Pheasants are a medium-sized species of game bird commonly found in Asian countries and Britain. The bird is a low-flying one, making it a very easy task for hunters to catch and prepare for consumption.
The meat of this game bird is edible and is used as a lump of alternative meat in preparing different cuisines because of its low-calorie content.
Pheasant meat usage in cooking and satisfying the human dietary needs is varied. If you get tired of eating your regular poultry meat and would like to change to something similar, pheasant meat is a great option. Before you switch, you should know what the bird tastes like.
What does pheasant taste like? Farm-bred pheasant meat has a sweet and subtle gamey flavor. Its texture and flavor are similar to that of chicken and turkey. Its distinct taste is also gamey and sweet but with a more pungent and aromatic flavor. The flavor of wild pheasant is determined by its habitat and available food source.
The pheasant’s breed, the flavoring used in cooking it, the way it is cut, cooked and the sauce used are factors that influence its taste. Wild pheasants have a sweeter and stronger taste.
Pheasants are recognized to have a flavorful and scintillating aroma. The game bird is a perfect substitute for any poultry meat. Apart from its sweet taste, it offers a wide range of nutrition and health benefits.
Nutritional Benefits of Pheasant
If you want a highly delicious lean poultry meat with reduced fat content and a good source of minerals and vitamins, pheasant meat is a great option. It is a good source of potassium, iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and protein.
Eating pheasant meat helps in losing body weight and maintaining a good body shape. It has low-fat content and a substantial amount of protein that helps in achieving this. Its high protein content also helps in growing, optimizing, and strengthening the muscle.
Iron is a great mineral that helps in the early developmental stage of children. It aids healthy bone growth and enhances the circulatory system by producing red blood cells. It also helps in combating iron-deficiency diseases like anemia naturally and enhances hemoglobin synthesis which aids oxygenation in the blood.
Consuming food that is potassium-rich helps in eliminating excessive sodium content in the human body system thereby maintaining good cardiovascular health. Its vitamin C acts as antioxidants that boost the immune system and serve as natural body defenses against chronic diseases.
Culinary Uses of Pheasant
The lean meat can be used in a variety of ways while cooking. While cooking with pheasant, you should remember that it contains a very small amount of fat and should not be allowed to dry out before using. Extra fat can be added to make it suitable for use.
The meat can be cooked, stewed, roasted, baked, and added to stuffing. To cook it, cut the bird into desirable pieces and wrap it in aluminum foil paper with butter or sour cream spread on top of it. Allow it to cook in the oven at 180°C for about 60 minutes and open the foil when it is almost 15 minutes to the end of cooking to make it brown.
You can also eat and stuff the whole bird with mushrooms. Chop the mushroom into small pieces and mix it with butter, salt, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice. After hanging the whole bird for about 15 minutes, stuff it with this mixture and cover the breast with strips of bacon. Dredge it with flour and allow it to roast until it has a crispy brown skin with a tender chew.
Rice casseroles can also be given an enhanced taste when cooked with pheasant milk. All you have to do is pour the boiled rice, vegetable, and cooked pheasant in a buttered casserole. Cover it and allow it to bake. Enjoy the rice casserole with a bottle of white or red wine.
Where Did Pheasant Come From? How Do You Procure It?
The medium-sized bird has been in existence for a very long time. Its origin can be traced to Britain, Asia, and the USA where it has been consumed for about 200 years. Over time, the bird’s meat became popular in restaurants and households because of its sweetness and ease of being used as a substitute for chicken and turkey in cooking.
To hastened consumption and availability, people started rearing the game bird domestically. Pheasant is very easy to catch, making it a favorite bird among hunters. The male pheasant has a long tail with multi-colored skin while the female species is usually brown.
The pheasant meat can be purchased in its preserved state in supermarkets and convenience stores near you. Also, they can be reared at home for consumption later on. When you purchase it from the supermarket, it is advisable to hang it before consuming it.
Store freshly bought and leftover pheasant meat in the freezer until you’re ready to use to prevent it from spoilage and preserve its taste, texture, and flavor.
Are Pheasant Eggs Good For Eating?
Yes, it is very healthy for consumption. Just like other edible eggs, pheasant eggs are sweet and tasty on their own. It can be used in a lot of cuisines. They are packed with a lot of protein, amino acids, iron, vitamins B, and vitamin D.
Facts You Didn’t Know About Pheasant
- Farm-bred pheasant meat has the same flavor as chicken because they are fed with chicken feed.
- Pheasants live a very active life and can run at a very fast pace of 45 miles per hour. It also has a very good sense of hearing and sight.
- The wild pheasant’s taste is affected by the food they eat. They eat whatever is found in the wild which can include insects, seeds and dead animal remains.
- Wild pheasant’s feathers are always difficult to pluck, so they are often skinned.
