Theme 1 – Rabbit as a culinary ingredient
Commenters share a wide range of traditional and modern dishes that feature rabbit, highlighting its place in various cuisines.
- phillc73: “Growing up in rural Australia I remember eating rabbit as a kid in the late 70s and early 80s. One of my favourite meals was a sweet rabbit curry with rice that Mum used to make.”
- telotortium: “Paella is commonly made with rabbit in Spain.”
- masklinn: “Rabbit is a pretty important part of traditional Maltese cuisine, rabbit stew is often considered a national dish, fried rabbit is also fairly common.”
- xfq: “I like Sichuan's Zigong 冷吃兔 (cold‑eaten rabbit)! Fried rabbit, dried chillies and numbing Sichuan pepper. Unforgettable.”
Theme 2 – Ecological impact and invasive species
Many remarks focus on how European rabbits, introduced for sport, became a devastating pest in Australia, prompting disease control and the Rabbit‑Proof Fence.
- someperson: “Rabbits were a common staple food source in Australia until 1950s when the myxoma virus was released which causes the disease myxomatosis.”
- ButlerianJihad: “Since their introduction for a spot of recreational hunting, European rabbits have had a devastating effect on the ecology of Australia in general. Hence the Rabbit‑Proof Fence, and its corresponding novel and film.”
- defrost: “You do realise, one hopes, the novel slash film have FA to do with either rabbits or any rabbit related ecological devastation. The fence served as a navigational aid for a long journey home…”
Theme 3 – Economic and social role (cheap meat, poor‑people’s food, rabbit starvation)
Rabbit is repeatedly described as inexpensive, depression‑era fare for the low‑income, easy to raise, yet also noted for the risk of “rabbit starvation” when eaten exclusively because of its leanness.
- NL807: “Rabbits were a depression-era food for Australians and was always considered a poor people's food.”
- hommelix: “Rabbit used to be the meat of the poor where I grew up. If you could not afford meat (beef/pork), you could always raise 5 to 10 rabbits in boxes in your garden and feed them with the grass from the road sides.”
- tybit: “Rabbit starvation (also called protein poisoning or mal de caribou) The body can only digest so much protein and rabbits are so lean there is basically no fat to them outside their organs.”
- rustyhancock: “It's says Rabbit was 4-5 times the price of chicken.”