Mountain hare lives at elevations from 700 to 3800 m, depending on biographic region and season. The mountain hare is a large species, though it is slightly smaller than the European hare. It grows to a length of , with a tail of , and a mass of , females being slightly heavier than males. In summer, for all populations of mountain hares, the coat is various shades of brown. In preparation for winter most populations moult into a white (or largely white) pelage. The tail remains completely white all year round, distinguishing the mountain hare from the European hare ("Lepus europaeus"),
Rabbit stew book was first published in 1747. A stewed hare dish is included in "The Forme of Cury", a book of English recipes published in the 14th century. The recipe therein called for the use of noodles in the dish, with an option to use wafers or oblatas in place of noodles. Both hare stew and rabbit stew are included in "Le Viandier de Taillevent", a recipe collection with an initial publishing dated to circa 1300. It is unclear when these recipes first appeared in the cookbook, which was published in 24 editions. The hare stew recipe therein calls for the