Hasenpfeffer
Hasenpfeffer (also spelled hasenfeffer) is a traditional German stew made from marinated rabbit or hare, cut into stewing-meat sized pieces and braised with onions and wine in a marinade thickened with the animal's blood. Hase is German for hare and Pfeffer is German for pepper, although here it refers generically to the spices and seasonings in the dish, as with the German ginger cookies Pfeffernüsse. Seasonings typically include (besides pepper): salt, onions, garlic, lemon, thyme, rosemary, allspice, juniper berries, cloves, and bay leaf. In the North American pioneer era, German immigrants frequently cooked squirrel in the same manner.
[edit] In popular culture
The 1932 Betty Boop cartoon Minnie the Moocher opens with Betty's German father scolding her at the dinner table for not eating her hasenpfeffer.
The 1962 Bugs Bunny cartoon Shishkabugs makes repeated reference to hasenpfeffer.
The word hasenpfeffer can also be found in the opening theme of ABC's long-running hit sitcom Laverne and Shirley. At the beginning of the theme song "Make All Our Dreams Come True", main characters Laverne and Shirley are seen skipping down the street chanting "...5, 6, 7, 8, Schlemiel, Schlimazel, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated" immediately before the theme music begins.
"Hasenpfeffer" is one of the words given to a speller in the Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The song "Magic Foot" is structured around the word's spelling.
As well, the dish is referenced in the song "Don't Be the Bunny", in the musical Urinetown.
This was also one of the words Jamie Hyneman of MythBusters chose to use as a non-swear word in the episode "No Pain, No Gain", although it was misspelled on his whiteboard.
The dish is referenced in the song, "G.I. Blues," written by Sid Tepper and Roy Bennett for Elvis Presley, who performed it in the film and album of the same name. The second verse of the song begins, "We get hasenpfeffer and black pumpernickel for chow."
In the 2011 Animated Movie "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil", the Big Bad Wolf asked, "Who's up for hasenpfeffer." while he and Red Riding Hood were interrogating Boingo the Bunny in the London Bridge Asylum.
[edit] External links
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