Hare is the meat of the wild hare (genus Lepus, chiefly the European or brown hare Lepus europaeus), a large, long-legged lagomorph — dark, close-grained, iron-rich red flesh far gamier, stronger and more assertive than rabbit. A prized game meat of autumn and winter, it is the foundation of Britain's jugged hare and France's lavish lièvre à la royale, almost always cooked slowly and often served with a sauce enriched by its own blood.