Post by macmex on Oct 22, 2020 4:52:01 GMT -6
In another thread Bon and Glen got to talking about chickens, especially free range and old birds. I want to quote Glen here:
Bon, as far as chickens go here in Panama almost everyone has them. A couple of weeks ago we were getting free eggs. A hen, we don't know which one, was leaving us an egg every day outside the front door on the ledge of the flower bed.
People here in Panama just let them run around. They don't build a coup for them in other words. If we do build a coup, its just with some scrap materials laying around. There is no need to worry about them freezing in the winter. Some family's don't do anything for them. The birds just fly into a tree outside the house. Rarely do family's feed the birds either. A yard bird here is just that. A bird that runs around the yard. Chickens are always in my yard. I don't even know who owns them. I guess the neighbors know. I am thinking of getting a small cage to use for a couple of chicks. I will just let them run around the yard until night and then put them in the cage so the cats won't kill them. Or, the owls or hawks. We can buy them for a dollar each or less at the hardware store.
What the people here like is to make a soup called SanCocho. Thats a soup made over an open fire in a huge aluminum pot. Its made with yard bird which is real tough. They add culantro and plantain and yammy and yucca and Otoi, and onion and other stuff. Its not authentic if you use tender chicken. You are supposed to use a tough hen, or a gallina. I am not crazy about SanCocho. I bet George knows about this soup. You see folks outside with a huge cooking pot making this and they drink an alcoholic drink called seiko straight and beer and they sit around and watch this soup cook. The chicken never gets tender either no matter how long they cook it.
I have eaten this soup many times and no, its really not that memorable of an experience.
I thought I'd dedicate a thread to this topic, as it is really a great thing to talk about. You see, Old chickens do indeed get tough, and so many people, these days, think they are of little or no value since they are so accustomed to the tender chicken (probably too tender, in my opinion) of store bought chicken, The rural Panamanians, which Glen references above know something that many other cultures know, and that is that tough birds have a place in the kitchen.
When we last lived out on the East Coast I sometimes attended a poultry auction. It was interesting how many ethnic groups were represented among the attendees. Some were there in search of suitable birds for dishes like San Cocho. (Glen, is it spelled this way or how you have it above?)
Any dish that requires really long cooking will benefit from an old bird instead of a soft store bought chicken. Not only does the meat retain more texture, it has more flavor! Old birds are full of flavor which store bought birds (butchered between 4 and 8 weeks of age) don't have time to develope. In fact I believe store bought birds are often injected with additives to improve their insipid flavor. Old birds have no need for that. They have developed lots of flavor.
Out East I saw Asians pay $27 for an old red rooster. They have their beliefs about the benefits of eating certain colored birds, but also, they needed something full of flavor and able to take a prolonged cooking process.
One last comment here: In the USA it is often possible to obtain FREE Chickens, to eat, many of them are old, most are roosters, which is why people are getting rid of them. It a great idea for the economically minded person to master butchering and to make use of these birds. If cooked properly there is no such thing as a tough chicken, only "okay chickens," suitable for fast cooking and "really flavorful birds," which require a long cooking time.
I make something like San Cocho but I add some hot pepper to spice it up. Sometimes I even add some curry. Homemade dumplings take it to a new level.
I rarely sell my old birds. They are treasures for our kitchen!
Bon, as far as chickens go here in Panama almost everyone has them. A couple of weeks ago we were getting free eggs. A hen, we don't know which one, was leaving us an egg every day outside the front door on the ledge of the flower bed.
People here in Panama just let them run around. They don't build a coup for them in other words. If we do build a coup, its just with some scrap materials laying around. There is no need to worry about them freezing in the winter. Some family's don't do anything for them. The birds just fly into a tree outside the house. Rarely do family's feed the birds either. A yard bird here is just that. A bird that runs around the yard. Chickens are always in my yard. I don't even know who owns them. I guess the neighbors know. I am thinking of getting a small cage to use for a couple of chicks. I will just let them run around the yard until night and then put them in the cage so the cats won't kill them. Or, the owls or hawks. We can buy them for a dollar each or less at the hardware store.
What the people here like is to make a soup called SanCocho. Thats a soup made over an open fire in a huge aluminum pot. Its made with yard bird which is real tough. They add culantro and plantain and yammy and yucca and Otoi, and onion and other stuff. Its not authentic if you use tender chicken. You are supposed to use a tough hen, or a gallina. I am not crazy about SanCocho. I bet George knows about this soup. You see folks outside with a huge cooking pot making this and they drink an alcoholic drink called seiko straight and beer and they sit around and watch this soup cook. The chicken never gets tender either no matter how long they cook it.
I have eaten this soup many times and no, its really not that memorable of an experience.
I thought I'd dedicate a thread to this topic, as it is really a great thing to talk about. You see, Old chickens do indeed get tough, and so many people, these days, think they are of little or no value since they are so accustomed to the tender chicken (probably too tender, in my opinion) of store bought chicken, The rural Panamanians, which Glen references above know something that many other cultures know, and that is that tough birds have a place in the kitchen.
When we last lived out on the East Coast I sometimes attended a poultry auction. It was interesting how many ethnic groups were represented among the attendees. Some were there in search of suitable birds for dishes like San Cocho. (Glen, is it spelled this way or how you have it above?)
Any dish that requires really long cooking will benefit from an old bird instead of a soft store bought chicken. Not only does the meat retain more texture, it has more flavor! Old birds are full of flavor which store bought birds (butchered between 4 and 8 weeks of age) don't have time to develope. In fact I believe store bought birds are often injected with additives to improve their insipid flavor. Old birds have no need for that. They have developed lots of flavor.
Out East I saw Asians pay $27 for an old red rooster. They have their beliefs about the benefits of eating certain colored birds, but also, they needed something full of flavor and able to take a prolonged cooking process.
One last comment here: In the USA it is often possible to obtain FREE Chickens, to eat, many of them are old, most are roosters, which is why people are getting rid of them. It a great idea for the economically minded person to master butchering and to make use of these birds. If cooked properly there is no such thing as a tough chicken, only "okay chickens," suitable for fast cooking and "really flavorful birds," which require a long cooking time.
I make something like San Cocho but I add some hot pepper to spice it up. Sometimes I even add some curry. Homemade dumplings take it to a new level.
I rarely sell my old birds. They are treasures for our kitchen!