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| Latin: |
Cairina moschata |
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| Origin: |
Ducks are large aquatic birds with a thick layer of fat under the skin. Domestic ducks belong to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae. The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) and wild mallard (Anas platyrhyncos) are believed to be the ancestors of all domestic ducks. The Muscovy duck was domesticated in Colombia and Peru by the pre-Columbian Indians. The mallard was domesticated in China about 2,000 years ago and has undergone numerous crossbreedings and mutations.
Technically, the term duck applies to the female, the male being called a drake. Duck was a popular main dish in colonial days; today many consider it gourmet fare. Duck raising is practiced on a limited scale in most countries, usually as a small-farm enterprise, although large flocks are bred in some areas of England, the Netherlands, and the United States.
The American Poultry Association lists 12 domesticated breeds, divided into three classes: meat producing, egg producing, and ornamental. The white Pekin duck, originally from China, is the most widely consumed because it is meaty, fast growing, and prodigious in egg production, is often sold in the US under the name Long Island duckling. Broiler or fryer ducks are young (under 8 weeks) and tender, roaster duckling (under 16 weeks) is starting to harden, and mature duck has tougher flesh. The leaner Muscovy variety, a red-meat duck, can be found in butcher shops. Duck can be bought whole or as single breast fillets, called margrets.
Ducks are available frozen or fresh at butcher shops and many markets.
Duck feathers are also of some value, though they have been largely replaced by synthetics. Eiderdown is still of wide commercial value for use in luxury quilts and pillows. |
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| Properties: |
| Sweet and salty in flavor, slightly cold in nature, it is related to the channels of the lung, spleen and kidney. |
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| Functions: |
Though constituents of the duck are basically the same as that of chicken from a modern nutriological viewpoint, it is rather different from a traditional dietotherapeutic standpoint. This is simply because the nature of duck flesh is slightly cold, while that of chicken is warm. Hence, the duck is far better for nourishing the yin and clearing inner heat. Moreover, duck flesh yields some diuretic (promotes the excretion of urine) action: It is often applied in edema of various causes, such as nutritional, hepatic or nephritis (inflammation of the kidney). Duck meat also benefits blood and qi.
For weakness like hypertension with dizziness, duck is preferable. In traditional Chinese medicine, chicken flesh is claimed as wind-type and is not suitable for patients with dizziness due to blood deficiency, while duck flesh is claimed as water-type, so it is preferable for those with deficiency of yin and weakness of the kidney. |
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| Applications: |
1. For edema:
Boil a duck after treated in usual way until well done. Use a portion of the whole duck to make porridge. Prepare porridge with 100 g rice and the part of the duck as routine and serve.
2. For yin deficiency manifesting night sweats, impotence, emission and weak knees and waist, etc:
Prepare 10 g Chinese caterpillar fungi, a male duck, 15 ml millet wine, 5 g ginger, 10 g white bulb of Chinese onion, 5 g powdered peppermint, 3 g salt. The duck is treated as usual with inner viscera discarded and rinsed. Boil in boiling water for 1 minute. Put it with all the other ingredients in an earthenware pot. Add sufficient water and cook with slow fire for 2 hours until well done. Divide into 2 parts and serve.
3. For sudden edema, difficult urination, fidgetiness (acute nephritis):
Use 5-10 ducks' heads and clean. Smash into small pieces and mix thoroughly with some duck's blood. Add 60 g Chinese fangji (Stephania Tetrandta) and 10 g Semen Lepidii seu Descurainiae and mix again. Make pills in the size of green beans. Swallow 70 pills each time.
4. For chronic nephritis with edema:
Put 4 or 5 cloves of garlic inside a routinely prepared duck. Simmer with water until the duck is very well done. Do not add salt. Consume the whole thing. |
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| Dosage and Administration: |
Check for any feathers and remove from skin. Wash duck thoroughly in cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Duck should always be cooked until well done. For best results, use a meat thermometer inserted in the meatiest part of the duck. Duck is done when internal temperatures read 82¢X C. To test for doneness without a thermometer, make sure a fork can be easily inserted, and that when the meat is pricked, juices run clear (not pink).
Roasting: Thoroughly prick the duck's skin without piercing the flesh. Place duck on a rack in a shallow pan, breast side up. Pour a small amount of water or stock in the pan, and check occasionally during the roasting time. Place duck in an oven preheated to 230¢X C for 5 minutes and then lower the temperature to 180¢X C. Occasionally baste with pan liquids. If parts of the bird become too brown, shield them with foil. Roast for 20 minutes per 450 g, or until internal temperature reaches 82¢X C. Let stand 15 minutes before carving.
