Birds in Spain

A young bird turned up my doorstep recently. No, not that kind. The one pictured here. It has feathers, sung beautifully and gave the appearance of being a chicken. My mind turned to recipes, but first i had to identify the creature. You see, in Spain, birds are all around us. There are so many varieties and they often turn up on restaurant menus. But which ones to keep, and which ones to eat?

Shopping for birds in Spanish markets and supermarkets can be an eye opener. The head and the feet remain attached and the innards are there for you to do with what you wish. If you want to take the giblets out you are going to require a strong stomach and get your hands dirty. Supermarket chickens in Spain are, in my opinion, every bit as tasteless as those sold in their UK counterparts. But you can solve that yourself. Stick in a lemon up its rear end, fresh thyme and seasoning inside it and, faster than you can cluck, you have a tasty meal. I always eat it with nice Bomba rice.

Ducks are reared comercially in Spain for foie-gras. The Spanish that can afford it, love foie-gras. Duck ham is popular and ducks legs are cooked in their own fat to make confit. Ducks can be served with fresh figs or membrillo (quince). You'll find perdiz (partridge) and cordornices (quails) on the supermarket shelves. As with so many meats in Spain, very little of the animal goes to waste.

Be warned, you might require a strong stomach to witness some of the items packaged for sale at the poultry counter. As for my bird, it turns out she is a he. A Barred Rock cockerel apparently. So no eggs coming my way. Therefore, it will be handed over to an experienced keeper of chickens later this week. He'll be fattened up on corn and leftovers in time for Christmas or, perhaps, a later Spanish fiesta. I shall have to make do with a free range chicken and a favourite recipe. Chicken with garlic and sherry. A recipe for which will form my next entry.