Thanksgiving is synonymous with turkey, but what if I told you there’s a better bird on the block? Enter the goose, a culinary underdog with the potential to revolutionize your holiday feast.
Why Goose Beats Turkey:
- Flavor Explosion: Goose boasts a rich, dark meat that’s miles ahead of turkey’s often-bland profile. The gaminess adds a depth of flavor that’ll have your taste buds singing.
- Crispy Skin Nirvana: Forget the struggle of achieving crispy turkey skin. Goose skin naturally crisps up beautifully, delivering a satisfying crunch with every bite.
- Moisture Master: Unlike turkey, which can dry out in a heartbeat, goose retains its moisture, resulting in succulent, flavorful meat that falls off the bone.
- Ethical Edge: Most geese aren’t factory-farmed, making them a more ethical choice compared to the often-unfortunate conditions of factory-raised turkeys.
Beyond the Bird:
The goose’s deliciousness extends beyond the main course. The accompanying sides also get a makeover:
- Airy Potato Dumplings: Replace the heavy mashed potatoes with fluffy, airy potato dumplings that complement the goose’s richness.
- Acidic Red Cabbage: Swap the heavy creamed greens for vibrant red cabbage, adding a refreshing tang to the plate.
- Baked Apple with Lingonberries: Ditch the cranberry sauce and embrace the European tradition of a baked apple with lingonberries, offering a sweet and tart counterpoint to the savory flavors.
The Goose’s History:
Once a luxury reserved for the wealthy, goose has fallen out of favor in recent times. But its historical significance and culinary prowess deserve a revival. In fact, it was the goose, not the turkey, that Bob Cratchit craved in Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol.”
The Ethical Argument:
Factory-farmed turkeys often endure cramped and inhumane conditions. Selecting geese, which are generally raised in more compassionate conditions, enables you to eat your holiday meal guilt-free.
The Takeaway:
This Thanksgiving, break free from the bland bird and embrace the goose. Its superior flavor, ethical advantages, and historical significance make it the perfect centerpiece for a memorable holiday feast. So, ditch the dry turkey and let the goose take center stage!
Additional Resources:
- Goose vs. Turkey: A Quick Guide: https://www.lovelychristmas.co.uk/turkey-vs-goose-quick-guide.html
- Getting ready to cook Thanksgiving turkey? Consider goose instead: https://qz.com/1136070/getting-ready-to-cook-thanksgiving-turkey-consider-goose-instead
Eleanor Doughty in defence of the goose
Ding ding ding! The Christmas birds are in the ring. Goose or turkey? I know whose corner I’m in: the goose. Or, as we call it in my family, the long-necked chicken. This, of course, began as a classic parental ruse, and it’s stuck. It’s not that I’m against turkey; rather, we always have a variety of meats on the menu, even though we usually only have three or four meats for Christmas. One year, there were more meats than people. However, I will always prefer goose, despite the enormous turkeys our kitchen has seen and the delectable cuts of beef, ham, and venison. I like to think she’s a bit cooler, somehow more refined – the underdog, if you like. And that’s as good a reason as any to back goose all the way to Boxing Day. (Read how to cook the perfect goose. ).
It wasn’t always just a case of popping down to the farm shop for your goosey gander. Working-class Victorians could join a savings club run by bar owners called “goose club,” where members could deposit a weekly shilling to a goose in order to save money for a tasty bird. When it came time to retrieve their goose, those who had paid their dues to the club would go to the bar to claim their meat, with names drawn from a hat. The goose would be taken home and prepared for cooking, before being taken to the bakers for roasting. On Christmas morning, the baker would see a queue assembled of those collecting their prize. I believe that Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A Christmas Carol, which describes the family’s first goose, is a great way to promote the delicious bird in the modern era, even though it helped popularize turkey: “Its tenderness and flavor, size and cheapness, were the themes of universal admiration.” ” ”.
A goose always has less meat than a turkey of the same size, so cooking one for Christmas gives you something back for your money for those who are concerned about value for money, even though there’s no reason to join a goose club these days. More precisely, a jar of goose fat that’s ready to be kept in the fridge and applied to your roast potatoes the next year.
The mighty goose requires some cooking, but rather than seeing this as a disadvantage, I see it as a culinary challenge. Putting it on a rack is essential to allow the fat to drain away. We prepare everything else in our house before the goose is cooked so that the cook can give the goose his full attention. Because of this, it resembles cook’s meat more than turkey and should be carefully observed.
More than anything, the fact that only about 250,000 geese are consumed for Christmas dinner in the UK, while about nine million turkeys are, is a testament to a lack of imagination. Turkey is the obvious choice, sure. Goose, in my book, is the elegant one, the more romantic, old-world option. It brings a nostalgic feel to the Christmas table that, though not essential, enhances the festive atmosphere. Plus, it’s hard to find goose for 11 months of the year, making it a proper treat. Turkey, however, is happily hanging out on our shelves all year round. In that sense, goose is more exclusive, more longed-for and simply far more delicious. Plus, there’s something quite wonderful about asking if anyone wants a goose sandwich, carbonara or crispy pancake. Mine’s a stir fry, please.
It’s BREEDING season…and the TURF WAR is on (goose vs. turkey)
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