Contents
Description
Black grouse (black grouse, field grouse) (Latin Lyrurus tetrix) is a fairly common bird belonging to the Pheasant family.
The range of natural distribution of black grouse is wide enough: it lives in the forest and forest-steppe zones of Europe and Asia. Individual populations are found in the steppe zone of the mainland. Most of the range is located in Russia.
Black grouse is a rather large bird, but with a small head and relatively short beak.
These birds have pronounced sexual dimorphism. The weight of males is from 1 to 1.4 kg, their body length is from 49 to 58 cm, and the weight of females is from 0.7 to 1 kg with a body length of up to 45 cm.
The male is also easily recognizable by the plumage, which is shiny black in color with a purple-green tint on the head, goiter, neck and back, eyebrows are bright red. The lower part of the belly of males is brown, but with lighter tops of feathers; under the tail, the color is contrasting white.
Primary flight feathers are dark brown in color and have “mirrors” – white spots in the lower part of 1-5th feathers. On the secondary flight feathers, the mirrors are more pronounced, and there they occupy a significant part of the wings. The tail feathers at the tops have a purple tint, the outer tail feathers are curved to the sides so that the tail takes on a lyre-like shape.
Females are variegated, have a reddish-brown color, crossed by transverse stripes of dark yellow and black-brown colors. Outwardly, they somewhat resemble a capercaillie, however, unlike the latter, they have white mirrors on the wings, and a small recess on the tail. The tail of birds of this sex is white.
Youngsters are distinguished by more variegated plumage, consisting of stripes and spots of black-brown, yellow-brown and white colors.
Composition and calorie content
- Calorie content, kcal 253.9
- Proteins, g 18
- Fats, g 20
- Carbohydrates, g 0.5
- Water, g 65
- Ash, g 1.0
Useful properties of black grouse meat
Black grouse meat is very healthy. Despite the high calorie content, it is considered dietary.
It contains many vitamins and minerals. In terms of its chemical composition, it is almost identical to hazel grouse meat, therefore, it can be cooked in a similar way.
Wild game has a high content of folic acid, which is especially necessary during pregnancy and lactation. By the way, folic acid is involved in the formation of the neural tube in the embryo, and in case of a lack of it, serious pathologies may arise.
There is a lot of black grouse and potassium, which, along with sodium, ensures the water-mineral balance in the body. Modern people get a lot of sodium due to the salting of food, but potassium is sorely lacking in a significant part of the population. As a result, diseases of the cardiovascular system and kidneys (hypertension, edema, etc.).
Copper, which is part of grouse meat, prevents the development of anemia, skin diseases and hair loss, improves the absorption of food, as it is part of various hormones and digestive enzymes.
Black grouse meat contains a lot of iron, which is known to provide respiration at the cellular level. Grouse meat is especially useful for anemia.
Harm and contraindications
The meat of this bird is completely safe for humans. Individual intolerance is possible.
Taste qualities of Black grouse
The taste of grouse meat depends in part on the season in which it is mined. The autumn bird, which feeds mainly on berries (cranberries, lingonberries, blueberries and others), is extraordinarily tasty for any kind of culinary treatment. The meat of the game taken in winter slightly changes its taste due to the presence of pine needles and birch buds in the diet of the black grouse.
Birds of different ages, roosters and females also differ in taste. The meat of the male Kosach is slightly tougher and drier than that of the grouse. The more tender and juicy meat of young individuals, especially females, tastes like chicken; such birds are usually cooked with whole carcasses. Older Kosachi require cutting and prolonged heat treatment of meat to achieve the desired softness.
Cooking applications
In terms of popularity in cooking, black grouse meat, along with hazel grouses and partridges, occupies one of the leading places among game. In the cuisines of different nations of the world, there are many recipes for its preparation. Black grouse meat:
- used in the preparation of traditional hunting dishes on an open fire;
- fried or baked with a whole carcass;
- stuffed;
- cut, pickled, fried, stewed and boiled;
- used to prepare first courses and original snacks.
Delicate and juicy grouse meat goes well with both cereals and vegetable side dishes. As a filling for stuffing poultry, not only traditional cereals can be used, but also mushrooms, nuts, wild berries, fruits, boiled corn, pumpkin, asparagus and other vegetables. The refined taste of black grouse meat dishes can be emphasized by various sauces (wine, creamy, garlic, cheese, nutty).
Especially tasty and popular:
- whole baked carcasses with a crispy crust;
- grouse cooked over an open fire, roasted on a spit or baked in clay;
- homemade kosach noodles;
- puree soup with black grouse meat and legumes;
- main courses and snacks from grouse fillet with various vegetables.
Baked grouse
INGREDIENTS
- 1 prepared young grouse weighing less than 1 kg
- 150 g fatty bacon or smoked lard
- 5 tbsp. l. butter
- 2 tbsp. l. lard
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 tsp each. ground white pepper, allspice, mustard and ginger powder
- salt, freshly ground black pepper
- small bunch of parsley for serving
STEP-BY-STEP COOKING RECIPE
- Dry the grater with paper towels, rub inside and out with spices. Freeze bacon or bacon, 20 minutes, cut into cubes.
- Using a narrow, long knife, make a puncture in the poultry meat, turn the knife 90 ° without removing it and insert a piece of bacon (bacon) into the hole. So stuff the whole grouse, paying particular attention to the breast. Lubricate the grater with softened butter on all sides.
- Place the grater in a deep baking sheet or ovenproof dish and place in an oven preheated to high (250-300 ° C) for a shiny golden crust. This will take 1 to 5 minutes, depending on the oven. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and reduce the temperature to 180 ° C.
- Pour the broth over the grouse and return to the oven until tender, about 1.5 hours. Every 10-15 minutes. water the grater with juice from a baking sheet. Twice, instead of pouring broth, brush the bird with melted bacon. Remove the finished bird from the oven, cover with foil and let stand for about 20 minutes, then serve, sprinkled with parsley.