We must now speak of the hare; concerning this animal Archestratus, that author so curious in his dishes, speaks thus—
Many are the ways and many the recipesAnd Naucrates the comic poet, in his Persia, says that it is an uncommon thing to find a hare in Attica: and he speaks thus—
For dressing hares; but this is best of all,
To place before a hungry set of guests,
A slice of roasted meat fresh from the spit,
Hot, season'd only with plain simple salt,
Not too much done. And do not you be vex'd
At seeing blood fresh trickling from the meat,
But eat it eagerly. All other ways
Are quite superfluous, such as when cooks pour
A lot of sticky clammy sauce upon it,
Parings of cheese, and lees, and dregs of oil,
As if they were preparing cat's meat.
For who in rocky Attica e'er sawBut Alcæus, in his Callisto, speaks of hares as being plentiful, and says—
A lion or any other similar beast,
Where 'tis not easy e'en to find a hare
You should have coriander seed so fine
That, when we've got some hares, we may be able
To sprinkle them with that small seed and salt.