✅ Do they eat swan meat?

September 21, 2018
Cooking
Insaf Galiev

In many fairy tales, songs and stories for children, such a wild bird as a swan is often found. Indeed, swans are very beautiful and graceful. They are also famous for their loyalty. It’s not for nothing that the love of swans is used as an example at weddings. Do you know that these birds are eaten?! It would seem, how can you eat a swan? However, in the Russian kingdom, this bird was often eaten at feasts. Our ancestors cooked swan for a reason; they had their own reasons. Consider a recipe for preparing a swan dish. You may have to cook it too.

Do they eat swans?

The largest species of swan found in Russia is the mute swan, so named because of the hissing sound it makes when in danger.
Its weight can reach 15 kg, these birds live up to 28 years, and their wingspan reaches 2.5 meters. There have been cases of these swans attacking people, as a result of which the swan broke bones with its huge wings. Recently my old friend from Astrakhan visited me. An avid hunter and, of course, fisherman. And so I had an argument with him about whether it was appropriate to hunt a swan. He stood his ground and argued that for any waterfowl, be it a goose or a duck, there is no worse enemy than a swan. We have few swans in the Urals, and therefore no one ever hunts them, unless they take a photograph.

In the Astrakhan region, swan hunting is practiced and you can legally get a “royal” trophy. A friend told how a swan couple kills any waterfowl several kilometers around its nest. He himself witnessed how an adult swan caught and literally turned into “minced meat” about 8 small mallard ducklings, and then also their mother. Moreover, he did not eat them, but simply strangled them and calmly swam away, probably defending his territory.

I recently learned interesting information that only one subspecies of swan is listed in the Red Book - the little swan. We have few swans in the Urals, so hunters treat this bird with respect. They admire its majestic beauty and, of course, respect it for the fact that it is the only anseriforme bird that mates for life.

For example, in Pakistan, on the border with India, where the majority of swans nesting in Russia winter, swans are usually stored for future use for the winter. Just like here in the Urals, in rural areas it is customary to slaughter domestic geese for the winter. In Pakistan, they shoot a huge number of swans and then salt them in barrels for the winter, and then eat this meat all winter.

In tsarist times and in Rus', it was customary to serve swans at the table, and this was not considered something supernatural. At any dinner party, with the presence of especially respected guests, a swan, beautifully decorated, was always served.

According to fellow hunters from the southern regions of Russia, swan meat tastes no different from goose. The only thing that everyone notes is the toughness of swan skin compared to other aquatic game. But be that as it may, my personal opinion: You should not shoot this unusually beautiful bird for the sake of a few kilograms of meat.

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Natural habitats

Most species prefer temperate climates for nesting, and only a few prefer to live in the tropics. It should be noted that the habitat is very extensive, so swans are found both in Europe and in Asia, Africa, as well as in the north of South America. In Russia, swans can be found more in the tundra zone, and sometimes in the forest-tundra. Moreover, the southern borders of their habitat are connected with the Kola Peninsula and Crimea, as well as with the Kamchatka Peninsula and Central Asia.

Interesting to know! Species such as whooper and mute are considered national treasures in some countries. In the first case it is Finland, and in the second it is Denmark. Mute swans in England represent the personal property of the queen herself. In addition, the meat of these swans is allowed to be consumed exclusively by the royal family.

As a rule, swans prefer to settle within the water areas of large lakes, the banks of which are overgrown with reeds or other aquatic vegetation. They can be seen on the coasts of the seas if there are reed thickets nearby. If people do not chase these birds and treat them with respect, then they easily stop at bodies of water located near populated areas. Despite the fact that swans are considered migratory birds, they can easily stay for the winter if there are ice-free water areas.

Swan meat

Is it possible to eat swan meat

There is plenty of evidence that our ancestors ate swans. It was believed that only representatives of the upper classes could eat this dish. In Rus', fried swans were a decoration for grand ducal and boyar feasts. At feasts in the royal palace, a special ritual was invented for serving swans. The game was solemnly brought into the hall on gold and silver trays, the birds were decorated with feathers, their beaks were covered with gold.

Over time, the ancient recipe for cooking swan was lost. Russian cuisine, under the influence of European cuisine, has undergone many changes.

Properties

The main property of swan meat that hunters note is its toughness. Our ancestors apparently knew some secret of cooking poultry, thanks to which its meat became tasty and was considered a royal dish. Swan meat has similar properties to goose meat and contains many useful substances:

vitamins - A, B1, B2, B3, PP, B5, B6, B9, B12;
micro- and macroelements – phosphorus, copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, iron, sodium, selenium, zinc;
amino acids.

