This was my first time in Chengdu, China. Even, before I went there, I am told mala rabbit head is an iconic dish to try. So, I was curious to try it, if there was an opportunity.
Rabbits are eaten in many parts of China but only in Chengdu is rabbit head considered a delicacy. The rabbits are farmed animals. Like other domesticated food animals, every part of the rabbit is eaten including innards like stomach and intestines.
Rabbit heads became popular in Chengdu about 30 years ago - stalls and restaurants serving it are commonly found nowadays. Rabbit heads are sent to Chengdu from all over China and they are even imported from Europe, e.g. France and Italy - such is the high demand for rabbit heads among Chengdu's 15 million people.
On our first day in Sichuan in DuJiangYan (a county of Chengdu City), our guide Marco offered to take us to try reputedly the best mala rabbit head in Chengdu. Half of our group of 20 backed out, opting for coffee and shopping instead.
The rabbit head restaurant was just 10 minutes walk from Holiday Inn Express where we stayed in DuJiangYan. The Chinese name says 老号尤兔头 (meaning Old Name Special Rabbit Head). I am not sure what the English name on the signboard means 😜
The marinated rabbit head pre-cooked by boiling in hot spicy soup was reboiled when there is an order.
The rabbit head is served smothered in sauce. 老号尤兔头 restaurant has different types of sauces such as 五香兔头 five spice, 孜香兔头 fragrant, and of course, 麻辣兔头 spicy mala sauce which we ordered (price RMB8 each).
There wasn't much meat and no skin on the bony head. The dark meat was tender but didn't have much, if any flavour. It felt like nibbling meat off a bony duck head.
Most of the flavour came from tongue numbing mala sauce.
I am told the choicest parts are the brain and eyes, but I couldn't get myself to eat them 😱
Will I eat it again? Even though rabbit head meat doesn't have its own particular unique flavour, I want to have another go at the brain and eyes, and tell you about it.
Would I recommend it? If you have an adventurous palate, and if you are not squeamish about eating the cute furry animal, try it at least once 🐇
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In a time where we should all be eating less meat it seems as if there are some who need to pursue more and more ways of eating it. And the rabbit is a gentle, sweet, sensitive animal that is being farmed, probably in horrendous conditions, then murdered in probably a brutal and painful way to satisfy unnecessary food demands. Where is the conscience of people like that. Shocking.
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