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Goose meat is dark and fatty, though not as fatty as duck. A Goose can be up to 18 pounds (8 kg) big. But as there is a lot of fat on Geese which will melt off, you have to allow more poundage per person than you would for other poultry: about 1 1/4 pounds (575 g) per person.

Wild Goose is tougher than domestic Goose, and has a gamey flavour.

Goose is almost always sold whole, and only rarely in cut-up pieces.

Most geese in Europe are domesticated from the species called "Anser cinereus." Geese in Asia are domesticated from "Anser cygnoides." The two can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

There are three main breeds of geese: grey (Toulouse), white (Embden), and dark-feathered back (saddleback.)

Geese can still breed even when old.

Geese are more vegetable eaters than ducks are, which are more omnivorous.

Goslings

Young Geese are called "goslings"; they are more tender and consequently more expensive.

Cooking Tips
Remove any fat that is visible in the cavity. Remove the first two joints of the wing, as they contain very little meat, and will just burn (you can boil them to make a stock for gravy). Prick the surface of the skin (just the surface, not the meat) with a sharp knife all over to allow fat to escape.

Ideally, Goose should be cooked on a wire or roasting rack put inside a roasting tin, to allow the fat to drain.

The Goose will not need basting to brown it; it has enough fat in it to baste itself. Drain fat every half hour from the pan if you don't have it on a rack, or if you are, whenever the rising tide starts to touch the goose.

High-fat meats like Goose are generally cooked at a high temperature. Cook for 15 minutes per pound (450g), plus 30 minutes. For the first 30 minutes, roast at 425 F / 220 C, then lower the temperature to 350 F / 175 C for the remainder of the cooking time.

Don't dress a goose with a stuffing; the stuffing will absorb too much fat (though some people do anyway and don't mind it.)

# of people served	Weight	Cooking time (hrs)
6 to 8	10 pounds (4.5 kg)	3
8 to 10	12 pounds (5.5 kg)	3 1/2
10 to 12	14 pounds (6.5 kg)	4

When you are removing a Goose from the roasting pan, tilt the open cavity / leg end downwards to allow any excess fat to run out. Let rest 20 to 30 minutes, covered, before carving.

Substitutes
Dark meat from turkey or chicken

Nutrition
Consider turkey instead if you need to be mindful of your animal fat intake.

History
Domestic geese are descended from wild geese. Geese have been domesticated in Europe since at least Roman times.

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire have long been "Goose" centres in England. Nottingham has held a Goose Fair every October since the 1200s. After the fair, the Geese were herded down to London, so that they could fatten along the way on grain left in the fields after the harvest.

Literature & Lore
"The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest amount of feathers with the least possible amount of hissing."
-- Jean Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683, Contrôleur général under Louix XIV).

"Goose, if I had you upon Sarum plain, I'd drive ye cackling home to Camelot." -- William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616. King Lear. Act II, Scene 2.)

Also called:

Other entries for: Goose

Goose

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Poultry
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