The hazel grouse is a small bird, weighing no more than a pound. And once he was the “thunderstorm” of the entire taiga – the largest representative of chickens. At least, such a legend was preserved among the Evenkians.
Legendary hazel grouse
Once upon a time, in the vastness of the taiga, there was a huge bird that instills fear in all living creatures. When it took off, trees fell, and the animals hid in horror. Once, when the god circled the taiga, he heard a terrible roar and saw the animals trembling with fear. “What’s the matter?” – asked God. And the inhabitants of the taiga told him about the giant hazel grouse. God called a huge bird to him. Grouse made excuses that he himself would be glad not to harm other inhabitants of the taiga, but he could not because of his large size. And God suggested that the white meat of the hazel grouse be divided equally among all representatives of the chicken family, and the rest will remain for the hazel grouse. And so they did. All the birds received their meat from the taiga giant, and as a result, he himself was left with nothing. But he was not upset and resigned himself to his fate – to be the smallest representative of the Galliformes detachment and today only occasionally frightens the inhabitants of the taiga, when, taking off, he noisily takes off from the ground.
Biological characteristics
The hazel grouse is a small representative of the black grouse family: it weighs from 300 to 500 g, and does not grow more than 40 cm. These birds are easy to recognize by their specific variegated plumage color, which, in fact, was the reason for the Russian name – hazel grouse. If you look closely at the plumage, you can see a variety of colors: red, black, gray, white, brown and even red around the eyes. By the way, the patterns on the plumage of different hazel grouses may be different. They depend on the habitat of wild birds, for which it is important to skillfully camouflage themselves for survival. Females and males are very similar to each other, but the latter have more red color above the eyes, there is a crest on the head, and a rich black spot is clearly visible above the beak.
Ornithologists counted 14 species of hazel grouse, but hunting is allowed only for representatives of one of them – Bonasa bonasia, that is, common hazel grouse. By the way, hunting for these birds is allowed only at certain times – in spring and autumn.
Grouse are sedentary birds that never leave their native places. Their homes are nests hidden in grass or mosses, in which birds live in pairs. Today they are found almost throughout Eurasia in dense coniferous forests, as well as among aspens, birches, alders. The meat of this game is loved by the French and Belgians. Since ancient times, the inhabitants of Altai, Sakhalin, the Urals, Kolyma, the Japanese island of Hokkaido and Korea hunted for hazel grouses. Actually, this delicacy is found in the cuisines of all countries where birds are common.
The nutritional value
The uniqueness of hazel grouse meat is that it contains almost equal proportions of proteins (18,5 g) and fats (19,5 g), but not so many calories (there are only 100 kcal in 250 grams). In addition to essential nutrients, this food is rich in B vitamins and vitamin A, phosphorus, zinc, iron, and also contains small reserves of magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium.
Grouse meat is very nutritious. This product is a very good source of protein (100 g contains almost half the daily value of proteins), which means amino acids important for humans. The meat of this bird is easily assimilated by the human digestive system. And if scientists still have questions about red types of meat, and there are many people in the world who refuse to use just such a product, then with poultry fillets everything is different. Grouse meat, like other birds, can be called a dietary product, especially if you remove excess fats from it.
Use in cooking
If you remember that hazel grouses are found mainly in ecologically clean forests, it becomes clear why their meat is called the most useful alternative to chicken. Fillet of hazel grouse differs significantly from the meat of most other game birds. It is not at all tough, but on the contrary, very tender, outwardly reminiscent of a white-pink chicken fillet. But in order to preserve the delicate properties of this meat, culinary experts advise pouring it with milk and bringing it to a boil. And only then proceed to the preparation of the desired dish.
There are a huge number of recipes for this miniature bird. And they are all different, like the national cuisines in which they are found. The French, for example, love to cook hazel grouse fillets with mushrooms, which are then served in tartlets. Residents of the taiga, especially hunters, as a rule, bake fresh bird meat on a spit or prepare soups from it. Many ancient recipes for the preparation of the carcass of this bird have been preserved. And in many of them it is advised to cook hazel grouse in clay pots.
