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Is there a source for this ?
Somehow I find it hard to believe that a dying man could eat ortolans.
The source is an article by Michael Paterniti in the May 1998 issue of Esquire; there are numerous citations of it online but I don't think the article itself is.
Also Weekend Edition, Feb. 2006 [1]. Googling『François Mitterrand last meal』gives a wealth of links. -- 19:29, 11 December 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.104.112.64 (talk)
There's no conflict there,most birds in Europe are protected to a greater or lesser extent, even quarry species have specified hunting periods. The Birdlife International criteria are quite strict - to even be vulnerable, a species must have a small population, limited range, or be declining at an alarming rate. Ortolan is still a numerous an widespread bird, and is common around the Med. Jimfbleak.talk.07:00, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
"The 1992 estimation for the French population is 15,000 pairs," shortly followed by: "Hunting (in particular in Landes) is responsible for taking about 50,000 birds per year." As Landes is an area in France, I don't see how these numbers can be accurate. It would be useful if the hunting figure were dated, but one finds it highly unlikely that the population could have risen from 15,000 pairs to something large enough to support that much take, even in 18 years.
Perhaps it would add clarity by changing it to "Hunting in Europe (in particular in Landes)..."?
I've (re)added a reference to the Urban Hunting article in The Stranger where the quote about eating Ortolan appears to be taken from. It struck me as odd to have this quote lifted from the article without any sort of citation visible. Without proper attribution, who can say where the text came from? Rstadler06:40, 9 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I should look up that Top Gear episode that is mentioned in the latter thestranger article (it might have been the Clarkson "touring europe" program he did instead of top gear). I definetly remember it as well, perhaps we can use that to source. --TheDJ (talk • contribs) 16:12, 28 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
The documentary/program was called "Meet the Neighbours" (episode France). I think it will be difficult to get a hold of, but perhaps i run into it somewhere.. --TheDJ (talk • contribs) 23:44, 28 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Everything that is put into this article has to be sourced. I just did a cleanup removing everything with a source needed tag (all from December 2010) which meant gutting the entire conversation section and most of the gastronomy section. More information should be added if it can be sourced. Cat-five - talk21:39, 7 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]
"Reputedly, Roman Emperors stabbed out ortolans’ eyes in order to make the birds think it was night, making them eat even more." I don't think this sentence meets the standards of WP:V. I flagged this as [citation needed] in 2018, but I see the flag was removed. The source provided for the claim just says, "It is said" that Romans did this. Indeed, every source I can find that makes this claim uses that phrasing. "Reputedly" and "it is said" violate WP:WEASEL, so unless someone can provide a definitive source, I think this line should be removed. 204.246.8.98 (talk) 19:54, 9 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]
The ortolan bunting (Emberiza hortulana) is a species of bird in the bunting family, Emberizidae. A native of most European countries and western Asia, it reaches as far north as Scandinavia and beyond the Arctic Circle, frequenting cornfields and their neighbourhoods. It is an uncommon vagrant in spring, and particularly in autumn, to the British Isles. Seeds are the bird's natural diet, but beetles and other insects are taken when feeding their young. The ortolan is served in French cuisine, typically cooked and eaten whole. Traditionally diners cover their heads with their napkin or a towel while eating the delicacy. The species is so widely used that its French populations dropped dangerously low, leading to laws restricting its use in 1999. In September 2007, the French government announced its intent to enforce long-ignored laws protecting the bird. This ortolan bunting was photographed in the Sierra de Guara, a mountain range in Aragon, Spain.
