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Swans are kind of assholes in my experience and the "mute swan"(the one most people think of) has become a massive pest among the fisheries/parks/etc crowd. I'

Swans are kind of assholes in my experience and the "mute swan"(the one most people think of) has become a massive pest among the fisheries/parks/etc crowd. I'm generally a pretty adventurous cook/eater and did a goose for christmas last year(geese are a hella pest but somehow the dead one I bought was $70 or something) and probably wouldn't do a swan if it's similar. Geese are almost "beefy"

jeffbr13 12y ago
Yep, goose is quite a dark meat, and is easily overcooked to dryness. But potatoes (or anything) roasted in goose-fat should be the highlight of anyone's christmas dinner!
- dllthomas 12y ago
  Agreed. Goose is all about the goose fat.
- ryanbrunner 12y ago
  If swan is anything like goose (which I can only imagine it is), it's probably too fussy for the average home meal anyways. Goose can be delicious, but it's not something you'd cook outside of an occasion like Christmas.
nerfhammer 12y ago
A lot of people don't realize the Mute Swan is an invasive species to North America http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Cygnus_olor.html#Introduction_Facts http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/in...
selimthegrim 12y ago
Larry David has already come to this realization publicly. http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/curb-your-enthusiasm-the-black-swan-34830 http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/curb-your-enthusiasm-the-black-...
arrrg 12y ago
Are geese adventurous? Where I’m from (north-eastern Bavaria) roasted goose breast with potato dumplings are a a common Sunday dinner meal (duck breast is less common, at least in restaurants, but my grandparents and parents often made it). Pork is obviously the standard thing to roast and consequently more common overall, but I would argue that at least where I’m from this roasted geese breast is a bigger deal than chicken based meals. Especially if it’s a Sunday dinner. Goose is also popular for Christmas, turkey not really. Actually, goose is probably the thing to make for Christmas where I’m from. Goose is obviously not chicken or turkey, but I really love it with very fatty gravy, a crispy, salty crust, and quite dry meat. I love fried chicken, too, I think everyone does, plus turkey, but that’s not what I’m looking for when eating roasted goose breast.
- waterfowl 12y ago
  It is not something the average american home cook would attempt, not because it's hard but because they don't tend to be stocked in normal grocery stores, and when they are(around holidays) they're really expensive. Add to the fact that the pure liquid fattiness of the(even raw) bird in my experience makes it a huge hassle(I was told by my grandmother whose house I cooked it at that her oven smelled strongly of goose/grease until she ran the hardcore clean cycle). "anecdotally" eating goose is not something that I was exposed to(outside of a "wild game dinner" put on by a hunting club) in my generic(fairly privileged) middle american childhood and I was exposed to a lot of cuisine(adventurous father)
  - eshvk 12y ago
    > Add to the fact that the pure liquid fattiness of the(even raw) bird in my experience makes it a huge hassle Yah. In Grad. school, I once bought a whole duck on a dare. One of those long nights, I decided to stuff it and cook it. The damn tray was swimming in duck oil.
- freshyill 12y ago
  Oddly enough, goose isn't particularly common as a food in the U.S., even at Christmas. And this is in spite of the fact that we've had goose drilled into our collective consciousness as a traditional Christmas main course (and they're a very common nuisance animal). We eat tons of turkey in the U.S., but usually sliced. Most people only roast a whole turkey at Thanksgiving, but it's not uncommon to make it at Christmas. In the U.S., if you're cooking a bird, it's probably a chicken. Duck is more of a restaurant thing, particularly at slightly nicer Chinese restaurants. This story has got me really thinking. I made a fig pudding (adapted from a 120-year-old British recipe) at Christmas two years ago. It was OK. I think I overdid it with the amaretto. Maybe my next Christmas cooking adventure will be goose.
jontas 12y ago
When I saw your username I figured it had to be a new account registered to post this comment. I was wrong, well done!

jeffbr13 12y ago

Yep, goose is quite a dark meat, and is easily overcooked to dryness. But potatoes (or anything) roasted in goose-fat should be the highlight of anyone's christmas dinner!

dllthomas 12y ago
Agreed. Goose is all about the goose fat.
ryanbrunner 12y ago
If swan is anything like goose (which I can only imagine it is), it's probably too fussy for the average home meal anyways. Goose can be delicious, but it's not something you'd cook outside of an occasion like Christmas.

nerfhammer 12y ago

A lot of people don't realize the Mute Swan is an invasive species to North America http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Cygnus_olor.html#Introduction_Facts http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/in...

selimthegrim 12y ago

Larry David has already come to this realization publicly. http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/curb-your-enthusiasm-the-black-swan-34830 http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/curb-your-enthusiasm-the-black-...

arrrg 12y ago

Are geese adventurous? Where I’m from (north-eastern Bavaria) roasted goose breast with potato dumplings are a a common Sunday dinner meal (duck breast is less common, at least in restaurants, but my grandparents and parents often made it). Pork is obviously the standard thing to roast and consequently more common overall, but I would argue that at least where I’m from this roasted geese breast is a bigger deal than chicken based meals. Especially if it’s a Sunday dinner. Goose is also popular for Christmas, turkey not really. Actually, goose is probably the thing to make for Christmas where I’m from. Goose is obviously not chicken or turkey, but I really love it with very fatty gravy, a crispy, salty crust, and quite dry meat. I love fried chicken, too, I think everyone does, plus turkey, but that’s not what I’m looking for when eating roasted goose breast.

waterfowl 12y ago
It is not something the average american home cook would attempt, not because it's hard but because they don't tend to be stocked in normal grocery stores, and when they are(around holidays) they're really expensive. Add to the fact that the pure liquid fattiness of the(even raw) bird in my experience makes it a huge hassle(I was told by my grandmother whose house I cooked it at that her oven smelled strongly of goose/grease until she ran the hardcore clean cycle). "anecdotally" eating goose is not something that I was exposed to(outside of a "wild game dinner" put on by a hunting club) in my generic(fairly privileged) middle american childhood and I was exposed to a lot of cuisine(adventurous father)
- eshvk 12y ago
  > Add to the fact that the pure liquid fattiness of the(even raw) bird in my experience makes it a huge hassle Yah. In Grad. school, I once bought a whole duck on a dare. One of those long nights, I decided to stuff it and cook it. The damn tray was swimming in duck oil.
freshyill 12y ago
Oddly enough, goose isn't particularly common as a food in the U.S., even at Christmas. And this is in spite of the fact that we've had goose drilled into our collective consciousness as a traditional Christmas main course (and they're a very common nuisance animal). We eat tons of turkey in the U.S., but usually sliced. Most people only roast a whole turkey at Thanksgiving, but it's not uncommon to make it at Christmas. In the U.S., if you're cooking a bird, it's probably a chicken. Duck is more of a restaurant thing, particularly at slightly nicer Chinese restaurants. This story has got me really thinking. I made a fig pudding (adapted from a 120-year-old British recipe) at Christmas two years ago. It was OK. I think I overdid it with the amaretto. Maybe my next Christmas cooking adventure will be goose.

jontas 12y ago

When I saw your username I figured it had to be a new account registered to post this comment. I was wrong, well done!