How to cook and eat

Various recipes for preparing wild poultry have survived to this day: baking, marinade, minced swan meat and others.

In the old days, swans were mainly fried. The game was seasoned with salt and pepper, vinegar and sour milk. To give good taste, pickles and plums could be used. The dish was always served with kalach, cut into pieces and dipped in melted butter. Swan offal was also eaten, stuffed into pies or served with boiled meat.

Potatoes or rice are suitable as a side dish. Swan goes perfectly with soaked lingonberries.

There are two important rules to consider:

It is not recommended to store game for a long time; the meat may acquire an unpleasant aftertaste.
Before cooking, the swan must be marinated.

Cooking recipes

Swan "royally"

Before cooking, the swan carcass is processed:

plucked;
singed;
the neck, wings and paws are removed;
gutted;
the meat is separated from the bones.

Cooking begins with the marinade:

dry white wine;
salt;
black pepper;
lemon (finely grated);
onion;
garlic.

The marinade is boiled and left to cool, in the meantime the game must be cut into pieces.

Then the meat is marinated for 24 hours and placed in a colander. After all the marinade has drained, the pieces are fried for 5 minutes in olive oil.

The swan must be stewed in a thick-walled vessel (a duck pot will do) for an hour and a half. Place the meat in the pan and add the rest of the ingredients:

a tablespoon of honey;
small carrots chopped into slices;
pepper to taste;
greens are added at the end.

Roasted swan

To roast a swan you will need:

swan carcass;
salt;
a glass of hot water;
a glass of meat broth.

The plucked bird must be rubbed with flour and singed. Remove the entrails and wash the carcass.
Excess fat is cut off.
Then the game is rubbed with salt on all sides and placed in a frying pan, paws up.
A glass of hot water is poured onto the bird, after which the dish is baked in the oven at 180⁰ for 3 hours. During cooking, the carcass must be turned over and watered with the released juice.
After baking, the swan is placed in a frying pan with fat and meat broth and boiled.

Correct minced meat for cutlets

One of the main secrets of delicious minced meat and dishes made from it is the high quality of the original meat. Modern kitchen appliances will grind even a hard third-rate product with an excess of veins, films and connective tissue into a homogeneous mass, but one cannot count on high taste qualities of cutlets from this minced meat.

According to experienced chefs, for minced cutlets it is better to take equal parts beef and pork with a small amount of fat. For those who like fatter cutlets, you can add twisted pork lard to the meat ingredients. And for dietary nutrition, dishes made from ground or finely chopped white poultry meat - chicken or turkey - are ideal.

To prepare classic minced cutlets, add two medium-sized onions, 3-4 cloves of garlic and about 2-3 pieces of white bread soaked in milk or water per kilogram of meat. Pieces of meat, bread and onions are passed through a meat grinder once or twice. Add 1-2 teaspoons of salt and freshly ground black pepper to the resulting mass, beat in the egg and mix until smooth. For easier grinding, it is advisable to place the meat pieces in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.

Experienced chefs advise to thoroughly beat the minced meat before frying and keep it in the refrigerator for half an hour, then the cutlets will retain their shape well and will not fall apart.

If possible, prepare the minced meat in excess - separate some of it into cutlets, and pack the rest into bags and put it in the freezer. Frozen minced meat does not lose its taste - just take out the package in the morning before leaving for work or put it in the microwave to defrost and delight your loved ones with another culinary masterpiece.

You can vary the taste of the finished cutlets by adding various components to the minced meat. Try making mixed minced veal, pork with a layer of fat and chicken fillet. White bread in minced cutlets can be replaced with semolina, oatmeal, soaked breadcrumbs or finely grated potatoes. Vegetables - finely grated carrots or finely chopped bell peppers - will give the cutlets a unique taste.

If you use purchased minced meat to prepare the cutlets and the mass turns out to be too liquid, add 1-2 tablespoons of semolina or crackers, mix well and keep in the refrigerator before starting to fry.

How to properly fry cutlets in a frying pan

To fry the cutlets, heat a frying pan, pour in vegetable oil or melt cooking fat. Before frying, the formed cutlets can be breaded in flour or ground breadcrumbs and the cutlets can be given an oval shape.

