It's funny because in Germany we have a similar phrase "swallowing the toad". I think the idea is to swallow them whole. I think French cuisine generally only serves frog legs, not whole frogs?
Also in some areas of Italy, there used to be restaurants where frog (only legs, usually fried) were the main dish, though I believe they are little by little becoming more rare.
Also they once were a very "poor" (please read as cheap) meal, while nowadays they tend to be "gourmet".
Frog legs are eaten in many parts of Europe (except Germany apparently)
So much that some indigenous frog species have become endangered, and frog legs are more often imported from South-East Asia these days.
BTW. I had also expected the article to be about actual frogs: about how endangered some species are, or how the flesh may contain pollutants or diseases.
"Frog eaters" (using the word for "eat" that is used for animals, not people) is a German slur against French people, so yeah, Germany seems to have a strong aversion.
