Duck as food facts for kids
In cooking, duck is the meat from several types of birds in the Anatidae family. These birds live in both fresh and salt water. People around the world eat duck meat in many different cuisines. It is a meat that is high in fat and protein, and it has a lot of iron. Sometimes, you might see "duckling" on a menu. This usually means meat from a young duck, but it can also just be a fancy name for duck meat.
One type of duck that lives in fresh water, the mallard, has been tamed by humans. It is now a common farm bird in many places. The Pekin duck is another important type of farm duck, especially in North America. The word Magret specifically means the breast meat from a mulard or Muscovy duck. These ducks are often specially fed to produce foie gras, a rich liver product.
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Duck Meat Around the World
Duck meat is very popular in Chinese cuisine. A famous dish is Peking duck, which is made from the Pekin duck. People often eat Peking duck with scallions, cucumbers, and hoisin sauce. These are wrapped in a small spring pancake or a soft, fluffy bun called gua bao.
In Cantonese cuisine, roasted duck, or siu aap, is made in special Siu mei BBQ shops. You can buy siu aap whole or in halves. It is often served with steamed white rice and vegetables. Siu aap can also be part of a big barbecue platter. This platter might include other roasted meats like char siu (roasted pork) or siu yuk (roasted pig belly).
Duck meat is also a part of Indian cuisine, especially in Northeast India. It is very important in Assamese cuisine. Old Assamese writings even talk about duck meat. Popular dishes include duck with white gourd or with bamboo shoot. Duck meat is enjoyed by many people in this region.
The Pekin duck is also the most common type of duck meat eaten in the United States. In 2004, almost 26 million ducks were eaten in the U.S. Most Pekin ducks raised for food come from Long Island, New York. Because of this, Pekin ducks are sometimes called "Long Island" ducks, even though they originally came from China. In recent years, other types of ducks have become more popular. These include the Muscovy duck and the mulard duck. The mulard duck is a sterile mix of Pekin and Muscovy ducks. Unlike most other farmed ducks, Muscovy ducks are not related to mallards.
Duck Meat Nutrition
Duck meat has a lot of protein and iron. It is also high in cholesterol and fat, especially saturated fat.
Popular Duck Dishes
Duck is used in many different dishes around the world. Most of these dishes involve roasting the duck. Roasting helps to make the skin crispy. Some dishes use only parts of the duck with other ingredients. Here are some famous duck dishes:
- Balut – This is a developing bird embryo that is boiled and eaten from its shell. It is a popular street food in the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia.
- Bebek Betutu – A famous traditional dish from Bali, Indonesia. The duck is seasoned with strong spices and herbs, wrapped in banana leaves, and then roasted.
- Duck confit – This dish uses duck legs that have been cured in salt. Then, they are marinated and cooked slowly in duck fat. The French word confit means "preserved."
- Czernina – A sweet and sour Polish soup made with duck blood and clear broth. It was once a very important symbol of Polish culture.
- Duck à l'orange – A classic French dish. The duck is roasted and served with a special orange sauce.
- Duck rice – A traditional dish from Singapore. It is made with roasted duck and white rice.
- Foie gras – This is a specially fattened and rich liver, usually from a duck or sometimes a goose. It can also be made into a pâté.
- Long Island roast duckling – This is a whole roasted duck. When cooked well, most of the fat melts away, leaving crispy skin and tender meat.
- Peking duck – A very famous Chinese dish from Beijing. It has been made since the Ming Dynasty. People love it for its thin, crispy skin. The dish is often served with pancakes, scallions, and hoisin sauce.
- Turducken – An American dish where a turkey is stuffed with a duck, which is then stuffed with a chicken.
- Zhangcha duck – A special dish from Sichuan cuisine. The duck is first smoked over tea leaves and camphor plant twigs. Then it's steamed, and finally deep-fried to make it crispy. It is also called tea-smoked duck.
Images for kids
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Duck breast topped with foie gras
See also
In Spanish: Carne de pato para niños