The advantage of this meat is that it cooks very quickly. As a rule, the fillet is ready to eat after only 20 minutes of heat treatment. To check readiness, it is enough to pierce it with a thick needle or a toothpick (it should easily enter the meat).
The carcass can be cooked whole, in particular stuffed, fillet pieces can be added to the soup (especially a winning combination with mushroom soup), a delicious stew is obtained from the necks and wings. Grouse goes well with vegetables and mushrooms (especially chanterelles). Pineapples and kiwi can be used as a more interesting side dish for cooked birds. And slices of the finished fillet can be added to salads, instead of other types of meat. By the way, the beloved by many salad Olivier in the original recipe is prepared with hazel grouse meat. If you wrap pieces of raw meat with slices of bacon and fry or bake, you get an original and tasty dish. But cooks categorically do not advise marinating bird carcasses – the meat will lose its zest.
Grouse carcasses are suitable for cooking, baking, frying and stewing. And a variety of sauces are suitable for ready-made poultry, although, according to many gourmets, there is nothing tastier than hazel grouse with wild berry sauce (especially a winning combination – with lingonberries).
To make the cooked meat really tasty, you should know some cooking secrets. For example, so that the baked carcass does not turn out to be very dry, it must be cooked at a high temperature. And do not worry that the delicacy will burn. Remember: the hazel grouse carcass is quite small and cooks very quickly, so it won’t have time to burn. It is also better to fry the poultry over high heat, in a well-heated frying pan. And to get a delicious crispy crust, do not cover the pan during cooking.
Cooking options
Baked poultry carcass is one of the most popular and delicious recipes from hazel grouse. Dry the previously gutted and washed carcass a little (you can use paper towels), rub with a mixture of salt, pepper and your favorite spices. Put a few slices of bacon, bell peppers, tomato slices, onions, herbs or other set of vegetables to taste in the carcass. Bake over high heat for 20-25 minutes.
Another popular option is fried hazel grouses. For this dish, they also take carcasses prepared and grated with spices, but they do not put the bacon inside, but wrap it around the body of the bird (you can fix it with toothpicks). In this form, hazel grouses are fried on all sides in a pan.
But, it is worth saying that these recipes are very high in calories. To make the finished dish more dietary, you do not need to add bacon, and bake the poultry carcass on a wire rack so that excess fat does not linger in the meat. True, in this case, you should be prepared for the fact that ready-made hazel grouses will turn out to be not so juicy.
But French chefs offer us an exquisite and more dietary option for cooking poultry – hazel grouse in wine with pineapples. To do this, put on a baking sheet a layer of diced pineapples, on top – pre-fried carcasses, sprinkle with spices and pour white wine. This dish is baked for no longer than 20 minutes. Before serving, the carcasses can be sprinkled with a little pineapple juice.
Another tasty but dietary dish is baked hazel grouse with lingonberries. To do this, the prepared carcass should be filled with fresh lingonberries (you can mix the berries with a small amount of sugar) and butter. The carcass is baked until golden brown.
Some cooks cook meatballs from hazel grouse. To do this, the meat is separated from the bones, then it is ground, spices and a loaf soaked in milk are added. The formed meatballs are lightly fried, folded into a heat-resistant form, a little butter and broth are added. Cook on small for no longer than 15 minutes.
Can hazel grouse be dangerous?
As already mentioned, hazel grouse meat is one of the safest. But there are still some caveats. Firstly, like the meat of any other game, it is important to thoroughly heat the hazel grouse fillet before use. Since forest birds are more than domesticated, they tend to be carriers of parasites.
The second danger is a stale product. The meat spoils pretty quickly. Therefore, raw hazel grouses cannot be kept warm for a long time, especially not gutted ones. Peeled carcasses must be cooked or frozen immediately.
The hazel grouse carcass is a welcome trophy not only for hunters, but also for chefs. Cooking this small bird is a pleasure, not to mention how gourmets enjoy its tender meat. Generally, game meat is not easy to cook to produce a tasty dish without the characteristic game smell. But hazel grouse in this regard is a pleasant exception. And in addition, dishes made from it are not only delicious delicacies, but also a useful source of vitamins, minerals and, most importantly, protein, the main “building material” for the human body.
