Squab (food)

Squab (food)
In culinary terminology, squab (probably of Scandinavian descent; skvabb, meaning "loose, fat flesh")[1] is a young domestic pigeon or its meat. The word squab was formerly used to describe young birds from several species, but has since come to mean young pigeons and their meat.[2] [3] Squabs are raised to the age of roughly a month before being killed for eating;[3] [4] [5] they have reached adult size but have not yet flown.[3] The practice of domesticating pigeon as livestock may have come from the Middle East;[6] historically, squabs or pigeons have been consumed in Squab breast served at a French restaurant many civilizations, including Ancient Egypt, Rome and Medieval Europe.[3] There is more information about recipes including squab eaten by rich people than those that poor people used.[4] Although squab has been consumed throughout much of recorded history, squab is not usually a staple food in modern times, and may be considered peculiar or exotic.[3] The modern squab industry uses utility pigeons and may use two-nest methods or selective breeding to improve yield.[5] [7] [8]

History
The practice of domesticating pigeon as livestock may have come from the Middle East;[6] historically, squab or pigeons have been consumed in many civilizations, including Ancient Egypt, Rome and Medieval Europe.[3] Texts about methods of raising pigeons for their meat have been dated back to AD 60 in Spain.[4] The term "squab" formerly included the meat of all dove and pigeon species, such as the Wood Pigeon, the Mourning Dove, and the now-extinct Passenger Pigeon.[3] Such birds were hunted for their meat because it was a cheap and readily available source of protein.[3] In the Tierra de Campos, a north-western region of Spain, the agricultural practices of keeping cattle, sheep, crop rotation and brush burning changed the land from forests into plains. Grain crops were the major agricultural activity, followed by squab meat.[4] From the Middle Ages a dovecote (French pigeonnier) was a common outbuilding on an estate that aimed to be self-sufficient.[3] The A white Carneau/King Hubbard squab at the age dovecote was considered a "living pantry",[4] a source of meat for of two weeks. Note the large breast muscles unexpected guests, and was important as a supplementary source of common in utility pigeons. [9] income from selling the surplus birds. In medieval England, squab meat was "highly valued", although its availability depended on the seasons - in one dovecote in the 1320s, nearly half the squabs produced were in the summer months, and none were in the winter months.[10] Caelius Aurelianus, a Roman physician, regarded the meat as a cure for headaches, but by the 16th century, squab was believed to cause headaches. In the 14th century humorism book Health Regime, squab was regarded as a "hot and moist" food, whereas the meat of old pigeons were regarded as hot, dry and "barely edible".[4] More recently, squab is almost entirely from domestic pigeons. The meat of dove and pigeon gamebirds hunted primarily for sport is rarely called squab.[3] Utility pigeons have been artificially selected for weight gain, quick

Squab (food) growth, health when kept in large numbers, and health of their infants.[11] Industrially raised pigeons have young which weigh 1.3pounds (0.59kg) when of age, as opposed to traditionally raised pigeons, which weigh 0.5pounds (0.23kg).[4] Ten pairs of pigeons can produce eight squabs each month without being fed by the pigeon keepers,[5] pigeons which are accustomed to their dovecote may forage and return there to rest and breed.[4] For a greater yield, commercially raised squab may be produced in a two-nest system, where the mother lays two new eggs in a second nest while the squabs are still growing in the first nest,[5] fed by their father.[7] Establishing two breeding lines has been suggested as another strategy for greater yield, where one breeding line is selected for prolificacy and the other is selected for "parental performance".[8]

