I love a good walk trough a supermarket in this time of year, and see what is on offer. It turns out to be quite a long list, but one thing that I assume is not seen so often in other parts of the world is capons. Yes, castrated roosters. They are supposed to be much larger and juicier than regular ones.
They are a major christmas tradition in France and Belgium, and an expensive delicacy. They come in yellow (maize fed) and white versions. They are also whoppers! The heaviest bird I saw during my very brief investigation weighed in at 3.6 kilos, and that's without head, feet and internal organs. It was no smaller than the turkeys in the same cooler on the very left. Poor thing must have been a monster in life!
Other than that, there are several other varieties of chickens, like the French saint Sever brand chickens (there are also capons from that brand), and the local "Mechelse koekoek"(Malinois) chicken. It's a bit strange that Wikipedia claims this is a threatened breed, as you can just buy these in a regular Belgian Carrefour supermarket.
And then there is the other birds. There are whole turkeys, (only sold fresh, not frozen) of course, and while it is perfectly acceptable to eat a turkey at Christmas, it's not a major tradition; turkey suffers a little from its reputation as cheap, bland and dry meat. The local tradition is more toward capon and game.
There were also ring-necked pheasants, peafowl, quails, ostrich, wild duck, tame duck, squab, wood pigeon, and I think partridge too. Oh and foie gras, no actual goose though as far as I could tell. Though I think you can buy confit of goose and rilettes tinned.
What are the more unusual things for sale in this time of year in your part of the world?
They are a major christmas tradition in France and Belgium, and an expensive delicacy. They come in yellow (maize fed) and white versions. They are also whoppers! The heaviest bird I saw during my very brief investigation weighed in at 3.6 kilos, and that's without head, feet and internal organs. It was no smaller than the turkeys in the same cooler on the very left. Poor thing must have been a monster in life!
Other than that, there are several other varieties of chickens, like the French saint Sever brand chickens (there are also capons from that brand), and the local "Mechelse koekoek"(Malinois) chicken. It's a bit strange that Wikipedia claims this is a threatened breed, as you can just buy these in a regular Belgian Carrefour supermarket.
And then there is the other birds. There are whole turkeys, (only sold fresh, not frozen) of course, and while it is perfectly acceptable to eat a turkey at Christmas, it's not a major tradition; turkey suffers a little from its reputation as cheap, bland and dry meat. The local tradition is more toward capon and game.
There were also ring-necked pheasants, peafowl, quails, ostrich, wild duck, tame duck, squab, wood pigeon, and I think partridge too. Oh and foie gras, no actual goose though as far as I could tell. Though I think you can buy confit of goose and rilettes tinned.
What are the more unusual things for sale in this time of year in your part of the world?
