Beyond aroma, what social necessity does the cloth fulfill when consuming the ortolan whole?
Answer
Concealing the visually jarring act of devouring a skeleton
While aroma capture is important, the second crucial role of the napkin relates to social presentation and etiquette surrounding a difficult physical act. Because the ortolan must be eaten entirely in one continuous motion, the process of consuming the small bird, bones and all, is inherently undignified and visually stark, often described as macabre or grisly. The cloth acts as a necessary visual screen, allowing the diner to hide this intense, private engagement with the food from the view of others at the table. This suggests the tradition balances the pursuit of intense flavor with a need to maintain a façade of decorum in the face of an otherwise grotesque consumption method.
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