In cuisine
Squab is dark meat, and the skin is fatty, like that of duck.[3] The meat is very lean, easily digestible, and "is rich in proteins, minerals, and vitamins".[4] Squab has been described as having a "silky" texture, as it is very tender and fine-grained.[4] [12] Squab has a milder taste than other game,[13] and has been described as having a mild berry flavor.[4] The Roman cookbook Apicius recommended sauces with a combined sweet and sour flavor to accompany roasted or braised squab. In 1607 a recipe book from a monastery suggested cooking squab with pork fat or bitter limes. There is less information about traditional recipes incorporating squab or pigeon used by commoners, but there is evidence recipes involving squab were "handed down from generation to generation".[4] In the 15th century, the Italian friar Luca A large volume of squab is served at Pacioli wrote a book of "culinary secrets" which included "How to Kill a Squab [14] Chinese-American restaurants. by Hitting with a Feather on the Head". In 18th century France, pigeons la crapaudine ("Toadlike Squab") was a popular "dish of skill" for both rich and poor, in which the squab was arranged so that it appeared froglike, with the breast forming the frog's "face". Religious dietary laws once prohibited meat on fast days, but allowed frog's meat, as it was a water dweller. Pigeons la crapaudine played with that convention, and is still part of French traditional cuisine.[15] [16] Commercially raised birds "take only half as long to cook" as traditionally raised birds, and are suitable for roasting, grilling, or searing, whereas the traditionally raised birds are better suited to casseroles and slow-cooked stews.[4] The meat from older and wild pigeons is tougher than squab, and requires a long period of stewing or roasting to tenderize.[3] The use of squabs probably stems from the relative ease of catching birds which have not yet fledged,[3] or that unfledged birds have more tender meat.[17] Despite the relative ease of raising pigeons, squab is "not usually considered" in terms of its potential to assist in food security efforts.[5] Usually considered a delicacy, squab is tender, moist and richer in taste than many commonly-consumed poultry meats, but there is relatively little meat per bird, the meat being concentrated in the breast.[3] [18] Today, squab is eaten in many countries, including France, the United States, Italy, the Maghreb, and several Asian countries.[19] Typical dishes include breast of squab (sometimes as the French salmis), Egyptian mahshi (stuffed with rice and herbs), and the Moroccan dish pastilla.[20] In Spain and France, squab is also preserved as a confit.[4] Demand for squab is increasing in Nigeria, despite being more expensive than beef, pork or chicken, as pigeons are quick to raise to table weight and are easy to keep, providing diseases are controlled, as young pigeons are especially susceptible to disease.[21] In parts of the developed world, squab meat is thought of as exotic or distasteful by consumers, because the feral pigeon is considered an unsanitary urban pest.[19] In England pigeon meat was eaten when other food was rationed during the war and remains associated with wartime shortages and poverty. This was parodied in an episode of the sitcom Dad's Army.[22] [23] Nevertheless many people still eat it, especially the older generation. Squab meat is

Squab (food) regarded as safer than some other poultry products as it harbors fewer pathogens,[24] [25] and may be served between medium and well done.[24] Squab's flavor lends itself to complex red or white wines.[13] In the United States of America, squab is "increasingly a specialty item", as the larger and cheaper chicken displaced it.[26] However, squab produced from specially-raised utility pigeons continues to be a part of the menus at American haute cuisine restaurants such as Le Cirque and The French Laundry,[18] [27] and has enjoyed endorsements from some celebrity chefs.[3] Accordingly, squab is often sold for much higher prices than other poultry, sometimes as high as eight USD per pound.[3] In Chinese cuisine, squab is a part of celebratory banquets for holidays such as Chinese New Year, usually served deep-fried.[3] Squabs are sold live in Chinese marketplaces to assure freshness,[28] but they can also be dressed in two styles. "Chinese-style" (Buddhist slaughter) birds retain their head and feet, whereas "New York-dressed" (Confucian slaughter) birds retain their entrails, head and feet.[12] The greatest volume of U.S. squab is currently sold within Chinatowns.[3]

