Ambelopoulia
Encyclopedia
Ambelopoulia is a controversial dish of pickled or boiled songbirds served in some Cypriot
restaurants. It is illegal in Cyprus
as it involves trapping wild birds
such as Blackcap
s and European Robin
s. Trapping kills birds indiscriminately, thus internationally protected species of migratory birds are killed as well. Enforcement of the ban has been lax, so many restaurants serve the dish without consequence. As a result almost 2,418,000 birds across the whole of Cyprus are estimated to have been killed during 2010.
The birds are trapped in either of two ways. Black, fine-mesh nylon fishing nets, which are difficult to see, are strung between trees. Electronic bird calls lure the birds to entangle their wings and legs. Others are trapped using glue sticks made from the berries of a local tree or birdlime
. The glue sticks are placed on the branches of trees, and any birds that perch on them are stuck until the trapper returns to kill them (usually with a tooth pick to the throat). Often the legs of the birds are so stuck to the glue sticks that they need to be pulled off.
The trappers defend their activity by citing the practice as traditional Cypriot hunting; even though the practice has been illegal since 1974. BirdLife Cyprus has identified restaurants as the main culprits as they provide the financial incentives. The birds reportedly sell for five euros each. Since the entrails of the birds are not removed, as it is not cost effective to do so, the consumer is encouraged to swallow the bird whole.
Poaching for ambelopoulia has been on the rise in recent years involving by 2011 a “mafia-like operation” that include poachers, dealers, exporters, and restaurant operators that participate in the illegal business estimated to be worth about 5 million Euro.
Cypriot cuisine
Cypriot cuisine is the cuisine of Cyprus and can be described as a blend of Greek cuisines. Greek Cypriot cuisine is another regional Greek cuisine along with Cretan, Ionian, or Attic....
restaurants. It is illegal in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
as it involves trapping wild birds
Bird trapping
Bird trapping techniques to capture wild birds include a wide range of techniques that have their origins in the hunting of birds for food. While hunting for food does not require the birds to be caught alive, some trapping techniques are used to capture birds without harming them particularly for...
such as Blackcap
Blackcap
The Blackcap is a common and widespread sylviid warbler which breeds throughout temperate Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa, and winters from northwestern Europe south to tropical Africa...
s and European Robin
European Robin
The European Robin , most commonly known in Anglophone Europe simply as the Robin, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family , but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher...
s. Trapping kills birds indiscriminately, thus internationally protected species of migratory birds are killed as well. Enforcement of the ban has been lax, so many restaurants serve the dish without consequence. As a result almost 2,418,000 birds across the whole of Cyprus are estimated to have been killed during 2010.
The birds are trapped in either of two ways. Black, fine-mesh nylon fishing nets, which are difficult to see, are strung between trees. Electronic bird calls lure the birds to entangle their wings and legs. Others are trapped using glue sticks made from the berries of a local tree or birdlime
Birdlime
Birdlime is an adhesive substance used in trapping birds. It is spread on a branch or twig, upon which a bird may land and be caught. Its use is illegal in many jurisdictions....
. The glue sticks are placed on the branches of trees, and any birds that perch on them are stuck until the trapper returns to kill them (usually with a tooth pick to the throat). Often the legs of the birds are so stuck to the glue sticks that they need to be pulled off.
The trappers defend their activity by citing the practice as traditional Cypriot hunting; even though the practice has been illegal since 1974. BirdLife Cyprus has identified restaurants as the main culprits as they provide the financial incentives. The birds reportedly sell for five euros each. Since the entrails of the birds are not removed, as it is not cost effective to do so, the consumer is encouraged to swallow the bird whole.
Poaching for ambelopoulia has been on the rise in recent years involving by 2011 a “mafia-like operation” that include poachers, dealers, exporters, and restaurant operators that participate in the illegal business estimated to be worth about 5 million Euro.
External links
- http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/07/26/100726fa_fact_franzenJonathan Franzen, Emptying the Skies, The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, July 26, 2010]