Poultry of the Week: Griggstown Goose
Posted on December 3, 2009
Domestic geese (Anser anser domesticus or Anser cygnoides) are domesticated Grey geese (either Greylag geese or Swan geese) kept as poultry for their meat, eggs, and down feathers since ancient times. In Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, the original domesticated geese are derived from the Greylag Goose Anser anser. In eastern Asia, the original domesticated geese are derived from the Swan Goose Anser cygnoides; these are now known as Chinese geese. Both have been widely introduced in more recent times, and modern flocks in both areas (and elsewhere, such as Australia and North America) may consist of either species, and/or hybrids between them. Chinese geese may be readily distinguished from European geese by the large knob at the base of the bill, though hybrids may exhibit every degree of variation between them.
The domestication, as Charles Darwin remarks in The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, is of very ancient date, with archaeological evidence for domesticated geese in Egypt 5,000 years ago. They are much larger, and they have been selected for that larger size, with domesticated breeds weighing up to 10 kg, compared to the maximum of 3.5 kg for wild Swan Goose and 4.1 kg for wild Greylag Goose. This affects their body structure; whereas wild geese have a horizontal posture and slim rear end, domesticated geese lay down large fat deposits toward the tail end, giving a fat rear and forcing the bird into a more upright posture. This also completely prevents flight, though geese will run and flap their wings when startled, and may get a foot or so in the air momentarily. Geese have proved resistant to intensive rearing methods, and they remain to be an expensive luxury compared to other poultry like the chicken and domesticated turkey. Geese produce large edible eggs, weighing 120-170 g.[2] They can be used in cooking just like chicken’s eggs, though they have proportionally more yolk, and this cooks to a slightly denser consistency. The taste is much the same as that of a chicken egg.
A goose can be roasted as a whole bird, but its size tends to preclude this except for banquets and other festive meals (such as at Christmas). Goosemeat contains much more fat than turkeys or chickens – at least 500 ml (around one pint) of fat may be rendered from an average-sized goose during cooking. One liter is not unusual for larger birds. The Cantonese barbecue features roast goose over a charcoal spit with a “tuned” crispy skin. Roast goose is a traditional Christmas food in Scandinavia, Germany, Ireland and the UK.
Most of the fat is concentrated in the skin, and the meat itself is very lean, rather like duck.
Goose fat is often separated and stored for use on its own. It can be used as a substitute for butter, although the flavor can be slightly “gamey”. Potatoes cooked in this fat are highly regarded by some. The fat keeps well in the refrigerator. Goose schmaltz is very popular in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, and the overfeeding of geese to produce this schmaltz is widely considered to be the origin of foie gras in modern Europe. Goose can also be prepared as confit, and the fat used to preserve the meat.
When Aphrodite first came ashore she was welcomed by the Charites (Roman “Graces”), whose chariot was drawn by geese. The geese in the temple of Juno on the Capitoline Hill were said by Livy to have saved Rome from the Gauls around 390 BC when they were disturbed in a night attack. The story may be an attempt to explain the origin of the sacred flock of geese at Rome.
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_goose)
