What Are the Differences Between Muscovy Ducks and Domestic Ducks? A Detailed Guide to Origins, Nutrition and Cooking Methods

Muscovy duck, also known as the fragrant quail goose, musk duck, or red-billed goose, is said to have a breeding history of over 300 years and is a rare famous, special and superior product both at home and abroad. So, what are the differences between Muscovy ducks and domestic ducks? Where do they come from? How do you cook them for nutrition?

1. What are the differences between Muscovy ducks and domestic ducks?

The Muscovy duck is a type of poultry in the Anatidae family that looks like a goose but is not a goose, and looks like a duck but is not a duck. It weighs more than a duck but less than a goose. Its body shape differs from that of domestic ducks: the body is pointed at the front and narrow at the back, forming a long oval shape, with a large head, short neck, and a short, narrow bill; the bill and claws are well developed; the chest is broad and full, and the tail is slender and long, unlike domestic ducks which have a large, fatty rump. There are red or black fleshy wattles at the base of the bill and around the eyes, with the male's being more widely spread. The wing feathers are strong and reach the tail, and the tail feathers are long and tilt slightly upward. Muscovy duck plumage comes in three colors: white, black, and black-and-white patterned, with a few being silver-gray. Different plumage colors are accompanied by some differences in body shape and appearance.

2. Where do Muscovy ducks come from?

Muscovy ducks are mainly produced in Yangxin County of Hubei, the suburbs of Fuzhou, and Longhai and other places, and are distributed in Fuqing, Putian, Jinjiang, Changtai, Longyan, Datian, Pucheng and other cities and counties, with production areas also in some parts of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Anhui. The main production area in northern Fujian is around Gutian County, where black Muscovy ducks are raised; the male ducks are sold and transported to various parts of eastern and northern Fujian in the province for use in producing “half-breed” ducks.

3. How do you cook Muscovy duck for nutrition?

(1) Taro with Muscovy Duck

Main ingredient: 1500 g Muscovy duck

Secondary ingredients: 500 g taro, 100 g green garlic

Seasonings: 25 g lard (rendered), 15 g cooking wine, 10 g salt, 15 g soy sauce, 2 g monosodium glutamate, 35 g doubanjiang, 10 g garlic (white-skinned), 10 g starch (corn), 2 g Sichuan peppercorns

Method:

1. Remove the head, neck, wingtips and feet of the Muscovy duck, take out the large bones, and chop into strips;

2. Cut the taro into strips and blanch twice in boiling water;

3. Place a wok over high heat, add the rendered lard and heat until it is 70% hot, then add the duck strips and stir-fry until light yellow, then remove;

4. Wash the wok clean, add meat broth and bring to a boil, then remove the Sichuan peppercorns and doubanjiang residue;

5. Add the duck strips, taro strips, ginger, garlic, Shaoxing wine, salt and soy sauce and simmer until the sauce is thick and the duck is tender;

6. When the taro has absorbed the flavor, add the green garlic sprouts and monosodium glutamate;

7. Finally, thicken with warm starch to make a thin glaze and remove from the heat.

(2) Red Mushroom Stewed with Muscovy Duck

Ingredients: half an old Muscovy duck, 30 g red mushrooms, a small piece of ginger, a small handful of goji berries, an appropriate amount of salt, 2-3 drops of vinegar

Method:

1. Take half an old Muscovy duck, wash it, and place the leg and wing portions in a stainless steel basin (this basin should fit exactly inside a pressure cooker). Add three small bowls of water, not full, because the duck above will release broth later. Add a small handful of salt.

2. Add the soaked red mushrooms to the duck meat from step 1. Do you see the buds of these small red mushrooms? The gills at the bottom are slightly blue, and the center of the cap is a deeper red; when washing them, the water turns a deep purplish red.

3. Add a small handful of goji berries to step 1 as well.

4. Put some water in the pressure cooker, place a steaming rack, with the water level just covering it, then put the basin from step 1 on the steaming rack, hang another steaming rack above it and secure it with copper wire; this is also something summarized from practice.

5. Chop the remaining back meat and neck very finely, place on the upper steaming layer, add some ginger slices, and press down firmly.

6. After the pressure cooker comes up to pressure, turn to the lowest heat and simmer slowly for 2-3 hours, so that the broth from the meat in the upper layer is completely released.

7. The resulting broth has a very good color, nice and red, because red mushrooms and goji berries were added. Skim off the oil on top.

8. This is the broth color after skimming off the oil. Look, there are hardly any oil droplets left.