Why does Mole in the Wind in the Willows yell "onion-sauce" at the rab

Question:

Why does Mole in the Wind in the Willows yell "onion-sauce" at the rabbits?

Early in the Wind in the Willows, mole escapes spring cleaning and a rabbit attempts to charge him toll for using the road. Mole rushes by the rabbit, and shouts "onion-sauce! onion sauce!" at the other rabbits. This stuns them long enough for mole to pass by and continue toward his watery destiny.

I was thinking that onion sauce implied the rabbits were to be cooked, but if you think that's it, do you have any information about the cooking of rabbits in Kenneth Greene's time and place of origin?

Just curious, thanks.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I think this is a good question too. Onion sauce is a threat which shocked the rabbits, since onions were added to rabbit recipes in Kenneth Grahame's lifetime. Mrs. Beeton's cookbook of the time mentioned onion gravy for rabbit pie. The reaction of the rabbits was natural, - you've heard that expression, "like a rabbit caught in headlights"? They froze. If you want to see some recipes from Mrs. Beeton, search for them under "Mrs. Beeton's recipes for rabbit".