Laurices


The term laurices refers to the fetus of the rabbit prepared without evisceration and consumed as a table delicacy. The word is the plural of the Latin word laurex, assumed to have been borrowed from an Iberian source. The word is normally found in the plural number, since, due to their size, more than one would be served at a time. The rabbit was adopted by the Romans from Hispania, whence it spread over western Europe, as did likewise the custom of consuming laurices.
As the domestication of rabbits became established, the source of laurices was extended to newborns, because it became possible to harvest them without sacrificing the breeding doe, the time of birth being able to be monitored.

Earliest Historical Mention

The first known mention of this gastronomic speciality is with Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia :

Gregory of Tours

The consumption of laurices during the fast of Lent is mentioned by Gregory of Tours in his Historia Francorum, Book 5.4.
Earlier in the passage, Roccolen appears in conflict with Gregory of Tours himself, and Roccolen is described by Gregory as being an impious rascal. Therefore, Gregory's mention of this practice can best be interpreted as condemnation.

Myth

The common theory that Pope Gregory I authorized the consumption of laurices during Lent and other fasts, declaring them to be a marine species, like fish or shellfish, is false.
The myth derives, in fact, from a misreading of Gregory of Tours' Historia Francorum 5.4 and a confusion between Gregory of Tours and Pope Gregory, two contemporary but different authors with the same name. Furthermore, this myth has also led to the idea that the rabbit was domesticated circa 600 AD, which must similarly be rejected.