How to properly prepare Pigeons – Grandmother’s easy way

Pigeons should be very young to be eaten and have few kilometers flown. A young domestic pigeon is typically less than four weeks old or reaches its slaughter weight after 28 days. Incidentally, pigeons are mainly fed with cereals such as wheat, millet and corn. The meat is very lean, easily digestible and rich in vitamins and minerals. Pigeons are ideal for roasting and for preparing delicious soups and stews.

There is little information about traditional recipes using pigeon, but there is plenty of evidence that the recipes have been passed down from generation to generation. So also that which simple recipe we cook today. In 1607, a recipe book from a monastery suggested cooking squabs with pork fat and bitter lime. If you like, you are welcome to try it.

The practice of domesticating pigeons may have originated in North Africa. Historically, pigeons have been consumed in many civilizations, including ancient Egypt (still common in modern Egypt), Rome, and medieval Europe. Although squabs have been eaten throughout much of history, they are still generally considered exotic rather than a contemporary staple.

Table of contents:

• Roasted pigeons on homemade noodles
• What are Etouffée Pigeons
• How does a Pigeon taste?
• The Story of the Pigeon
• Now it's your turn, your support is needed

Roasted pigeons on homemade noodles

You should have the following at home:

4 pigeons
2-3 carrots
2 onions
4-6 bay leaves
peppercorns
1/2 tsp salt

for the noodles:

400 g flour
4 eggs

It is prepared as follows:

Wash the pigeons, pat them dry and place them in a sufficiently large pot. Add diced carrots, quartered onions, bay leaves, salt and whole peppercorns. Cook the whole thing covered with water for about 80 minutes on a medium level.

In the meantime, you can make the noodles yourself. Take one egg for every 100g of flour. As a rule, 400 g of flour is sufficient for 4 people.

Mix the flour and eggs into a dough. Now knead the dough for a good 8 minutes. Form a round ball, cover with a bowl and let the dough rest for a good hour. Then roll out the dough thinly, cut the sheets into 5 mm wide strips. The cooking time is only about 2-3 minutes in plenty of salted water.

Take the pigeons out of the pot after the cooking time and let them drain for about 5 minutes and cut in half with poultry shears. Put some butter in a sufficiently large pan, add the pigeons and fry them for about 3-5 minutes. If possible, serve the pigeons in the pan and, if necessary, sprinkle with finely chopped parsley, salt and pepper.

Now arrange the plates with the homemade pasta and each with one to 2 ladles of the pigeon broth, place the pigeon on top and sprinkle with chopped parsley – done. Bon Appetit. As a side dish, I once tried brussels sprouts – it works quite well.

In short – in a good 2 hours you will have fried pigeons with homemade noodles on your table.

What are Etouffée Pigeons

Etouffée pigeons are not slaughtered in the classic way, but by strangulation. However, this type of slaughter is not permitted in Germany. With this type of slaughter, the blood stays longer in the pigeon’s body and spoilage occurs more quickly. Due to the blood remaining in the body, the meat of the Etouffée pigeons is even more tender, tastier and a little darker. In France, however, this type of slaughter is common and imports from France are also permitted for export to Germany.

How does a Pigeon taste?

Pigeons, also called pigeons, belong to the so-called wild fowl such as partridges, quail or pheasants. Pigeon meat has a slightly reddish color and is very tender in young pigeons that are not older than 4 weeks. Their aroma is quite strong and the taste is reminiscent of game.

The Story of the Pigeon

Pigeons have a long and interesting history dating back to ancient times. They were used as carrier pigeons, messengers, food and even weapons of war.

The domestication of pigeons began more than 5,000 years ago in Egypt, where they were revered as sacred animals. The Egyptians also used pigeons as carrier pigeons to carry messages over long distances.

In ancient Greece, doves were known as doves of love and peace. They were often associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The Romans valued pigeons as food and also used them as carrier pigeons.

In the Middle Ages, pigeons were very popular with nobles. They were bred to have particularly beautiful colors and patterns. Pigeons were also used as messengers to carry messages between castles and fortresses.

During World War I, pigeons were used by various armies as carrier pigeons to carry messages from the front lines. However, in the second half of the 20th century, pigeons were increasingly replaced by more modern communication technologies such as the telephone and the Internet.

Today, pigeons are widespread around the world and are often kept as pets. Pigeons continue to be used in research to study human diseases as their anatomy and physiology are similar to humans.

Now it's your turn, your support is needed.