Let’s let chicken and beef rest a little shall we? There are substitutes to them like duck meat that can make do for any kind of recipe you have in mind.
Duck is tasty and it can be used in so many different ways, it is also nutrients filled and makes one of the best confit you can get make but there are some contentions about the amount of cholesterol duck meat has and this has limited its use in many kitchens.
So we are going to clear the air on all that in a bit. As it is with most other kinds of meat, there are always ways you can use your meat to fit your terms of taste and cooking techniques and we are going to explore all that about duck meat.
What is Duck meat?
Duck meat refers to the flesh gotten from a duck which includes a variety of species from all around the world.
Even with all the species of ducks, there are only few that are commonly considered best for domestication and one of them is the mallard.
Mallards are one of the most popular duck types found in almost every country and they can easily be domesticated hence they are used widely for breeding. It is believed that all other duck species evolved from the mallard.
Duck meat is generally classified as part of white meat but not as white as your regular chicken or turkey, this is attributed to the use of their wings for more flight than chickens or turkeys which do little or no flying at all.
Duck Meat And Cholesterol
According to the nutritional charts, every 3 ounces of served duck meat gives you about 70 milligrams of cholesterol which is almost half of the daily recommended intake of cholesterol advised by nutrition experts.
Now, the issue usually lies with taking excess of this supposed recommended intake and having more cholesterol than needed in the body.
So this is my advice, when taking your duck meat, pair it with other healthy vegetables to balance out the nutrients and give you more filling with one meal.
Another option will be to totally eat without the skin of the duck meat where most of the cholesterol and fatty content are gathered but this isn’t always a welcome idea as the skin of meat is very tasty. So weigh the odds and make a choice.
What Has Foie Gras Got To Do With Ducks?
If you have heard the word foie gras at one point or the other probably at restaurants or when in a store and you wondered what on earth it is all about, here it is.
Foie gras is gotten from the liver of a duck but unlike normal ducks, these ducks are bred specially and given a lot of corn, the high intake of corn causes their liver to grow to over triple its size.
What do they get from all this work? The liver of the duck turns out sweeter, more buttery and tastier, and there you have your Foie Gras!
Now, don’t go thinking you can just add more corn to the amount of corn your home breed ducks take already to get these buttery livers, absolutely not, the ducks used for this are usually force fed, this means the supposed ducks are literally forced to take this corn down and the animal protection bodies see this as wrong and totally unacceptable.
This process of force feeding ducks to produce Foie Gras is called “gavage” and it was first practiced in ancient Egypt before it spread out other regions.
Five Fun Facts You Should Know About Ducks
- Ducks have a 360 view because of the position of their eyes on the side of their head and they are always alert, try catching them in their sleep!
- Ducks produce a kind of waxy oil that makes their feathers water proof, they spread this wax while they are preening, this is a kind of bodily ritual they do to keep their feathers neat and waxed.
- Ducks are adapted to have a very high resistance to cold; they can survive in even the chilliest of temperatures.
- Ducks learn and grow very fast unlike most other poultry animals that require a lot of protection at birth, ducks learn to fly within less than three months and swim almost immediately they are born.
- Drakes which are the male ducks do not make loud quacking sounds like the female ducks do; they are more silent than their females.
Have Some Roasted Duck Legs With Butternut Squash Puree
Are you new to roasting ducks? Then get your hands on this recipe by The Charming Detroiter, if you had any reservations about eating duck before, you will be totally blown out by the time you are done eating this, that is, if you do get it right.
If you also want a simple duck meal for your family, this roasted duck legs recipe makes that possible. Most of the ingredients are easy to get and you can make do with some replacements if there are any not available to you.
The mascarpone for example, it is a kind of Italian cheese, though it should be sold in local stores, am sure your roasted duck legs won’t turn out awful if you do without it.
Quack!
I think one of the biggest fears about eating duck meat except of course the cholesterol and fat is what ways to cook it but with all what we have covered today and the bad ass roasted duck we featured, all your fears should be diminished by now.
For more duck recipes you can use your duck meat for, get this cookbook. What is your experience with ducks? Hit me up and let me know, if you also have some try outs that have left you impressed, feel free to tell me too and also don’t hesitate to share all your new found duck knowledge.