Can you give me the recipe how to cook swan?

[Saint]

Anyone?
Can you give me the recipe how to cook swan ?
[?]

 

[Njorl]

Olim lacus colueram

Olim lacus colueram
olim pulcher extiteram
dum cignus ego fueram.

Miser, miser! - Modo niger,
et ustus fortiter!

Eram nive candidior,
quavis ave formosior:
modo cum corvo nigrior.

Miser, miser! - Modo niger,
et ustus fortiter!

Me rogus urit fortiter,
gyrat, regyrat garcifer;
propinat me nunc dapifer.

Miser, miser! - Modo niger,
et ustus fortiter!

Mallem in aquis vivere,
nudo semper sub aere,
quam in hoc mergi pipere.

Miser, miser! - Modo niger,
et ustus fortiter!

Nunc in scutella iaceo,
et volitare nequeo,
dentes frendetes video:

Miser, miser! - Modo niger,
et ustus fortiter!

 

[Zero]

Originally posted by Saint
Anyone?
Can you give me the recipe how to cook swan ?
[?]

Ummmm...how big is the bird?

 

[Monique]

The size of a goose. No, we don't eat those.. I'd be lucky enough to spot one..

Probably tastes like chicken?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

All of the swan that I eat is the prepackaged microwave stuff.

Oh wait, that was Swanson's.

 

[Saint]

we eat duck, chicken, goose, turkey etc...
why not swan ?
Is it only for display?

 

[KLscilevothma]

Originally posted by Saint
we eat duck, chicken, goose, turkey etc...
why not swan ?
Is it only for display?

I have heard of people eating ducks, chickens, tongues of ducks, camel birds, etc. But I think I have't heard of people eating swans, or perhaps I just couldn't remember.

 

[selfAdjoint]

In medieval England, all swans belonged to the king, and to catch and eat one was a hanging offense. So at least that explains why the Anglo tradition is against cooked swan. I don't know about the Dutch tradition though. Wouldn't they be awful gamy?

 

[Zero]

I think that you could probably rub it down with ovile oil, mint, salt and pspper, and be ok.

 

[Monique]

The reason that swans are not eaten like chickens or turkeys might lie in the reason that they are hard to keep? Territorial (sp?) and very strong birds.. the beauty of them might play a large factor too, people symphathise with it a lot more than a ground picking chicken or an ugly turkey :O

 

[quartodeciman]

On the other hand, a poor and hungry peasant might not refuse to poach a swan or two from his lordship's lakeside, beautiful or otherwise.

Is swan fatty like goose?

lass du hier künftig die Schwäne in Ruh

 

[Monique]

A swan is much more muscular (not sure if they are also fatty), they are told to be very strong, able to break an arm if they choose to attack you, they are quite aggressive.

 

[jcsd]

Originally posted by selfAdjoint
In medieval England, all swans belonged to the king, and to catch and eat one was a hanging offense. So at least that explains why the Anglo tradition is against cooked swan. I don't know about the Dutch tradition though. Wouldn't they be awful gamy?

Not just in medieval England but in modern day England too, though I think these days it only applies to Swans on the River Thames.

 

[quartodeciman]

Another opportunity for swan at dinner might be an ancient standard of presentation art in cookery. The fowl would be cleaned, cooked, stuffed with other foodstuffs, seasoned and reconstructed upon a platter, complete with restored feathers, beak, wings, tail and head, moulded to look like a swan serenely gliding across a lake. No one at that time would have considered such an object to be obscene.

Today, they just cut swanshapes out of iceblocks.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I was told this is a true story:

There is an opera in which a giant swan comes onstage, the hero gets on its back, and the swan "floats" him off stage; a very dramatic exit.

During a performance, once, the stagehand threw the swan into gear before the hero was finished with his aria, and by the time he was ready to be carried offstage the swan was gone. The singer, instead of losing his cool, turned to the audience and asked: "Does anybody know what time the next swan leaves?"

 

[Robert Zaleski]

I imagine you would cook a swan the same way you would cook a goose, i.e., in a very, very, very big roasting pan. I believe most people think it foul to eat swan, since it most likely would bring about their swan song. Wait a minute, don't you cook your goose when you cook your goose.

 

[kat]

http://www.godecookery.com/mtrans/mtrans52.html
"1 swan (see note)
Olive oil (see note)
DIRECTIONS:
With your hands or a pastry brush, coat the entire outside of a cleaned & gutted swan (being sure to reserve the giblets for the Chaudon sauce) with olive oil. Roast on either a spit or in an oven. (A modern rotisserie may be the closest many of us will be able to come to actual spit roasting, but if that is not possible, an oven will do the job as well.) Roast until done, basting often with broth or drippings. Carve into serving pieces and serve with Chaudon sauce.

Chaudon Sauce:

Swan giblets
Salt
Broth
Unseasoned toasted breadcrumbs (see note)
Ginger
Galingale
Red Wine Vinegar
Wash the blood from the giblets, and while still wet, sprinkle with a little salt. Place in a pot, cover with water and boil until done. Remove, drain, & cool. Chop the giblets into small pieces; place giblets and the broth, spices, & breadcrumbs in a food processor (or any equivalent device) and combine into a smooth gravy-like sauce. Strain if necessary. Place in a sauceboat, add salt if necessary, and bring to a soft boil. Reduce heat to a simmer & add a little vinegar for a slight tartness. Serve with the roasted swan."

 

[Zero]

Hmmmm...yeah, ginger might be a good idea on a gamy bird.

 

[quartodeciman]

zooby: There is an opera in which a giant swan comes onstage

'Tis Lohengrin of Richard Wagner, and here begins the knight's swan song:

"My dear swan! Ah, This last sad jorney!" --->
http://www.rwagner.net/midi/lohengrin/e-ml54.html

King Ludwig II of Bavaria was a big Wagner fan.

Schloss Neuschwanstein - Swan's Corner --->
http://www.marerico.com/ludwigIIpictures/Sitting_room.jpg

 

[zoobyshoe]

Great links. And is that, then, the origin of the term "Swan Song"?

 

[quartodeciman]

I reckon so.

It wasn't invented by Led Zeppelin.