm ten years ago. Image Credit: AFP
    4 of 12
    Frog gallery
    To make ends meet, he also runs a fishmonger's in Roanne, around 230 kilometres (140 miles) north. From the incubation of eggs through raising the tadpoles and fattening up the adults, it takes about a year to produce a frog weighing 50 to 100 grammes (1.7-3.5 ounces), each yielding two hind legs much smaller than chicken thighs. Image Credit: AFP
    5 of 12
    Frog gallery
    "We control the entire production chain, from breeding to slaughter after anaesthesia by cold, then butchery and shipping," Francois said. But there are many hurdles along the way. For mating to happen, conditions have to be just right, with the weather and even the lunar cycle affecting the creatures' amorous moods. Image Credit: AFP
    6 of 12
    Frog gallery
    Each fertilisation by a male frog of eggs deposited by a female can have a success rate of zero to 100 percent, depending on conditions, Francois said. For a million eggs produced on the farm, some 100,000 or ten percent eventually mature into frogs. The animals are easily stressed, which is harmful to their health and growth, and can suffocate if too many are grouped together. The frogs also have to be grouped by size to prevent the larger ones from cannibalising smaller tank mates. Image Credit: AFP
    7 of 12
    Frog gallery
    Five farms in France produce about 10 tonnes of frog meat every year on average, according to the agriculture ministry, an amount that could reach 20 or even 50 tonnes as soon as this year. Frogs have been eaten in France for centuries, particularly in the country's east, but have been protected species since 2007 because of rapidly declining numbers. Image Credit: AFP
    8 of 12
    Frog gallery
    Only small wild harvests for domestic consumption are allowed, with large fines for anyone trying to catch them for sale. Ninety-nine percent of frogs consumed in the country come from abroad - shipped alive or refrigerated mainly from Albania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Egypt, Belgium and Italy, and in frozen form principally from Indonesia, Vietnam and India, according to the French agriculture ministry. Image Credit: AFP
    9 of 12
    Frog gallery
    Frogs are also eaten in other European countries such as Belgium, in the southern United States, and in parts of Asia. Global consumption, according to a 2010 study, was 800 million to 3.2 billion frogs, with the US and European Union the largest importers, and Indonesia and China the main exporters. Image Credit: AFP
    10 of 12
    Frog gallery
    Conservationists warn that many frog species are at risk of extinction, driven in large part by human appetites. In key exporter Turkey, harvested species may be extinct by 2032, according to a study published this year by Cambridge University Press. Image Credit: AFP
    11 of 12
    Frog gallery
    Among Francois's top clients is the storied two-Michelin-star restaurant Bocuse, near Lyon in eastern France, which boasts frogs' legs on its autumn menu. Chef Gilles Reinhardt said the restaurant long had no choice but to rely on imports. "But nothing beats these ultra-fresh French frogs. The clients love them! The meat is much more delicate, the frogs fleshier and firmer... while still tender," he said. Image Credit: AFP
    12 of 12
    Frog gallery
    The restaurant gets 400 legs - or 200 pairs - twice weekly from Patrice Francois. "We are selling them all, despite the context of COVID and the dearth of foreign clients," Reinhardt said. Image Credit: AFP

    Trending

    • Readers' photos: Decorations during UAE National Day

      Readers' photos: Decorations during UAE National Day

    Latest In

    • Abu Dhabi corporate giants now own Egypt developer

      35 minutes ago

    • UAE: Fog in Abu Dhabi, minimum temperatures down to 8°C

      54 minutes ago

    • Australia joins diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics

    • Champions League: Walker off as City lose at Leipzig

    • Champions League: Perfect Liverpool knock out Milan

    Go back to top
    Network links:
    • Baby & Child
    • Friday
    • Inside Out
    • Watch Time
    • Wheels
    • getthat
    • GN Tech
    • Jobs
    • About Gulf News
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Gulf News store
    • Advertise with us
    • Reach by GN
    • GN Focus
    • Gulf News epaper
    • Sitemap
    • Have your say
    Find us on Social
    © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2021. All rights reserved.
    This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.
    Share on Facebook
    Share on Twitter
    Share on Whatsapp
    Share on Mail
    Share on LinkedIn
    Close
    Gulf News

    Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News

    We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.

    Subscribe No Thanks
    Continue reading Gulf News
    Dear Reader, please register to read gulfnews.com

    Dear Reader,

    This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without.

    Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com

    Create your account
    or login if you already have one
    First name is required.
    Last name is required.
    Please enter a valid email address.
    Password should have minimum 7 characters with at least one letter and number
    Passwords do not match

    By clicking below to sign up, you're agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

    Login your account
    New to Gulf News? Sign up now
    Please enter your email address.
    Please enter your password.

    Forgot password

    or