Tired of turkey

Appears in

The Feast of Christmas: Origins, Traditions and Recipes

Published 1992

About

The Chinese say a duck is too much for one and not enough for two people to eat. Ultimately, this is the reason most of us now eat turkey at Christmas, for similar problems arise with the capon and the goose. None of the fat, succulent birds yields quite enough meat to cope with an extended family bent on gorging themselves.

Geese are not at their best at Christmas. ‘A Michaelmas goose,’ wrote Dr William Kitchiner in The Cook’s Oracle (1820) ‘is as famous in the mouths of the million as the minced-pie at Christmas; yet for those who eat with delicacy, it is, at that time, too full-grown. The true period when the goose is in the highest perfection is when it has just acquired its full growth, and not begun to harden; if the March goose is insipid, the Michaelmas goose is rank. The fine time is between both; from the second week in June to the first in September.’ Whatever the time of year, the goose’s own diet is of paramount importance to its eating quality. The first duty of a goose is to be plump.