The cutlets are carefully placed in a frying pan with heated fat and fried for 1-2 minutes over high heat on both sides so that a crust forms on the surface, which will retain all the juices inside and our cutlets will turn out tasty and juicy. Then reduce the heat and continue cooking the dish for 25-30 minutes over medium heat, adding water or meat broth, covering with a lid. After frying the cutlets, you can bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

To check the readiness of the cutlet, you need to pierce it with a knife - if clear juice comes out of it, the dish is ready for serving. Most often, cutlets are served as a main dish with various side dishes - boiled pasta, crumbly porridge or rice, mashed potatoes, stewed, boiled or fresh vegetables...

Ready cutlets are stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 3-4 days, for long-term storage they are placed in the freezer, and before use they are heated in a frying pan or in the oven.

BON APPETIT!

Dessert for today - carving - beet rose

Baked swan

To make the meat softer, it is marinated before baking in the oven. Experienced hunters recommend “weighing” the carcass before plucking.

For the marinade you will need:

1.5 liters of vinegar (3%);
2 teaspoons salt;
pepper to taste;
medium carrot;
2 cloves of garlic;
small onion;
cinnamon;
nutmeg;
Bay leaf;
parsley root;
celery.

All ingredients must be cooked until the vegetables are ready. Then pour the cooled solution over the swan pieces for 12 hours.

A baking sheet is lined with baking foil, and lard is placed on it first.
Then the pieces of poultry are stuffed with lard.
Coarsely chopped onions and carrots are added to the meat (vegetables from the marinade are not placed on the baking sheet).
You need to pour oil (butter and vegetable) on top.
The swan should be baked for at least an hour and a half at a temperature of 180⁰.

Minced swan

To prepare minced meat, the bird carcass must be thoroughly washed and dried.
Then the meat is divided into small pieces and, together with the skin, is scrolled through a meat grinder.
Vegetables are also passed through a meat grinder - one medium onion, one potato and one carrot.
Vegetables and meat are mixed, white bread (two pieces) pre-soaked in milk is added to them.
The minced meat must be salted and peppered.
Then one tablespoon of semolina and one egg are added to it.
After the composition is thoroughly mixed, it should be beaten and left for 10 minutes.

Cutlets with pumpkin

onion - 1 pc.
salt - 12 gr.
minced pork and beef - 280 gr.
pumpkin pulp - 475 gr.
chicken egg - 2 pcs.
flour or breadcrumbs - 80 gr.
milk with fat content from 3.2% - 145 g.
semolina - 60 gr.

Mix pumpkin pulp with onions and pass through a meat grinder. Add minced meat here and repeat the steps. Salt this mixture, add pepper (optional), break the eggs.
Stir the mixture until smooth, gradually add semolina. Heat the milk in the microwave, do not bring to a boil. Pour the mixture into the minced meat.
Pass the mixture through your fingers, wrap in cling film, and leave in the refrigerator for 1.5 hours. This move will allow the meat to thicken and prevent it from cracking during the frying process.
After the specified time has passed, form the minced meat into flat cakes, roll in flour or breadcrumbs. Fry the cutlets in vegetable oil; readiness is determined by pressing: if clear juice comes out, turn off the burner.
Some housewives prefer to bake minced meat cutlets in the oven. To do this, preheat the appliance to 180 degrees, place the flatbreads on a greased baking sheet, and cook for a third of an hour.

Swans cookies

This recipe is for those who are against eating swans. To surprise your guests, you can make homemade swan cookies.

To prepare the dish you will need:

butter – 200 gr.;
flour – 300 gr.;
sugar – 200 gr.;
egg – 1 pc.;
vanillin.

Melt the butter and cool.
Add sugar, egg, flour and mix.
Leave in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough and cut out circles with a diameter of 6 cm.
To make a swan, you need to fold the circles in half, make three cuts along the edge, and bend the top cut strip in the shape of a swan neck.
All that remains is to form the head and make eyes from the seeds.
The resulting cookies are placed on a baking sheet covered with parchment and baked for 15 minutes at a temperature of 180⁰.

How to cook swan: recipe with photos, ingredients, seasonings, tips and tricks

September 21, 2018
Cooking
Insaf Galiev

Swans in myths and legends

In many countries, quite a few myths and legends are associated with the image of a swan, and the killing of a swan was condemned, punished, or promised great misfortune.

In Slavic beliefs, the main reason why a swan should not be killed was the identification of the bird with God.

It was in the form of a white swan that Belobog came to earth. If a person killed a bird, then punishment befell not only the killer, but also his entire family. Our ancestors also avoided the sight of a dead bird: a dead swan was a harbinger of death.

