Fact 6
Hedgehog, prepared either through slow stewing or careful frying, stands as a treasured national dish among European Romani communities. This distinctive cuisine originated from desperate survival needs—during brutal periods of persecution, especially throughout Poland and the Baltic regions, Romani families would seek refuge in dense forests and prepare hedgehog as a vital, nourishing meal. The dish requires wrapping in clay and baking over open fires, with the hardened clay naturally removing the sharp spines. It remains a powerful symbol of endurance, remarkable resourcefulness, and the extraordinary ability to discover sustenance in the untamed wilderness.
