Treating yourself to a good restaurant meal in Detroit these days might mean biting into some great Coney Islands, or a plate of flaming souvlaki in Greektown, or barbeque, or soul food.
Now roll the clock back about 90 or 100 years.
How about frog leg salad? Frog ravioli? Frog leg pie? Pickled or poached frog leg?
It seems early 20th century foodies just loved frog legs, and Detroit was happy to provide them.
As one New York columnist gushed in 1905: "If you have never eaten frog legs in Detroit, you have something to live for, something for which to strive."
Food historian Bill Loomis wrote about this often-overlooked period in Detroit's culinary history for the May issue of Hour:Detroit magazine.
The piece is called "When Frogs Were King."
Loomis joined us today on the program.
*Listen to our interview above.
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