A goose is a large bird that lives in both domesticated and wild forms. The birds are raised for their meat, eggs, fat and feathers. (They may sometimes also be kept as “guard geese”, as they can be quite belligerent at times.) Goose meat is dark and fatty, though not as fatty as duck. A…
Goose
Goose Fat
Goose Fat, or as some cooks say, “that old white magic”, is a cooking fat rendered from the flesh of geese. Many people swear by the taste for cooking things in. There are two types of goose fat: brown and blonde. Brown fat is the fat that you get while roasting a goose; it renders…
Martinmas
Martinmas, on the 11th of November, was traditionally the day on which pigs and geese were slaughtered. Roast goose is traditional on this day.
Michaelmas Day
The 29th of September is the feast of St Michael the archangel, who, among other things, is the patron saint of grocers. The feast day was known as Michaelmas. Goose is traditional.
Nottingham Goose Fair
The Goose Fair is held in Nottingham, England, every year in October. It’s opened by the mayor of Nottingham who gets to ring silver bells to mark the opening, and lasts for 3 days.
Roast Goose
The trick to roasting a goose is dealing with the incredible amount of fat that will render off it. But do as the French do — see that as a blessing. Put the fat in a bottle and pop it in a fridge for future cooking use. This is a very basic roasting technique for…
Schmaltz
Schmaltz is rendered chicken or goose fat. Schmaltz from goose fat is considered the best, but from chicken fat is more common. Both geese and chickens were expensive; you wouldn’t waste any part of them. Some people make Schmaltz from fat they have skimmed off their chicken soups, saving it up until there is enough…