References
[1] "squab" (http:/ / www. merriam-webster. com/ dictionary/ squab). Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.). p.1210. ISBN9780877798095. . Retrieved 27 August 2009. [2] OED gives earliest usage 1640 as a young bird, 1694 as a young pigeon. [3] Andrew D., Blechman (2006). Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird. Open City Books. ISBN0802118348. [4] Canova, Jane (Spring 2005). "Monuments to the Birds: Dovecotes and Pigeon Eating in the Land of Fields". Gastronomica 5 (2): 5059. doi:10.1525/gfc.2005.5.2.50. [5] Schiere, Hans; van der Hoek, Rein (2001). Livestock keeping in urban areas: a review of traditional technologies based on literature and field experiences (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=mywom_Ourn8C& pg=PP12& dq=squab+ meat+ pigeon& q=pigeon). FAO animal production and health paper. 151. Food and Agriculture Organization. p.29. ISBN9789251045756. . [6] Hansell, Jean (2001). Dovecotes (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=i3A4eojqseYC& pg=PA4& dq="pigeon+ keeping"+ squab& q=). A Shire album Shire Library. 213. Osprey Publishing. p.4. ISBN9780747805045. . Retrieved 2009-09-02. [7] Bolla, Gerry (2007). "Squab raising" (http:/ / www. dpi. nsw. gov. au/ __data/ assets/ pdf_file/ 0011/ 213221/ Squab-raising. pdf). New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. . Retrieved 2009-09-03. [8] Aggrey, S.E.; Cheng, K.M. (1993). "Genetic and Posthatch Parental Influences on Growth in Pigeon Squabs" (http:/ / jhered. oxfordjournals. org/ cgi/ content/ abstract/ 84/ 3/ 184). Journal of Heredity 84 (3): 184187. . Retrieved 2009-09-03. [9] Hansell, Jean (2001). Dovecotes (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=i3A4eojqseYC& pg=PA4& dq="pigeon+ keeping"+ squab& q=). A Shire album Shire Library. 213. Osprey Publishing. p.6. ISBN9780747805045. . Retrieved 2009-09-02. [10] Woolgar, C.M.; Serjeantson, Dale, Waldron, Tony (2006). Food in medieval England: diet and nutrition (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=MO_Obx4ns9wC& pg=PA148& dq=squab+ meat+ pigeon& q=squabs). Medieval history and archaeology. Oxford University Press. p.151. ISBN9780199273492. . [11] Skinner, B.F. (March 1986). "Some Thoughts About The Future". Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 45 (2): 229245. doi:10.1901/jeab.1986.45-229. PMC1348231. PMID3958668. [12] Green, Aliza (2005). Field Guide to Meat: How to Identify, Select, and Prepare Virtually Every Meat, Poultry, and Game Cut (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=qf2l--rO3JIC& pg=RA1-PA222& dq=squab+ asia& q=squab asia). Quirk Books. pp.221223. ISBN9781594740176. . [13] Cornish, Richard (July 25, 2006). "Pigeon fanciers" (http:/ / www. theage. com. au/ news/ epicure/ pigeon-fanciers/ 2006/ 07/ 24/ 1153593241889. html). The Age. . Retrieved 2009-09-02. [14] Parzen, Jeremy (Fall 2004). "Please Play with Your Food: An Incomplete Survey of Culinary Wonders in Italian Renaissance Cookery". Gastronomica 4 (4): 2533. doi:10.1525/gfc.2004.4.4.25. [15] Davis, Jennifer J. (February 2009). "Masters of Disguise: French Cooks Between Art and Nature, 16511793". Gastronomica 9 (1): 3649. doi:10.1525/gfc.2009.9.1.36. [16] Abrahams, Marc (29 September 2009). "When is a frog not a frog? When it's a bird" (http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ education/ 2009/ sep/ 29/ improbable-research-frog-bird). The Guardian. . Retrieved 20 October 2010. [17] Hansell, Jean (2001). Dovecotes (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=i3A4eojqseYC& pg=PA4& dq="pigeon+ keeping"+ squab& q=). A Shire album Shire Library. 213. Osprey Publishing. p.7. ISBN9780747805045. . Retrieved 2009-09-02. [18] Thomas, Keller (1999). The French Laundry Cookbook. Artisan. ISBN1579651267. [19] Blechman, Andrew D. (April 9, 2006). "March of the Pigeons" (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2006/ 04/ 09/ opinion/ nyregionopinions/ 09CIblechman. html?scp=32& sq=squab& st=nyt). The New York Times. . Retrieved 2008-02-24. [20] Morgan, James L. (2006). Culinary creation: an introduction to foodservice and world cuisine (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=On54ig_hS9EC& pg=PA1& dq=Pastilla+ squab& q=squab). Butterworth-Heinemann hospitality management series. Butterworth-Heinemann. p.10. ISBN9780750679367. .

Squab (food)
[21] Natala, A.J.; Asemadahun, N.D., Okubanjo, O.O., Ulayi, B.M., Owolabi, Y.H., Jato, I.D., Yusuf, K.H. (2009). "A Survey of Parasites of Domesticated Pigeon (Columba livia domestic) in Zaria, Nigeria" (http:/ / www. medwelljournals. com/ fulltext/ ijsc/ 2009/ 148-150. pdf). International Journal of Soft Computing 4 (4): 148150. . Retrieved 2009-09-01. [22] Squab (food) (http:/ / www. imdb. com/ title/ tt0552289/ ) at the Internet Movie Database [23] [# Croft, David; Perry, Jimmy; Webber, Richard (2000). The Complete A-Z of Dads Army. Orion. ISBN 0-75284-637-X. ] [24] Morgan, James L. (2006). Culinary creation: an introduction to foodservice and world cuisine (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=On54ig_hS9EC& pg=PA1& dq=Pastilla+ squab& q=squab). Butterworth-Heinemann hospitality management series. Butterworth-Heinemann. p.220. ISBN9780750679367. . [25] Jeffrey, J.S.; Atwill, E.R., Hunter, A. (2001). "Farm and management variables linked to fecal shedding of Campylobacter and Salmonella in commercial squab production" (http:/ / ps. fass. org/ cgi/ reprint/ 80/ 1/ 66). Poultry Science 80 (1): 6670. PMID11214338. . [26] Jerolmack, Colin (April 2007). "Animal archeology: Domestic pigeons and the nature-culture dialectic" (http:/ / www. qualitativesociologyreview. org/ ENG/ Volume6/ QSR_3_1_Jerolmack. pdf). Qualitative Sociology Review 3 (1): 7495. . [27] Bruni, Frank (February 6, 2008). "In Defense of Decadence" (http:/ / events. nytimes. com/ 2008/ 02/ 06/ dining/ reviews/ 06rest. html?scp=1& sq=squab& st=nyt). The New York Times. . Retrieved 2008-02-24. [28] Hsiung, Deih-Ta; Simonds, Nina, Lowe, Jason (2005). The food of China: a journey for food lovers (http:/ / books. google. com/ ?id=-9XWQrpbLAgC& pg=PA6& dq=squab+ China+ meat+ -"squabble"& q=squab). Murdoch Books. p.125. ISBN9781740454636. . Retrieved 2009-09-02.

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