In India, there is a belief that one man became a swan and, flying into the sky, merged with the sun. The snow-white bird is sacred to the people of India. According to legend, it was the female swan who laid the egg from which Brahma was born. In many regions of the country, even today there is no worse act than killing a swan.

The Celts believed that swans were divine messengers and were able to heal people from a variety of diseases. And if you kill a swan, the whole family will be haunted by various misfortunes, diseases and death.

Swans occupied a special place in Greek culture. To destroy this beautiful bird meant angering the gods and was punishable by death.

Do they eat swans?

As mentioned above, swan was often eaten in Tsarist Rus'. Moreover, it was available only to kings and boyars. There was even a special tradition, a certain ritual of serving a swan. In general, swan meat itself is tough, but in those days they prepared it according to such recipes that the meat turned out very tender and tasty. Unfortunately, these recipes have not reached our times; they were lost. With what it can be connected?

There may be several reasons. Just take the fact that the swan is now in the Red Book, and killing it is prohibited. And, of course, the conscience of the hunters themselves. After all, it is believed that killing a swan is bad luck.

You also need to take into account the taste of the meat. It is quite specific and may not appeal to everyone. And besides, the meat is tough. Therefore, over time, hunters simply stopped killing these wonderful birds and, naturally, they also stopped cooking them. But despite all the disadvantages, this meat is a good source of vitamins.

So how then can you get swan meat, if it is now so rare, and besides, it is forbidden to hunt them? The fact is that there are farms that breed swans. You can, of course, do this yourself, but this process requires a lot of time and money. It is much easier to find a person who does this and buy meat from him.

Species recovery

Species restoration efforts are underway around the world. Bird nesting areas are often declared protected areas and are under constant surveillance by ornithologists. Zoos make a great contribution to preserving the population and gene pool. Swans are fairly unpretentious birds and breed well in captivity if they have enough food and constant access to water. Zoos are developing special programs for the exchange of breeding material, as well as for the return of young animals to natural habitats.

Artificial rearing of chicks also helps to restore numbers. To do this, ornithologists take part of the eggs from the nest, hatch the chicks using an incubator, and return the young animals to nature, which have already fledged. This makes it possible to reduce natural mortality, as well as to disperse birds over large areas.

Another effective method is to create feeding areas. This is especially true in northern regions, where summers are quite cold. Very often, a long winter and the lack of a sufficient amount of natural food cause a refusal to reproduce or lead to the fact that there are only a few eggs in the clutch. If the snow melts late, ornithologists and volunteers set up special feeding areas in places where there are especially many nesting sites. Hay and mixed feed, boiled vegetables, fish and meat flour, and dry seaweed are used as complementary foods.

In Europe, in nature reserves and ecological parks, special houses and nesting places for birds are built, and they also make sure that there is a constant and ice-free descent to the water near the house. There is also a feeding area nearby.

Preparing the marinade

It is important to remember that the meat should not be left exposed to air for long as it will develop an off-taste. So, let’s start preparing the marinade, and it’s quite simple to do. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and place on low heat. We wait until our marinade starts to boil, you can stir a little. Well, while the marinade is being prepared, you need to cook the swan. How to cut it? Just like any other game. Let's consider this.

Marinade

There are many recipes for cooking swan. Whatever they cook - minced meat, pates, simply fried and much more! Before you cook swan, you need to find out which marinade is ideal for it. This is the basis of all recipes. You need to do the marinade correctly to make the meat softer. Let's look at the recipe.

Swan cutting

Of course, the first thing you need to do is pluck the bird. After which the carcass must be singed. You can use a gas torch or a blowtorch. And it’s better to do this on the balcony, as the smell will not be pleasant. However, if you do not have these tools, you can use a regular gas stove. Open all windows in advance, or better yet, use a hood.

After this, using a sharp knife, the wings and paws, as well as the neck, are removed. By the way, these parts of the swan should not be thrown away. They can be prepared separately. Well, or add it when preparing broth, it will turn out incredibly tasty. All the contents of the swan must be removed, that is, offal, stomach, etc. You also need to get rid of the bones; separate the meat from them. As a result, we only get clean meat, which needs to be cut into medium pieces.

Let's fry

In general, we will stew the swan, but before that we need to fry it. All the same, we will end up with a fried swan, it’s just that after stewing the meat will be much more tender and softer. Take a frying pan and pour olive oil into it. You can also use sunflower. And someone even melts the butter. It's a matter of taste preferences, so everyone decides for themselves what oil to fry in.

