Advertisement
Fagiano
Pheasant
Appears in
By Antonio Carluccio and Priscilla Carluccio
Published 1997
The noble pheasant was introduced to Europe from Asia during the Middle Ages. It was particularly popular in Tuscany, where its feathers were used to decorate the tables and the serving dishes whenever it appeared on the menu. The male bird is famous for his beautiful and ornate feathers, while the female looks a little drab. The male is also larger in size than his female counterpart, a fact which is important when buying a brace, a pair of birds of which one is male and the other female.
Italians do not like wild pheasant to be hung for too long and the farmed variety are not hung at all because they are so tender. Pheasant is popular in the north and centre of Italy, especially in Tuscany and Umbria, which have a culinary history in the preparation of these birds. Pheasant has a lovely gamy taste and fragrance, and the rather dark meat contains only a small quantity of fat. It is a fairly versatile bird and is often cooked in a casserole with wild berries to complement its flavour, or simply roasted in the oven after it has been rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper, or occasionally flavoured with truffles.