Braising: Cut mature duck in pieces and trim off excess fat. Heat a skillet over a medium burner until hot. Add oil, and brown both sides of duck pieces at moderately high heat. Drain fat, add cooking liquid (water, wine, or broth with vegetables and spices if desired), cover pan, and place in preheated 180¢X C oven for one hour.
Broiling: Preheat broiler. Line broiler pan with foil for easy cleanup. Spray rack of broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray, if desired. Place duck halves, leg quarters, parts, or boneless, skinless duck pieces on rack set in broiler pan. Position oven rack so that duck pieces on broiler rack are 15 cm from the heat source. To prevent released fat from smoking, check pan every two minutes and sprinkle salt directly on any fat in the bottom of the pan. Broil, turning over several times, until duck is golden, juices run clear, and internal temperatures reach 82¢X C. Boneless duck takes approximately four to five minutes per side; bone-in pieces, depending on the size, take about 20 minutes per side. Use tongs to turn over duck to prevent piercing the flesh and loss of juices during cooking.
Check the "Sell By" date on the package. This date indicates the last day the duck should be offered for sale. Meat and poultry should be prepared as soon as possible after the date of purchase, and used beyond the Sell By date only occasionally, if at all. Fresh duck should be odor-free and have clean skin with no pinfeathers. Frozen duck should have a plump breast and be wrapped in an airtight package.
Store fresh duck in is original wrapping, over-wrapped with aluminum foil to prevent leakage. Store in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Raw duck can be kept refrigerated for two days. To store cooked duck, remove meat from the bone, wrap in plastic or foil, and keep meat in the coldest part of the refrigerator for no more than three days.
Freeze fresh duck if you do not plan to cook it within two days of purchase. Store in original wrapping over-wrapped with foil, or wrap in foil or freezer bags. Be sure to press the air out of the package before freezing. Frozen duck can be stored in the freezer for three months. Cooked duck may be frozen in the same manner unless the dish is made with sauce or gravy. In that case, pack the meat tightly in a rigid container and freeze.
Thaw duck in the refrigerator in its original wrapping; never thaw at room temperature. In the refrigerator, a whole duck (2.25 kg) will thaw within 24 to 36 hours. Duck may also be thawed by immersing it (in a watertight plastic bag or original unbroken wrappings) in cold water; change the water every 30 minutes. Duck will thaw in about three hours.
For quick-thawing of raw or cooked duck, use the microwave at the Defrost or Medium-Low setting, according to the manufacturer's directions. Turn the duck as it thaws, between zaps; take care the duck does not begin to cook.
If it is not served immediately, keep cooked duck either hot, between 60 and 71¢X C, or refrigerate at 4.5¢X C or lower. When transporting cooked duck to another dining site, place it in an insulated container or ice chest until ready to eat. |
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| Cautions on Use: |
| Do not reheat cooked duck and other poultry more than once. |
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| Reference Materials: |
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| Toxic or Side Effects: |
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| Modern Researches: |
Every 100 g of raw duck meat contains 137 calories, 20 g protein, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 3 g mono-unsaturated fat, 1 g polyunsaturated fat, 2 mg iron, 2 mg zinc, 19 mg magnesium, 0.3 mg vitamin B6, 12 mcg selenium, 0.12 mg riboflavin, and 0.11 mg thiamine.
If roast duck is eaten with its fat and skin, the fat content per 100 g serving increases from 10 g, when only the flesh is consumed, to 29 g. Mono-unsaturated fat accounts for about 16 g of the fat.
Duck and other poultry contain good amounts of the amino acid tyrosine, which the brain uses to produce dopamine and noradrenaline. These substances trigger the brain cells that enhance concentration and mental alertness. For those whose concentration falters at certain times of the day, a snack containing poultry or game may provide a boost to mental abilities.
Duck and other poultry are ideal foods at all stages of life. They supply the 9 essential amino acids that are needed for the growth and repair of tissues, and they are easy to digest.
Duck, goose, partridge, and pheasant all supply some "haem" iron, which is easily absorbed. These birds are especially useful to those who do not like red meats, the other good supplier of haem iron. It is important to maintain a good store of iron in the body to prevent the development of full-blown anaemia. |
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