Our meat is most likely already marinated. We take it out, pass it through a colander to get rid of all the marinade, and then put it in the frying pan. You need to fry on each side for 6-7 minutes. Although, of course, it depends on the age of the swan. Sometimes it may take even 3 minutes, check the meat with a fork. It needs to be covered with a soft crust.

Swan recipes for delicious dishes

To properly salt minced meat (for those who don’t like to taste raw meat): take 1 kg. minced meat 2 level teaspoons of salt.

To make the minced meat juicy : add sugar. For 1 kg. minced meat about 1 teaspoon of sugar and your cutlets, meatballs, dumplings, and other minced meat dishes will always be surprisingly juicy. And for juiciness, be sure to add 1 tsp for the same weight of minced meat. with a heap of gelatin. Gelatin will not only keep your cutlets juicy, but will also enrich your body with collagen. And the value of this substance for the beauty and youth of the body is known to everyone.

To cook the beef faster : add 1 tablespoon of vodka to 2 liters of broth at the beginning of cooking, after boiling. And instead of the three to four hours required for cooking, you will need half as much time. I also found a very interesting option - adding banana peels when cooking meat. Try it, the meat turns out unusually aromatic, tasty and also cooks faster.

To help the beans cook faster : Some people recommend adding baking soda, but not everyone likes the soda taste. I use another method: when the water and beans boil, drain, add cold water and put on the fire again, bring to a boil. Repeat this process three times. After the third transfusion, we continue to cook until done. The beans will cook faster and taste better. Don’t forget that you need to salt the beans at the end of cooking, 20 minutes before the end.

To make a delicious stew : try adding a few cherry leaves when stewing - an extraordinary taste and aroma is guaranteed.

To prepare delicious fried liver : it is easier to cut the liver into portions when it is slightly frozen. After slicing, sprinkle the liver generously with baking soda and leave for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour. Then rinse thoroughly under running water. You need to fry the liver for a short time, 2 - 3 minutes on each side, until the blood stops coming out. It is best to salt and pepper the liver in a frying pan while frying. After frying, add 2 - 3 tablespoons of milk to the pan with the liver and cover with a lid, leaving on the fire for 2 - 3 minutes until the milk has evaporated. After such simple manipulations, you are guaranteed to receive a delicious and tender ready-made fried liver.

Extinguishing

Well, the last step is to cook the swan. As already mentioned, this is a stew. The fact is that this particular method of cooking meat ensures that the dish remains juicy and tender. This is a good way to get rid of the toughness of the carcass.

Place the fried pieces of meat into a pan, then pour water into it. The liquid level should be 5 centimeters above the meat. Then you can add more, since the water still evaporates, and the meat may not be cooked. By the way, it’s better to add hot water. Let it simmer on low heat. How much time will it take? Always different. It all depends on how young the bird was. It could be an hour, or it could be 5 hours. The readiness of the meat must be checked with a fork every hour. Once you understand that it is about to cook (it will become soft), you can add various spices.

After stewing, naturally, the swan is ready and can be served along with green onions. However, it will be much tastier if you prepare a sauce for the meat. If you carefully study the information on how to cook swan, you will notice that this dish is tasty on its own and you don’t need to use sauce. However, in order to fully experience the unique taste of meat, it is necessary.

Among the many, I would like to highlight tsakhton. This is a spicy sauce that is prepared on the basis of some fermented milk product. For example, kefir. Let's look at the ingredients for making this wonderful sauce.

Preparing the sauce

This sauce is actually very easy to prepare. First, finely chop all the greens - parsley, cilantro, dill. You don't have to use exactly this one, you can add what you like. But greenery must be present. To make the sauce aromatic, garlic is added. We also chop it and send it to the greens.

Pepper is used for spiciness. Chili pepper would be ideal. But if you are not a fan of spicy food or you can’t eat it at all, then you don’t have to add it. Pour kefir over everything and salt to taste. Then add adjika. The sauce is ready. By the way, you can simply eat it, spreading it on bread! If you would like to use a different sauce, that can be done as well. It all depends on your preferences.

So, the meat is ready, and the sauce too. It's time to serve. For added spice, you can also sprinkle green onions on top. This article discussed the simplest recipe. You now know how to cook a swan and can do it without difficulty. Of course, getting this game is quite difficult, and it takes a long time to cook. The recipes of Tsarist Rus' were lost and have not survived to our time. But believe me, the taste you feel will stay with you forever. The dish turns out very tasty and memorable. Prepare it for your guests, and be sure that they have definitely never tried this before. Bon appetit!