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Why raise pigeons, the delicious bird?

I have noticed that one of the most common superlatives used to describe the taste of a pigeon is “delicious”. Webster defines the meaning as very pleasant, delicious, and delicious, and others add delicious, extremely pleasant to the sense of taste, and capable of causing desire. Having eaten some, I must compete.

I started raising pigeons and pigeons after reading “Raising Small Meat Animals” by Victor M. Giammattei, DVM, 1976. His chapter entitled “Raising Delicious Pigeons” caught my attention, and I quote the first paragraph. He says: “Interestingly few people today are familiar with pigeons, even fewer have eaten them and even fewer have raised them. There is no logic in this, because pigeons are easy to raise and their meat is the best of all poultry meat.”

All right, you have my attention, sir. I was one of the uninitiated, because at that time I had neither eaten pigeon nor seen it offered. He continued. “The squab ranks alongside filet mignon, lobster, or suckling kid (kid). It’s only found on the menus of better restaurants and hotels, on steamboats, in country clubs, and in some hospitals. It’s been a main course for dinner kings, queens and other nobility since the time of the ancient Greeks… Considering the ease with which they can be raised, the quality of their meat and the modest cost to the backyard breeder, there is no reason why the energetic family should go without pigeon meat – in the author’s opinion, the choicest of all meats”. Why not, in fact, I asked? How did I manage to miss this taste? Sign me up.

If this was not enough to convince me of the quality of the youngster, I have since found other interesting references. Philippa Scott of her “Gourmet Game” lists a recipe for “Trid,” or Moroccan pancakes stuffed with pigeon. She writes: “In his “Moorish Recipes”, John, 4th Marquess of Bute, suggests that this dish may well have been introduced to Morocco at the time of Mulai Idris, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, who fled to Morocco from Mecca, and whose body lies buried in Fez, the land of his exile. It is said to be the oldest Arabic dish, and it is said that when the Prophet Muhammad was asked what he liked most in the world, he replied that he loved his wife above everything, everything, but after her he loved “Trid”.

The Chinese have raised pigeons for more than 2,000 years. Today, pigeon farms are big business in China, with several hundred operated with government approval and encouragement. They are also great medicine. The Chinese believe that pigeon is not only delicious and easy to digest, but the meat and broth can be used to treat a variety of healthy foods. Ancient peoples used to call pigeons “the sweet-blooded animal”, and they can be used to cure anemia, weakness and fatigue. It can be used to prevent high blood pressure, vascular sclerosis, and osteoporosis, just to name a few. Pigeon was the first type of poultry to be designated a “green food” by the China Green Food Development Center, meaning that pigeon is the cleanest and most pristine meat product to consume.

In the American scene, the use of the pigeon may be the fruit of people’s memory and affection for the tenderness and flavor of the homing pigeon, and we know what happened to that miraculous horde. They ate them. Thomas Jefferson and the history of the United States are forever intertwined. Among many other things, Jefferson was an “enthusiast”, there should have been such a term in those days. He loved his land, his crops and his meals provided with them. He was famous for his dinner parties and for his dinner guests. Squab was on the menu, raised in his own lofts. Pigeon stew, a French recipe, was one of his favorite dishes.

William Randolph Hearst, in his day, was one of the richest and most powerful men in America. Like Jefferson, he too was famous for his dinner parties and extensive menus. The estate was well known for its pigeon and pigeon dinners, served to other American celebrities and royals who were lucky enough to be included on the guest list. If they were very lucky, “Hearst Ranch Squab,” a roasted stuffed bird, would be on the table.

So friends, try a squab today. If it’s good enough for a prophet, an American founding father, and one of the richest men in the world, it’s good enough for me. After all, 1.4 billion Chinese, with a “B”, can’t be wrong.

By the way, did I mention that you can raise them in a small backyard? You don’t have to be born of royal bloodlines either, but you can dine like you do. They are, a more “delightful” bird.

Prescriptions

Trid: Moroccan Pancakes Stuffed with Pigeon

1 1/2 pounds pigeon meat, cut into about 20 pieces. Salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, a good pinch of saffron, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tablespoon chopped chervil, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 3 large onions (chopped), 1/2 cup water , 1 cup of olive oil, 3 heaped cups of flour.

Simmer meat, salt and pepper, spices and herbs, onions, water, and 1/2 cup olive oil in a heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Make a simple dough with flour and very little water. Work well, then make about 20 balls the size of small chicken eggs. Flatten each on a lightly oiled board into a very thin disk. Cook each one on a dry griddle, not too hot but cooked on both sides.

Arrange half of these cooked pancakes in a baking dish, overlapping each other and running up the sides of the pan. When the meat is tender, remove the cinnamon stick and place the meat on top of the pancakes. Top with remaining pancakes. Pour a little of the cooking liquid over the trid, and serve the rest as a sauce.

From Gourmet Game: Recipes and Anecdotes from Around the World by Philippa Scott.

Pigeon in compote

6 fat squab, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 cup finely chopped onion, 1 finely chopped carrot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 slices diced bacon, 1/4 pound sliced ​​mushrooms, 1/3 cup sherry or wood.

Tie up the cushions. Melt the butter in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the pigeons along with the onion, carrot and salt. Sauté until delicately browned on all sides, turning birds frequently. Next add the bacon, mushrooms and sherry or Madeira. Cover tightly and simmer in the oven on low heat for 40 to 45 minutes or until tender when tested with a fork. Don’t overcook them or they will fall apart. Remove the birds and serve with the sauce on the side.

Hearst Ranch Pigeon

6 fat pigeons, 3 cups of breadcrumbs, 4 eggs, 2 cups of grated Romano cheese, 2 gloves of garlic, 2 teaspoons of chopped parsley, 3 chopped onions, a pinch of marjoram, salt and pepper to taste, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1 burgundy cup.

Drain the pigeons until dry, cut off the tips of the wings. Mix the ingredients, except the oil and claret. Stuff the birds with the mixer and close the skewer. Brush the birds with oil and place the breast in an uncovered baking dish. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees until golden brown (35 minutes). Paint with oil, sprinkle with claret. Serve on thin toast with a Borderlino or California red wine.