Domestic goose 2736310 214459368 2008-05-23T17:32:48Z Ekki01 2191967 /* Geese in cooking */ Link [[Image:Domesticated greylag goose in skagen denmark 6th of may 2006.jpg|thumb|250px|A Danish domesticated Greylag Goose in its pen]] [[Image:Anser cygnoides.jpg|thumb|250px|A domesticated Chinese goose's head, showing its characteristic bill knob]] '''Domestic geese''' are domesticated [[Grey geese]] (either [[Greylag geese]] or [[Swan geese]]) kept as [[poultry]] for their meat, eggs, and [[down feathers]] since ancient times. ==Origins and characteristics== In [[Europe]], north [[Africa]], and western [[Asia]], the original domesticated geese are derived from the [[Greylag Goose]] ''Anser anser''. In eastern Asia, the original domesticated geese are derived from the [[Swan Goose]] ''Anser cygnoides''; these are now known as '''Chinese geese'''. Both have been widely introduced in more recent times, and modern flocks in both areas (and elsewhere, such as [[Australia]] and [[North America]]) may consist of either species, and/or [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrids]] between them. Chinese geese may be readily distinguished from European geese by the large knob at the base of the bill, though hybrids may exhibit every degree of variation between them.<ref name=faob>Buckland, R., & Guy, G. (2002). ''Goose Production''. Chapter 1: [http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/Y4359E/y4359e03.htm Origins and Breeds of Domestic Geese]. FAO Agriculture Department.</ref> The [[domestication]], as [[Charles Darwin]] remarks (''Animals and Plants under Domestication,'' i. 287), is of very ancient date, with archaeological evidence for domesticated geese in [[Egypt]] 5,000 years ago.<ref name=fao>Hugo, S. (undated). [http://www.fao.org/docrep/V6200T/v6200T0n.htm Geese: the underestimated species]. FAO Agriculture Department.</ref> They have been selected for much larger size, with domesticated breeds weighing up to 10 kg,<ref name=fao/> compared to the maximum of 3.5 kg for wild Swan Goose and 4.1 kg for wild Greylag Goose.<ref name=hbw>del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J., eds. ''[[Handbook of Birds of the World]]'' Vol. 1: 581. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-10-5</ref> This affects their body structure; whereas wild geese have a horizontal posture and slim rear end, domesticated geese lay down large fat deposits toward the tail end, giving a fat rear and forcing the bird into a more upright posture. This also completely prevents flight, though geese will run and flap their wings when startled, and may get a foot or so in the air momentarily. {| class="wikitable" style="float left" |- | [[Image:Anser cygnoides-Beijing.jpg|150px]] | [[Image:Anser cygnoides (fl).jpg|150px]] |- | Wild goose structure: <br>horizontal posture <br>and slim rear end | Farm goose structure: <br>upright posture <br>and fat rear end |} [[Image:Boise 5 bg 042603.jpg|thumb|right|Gosling]] They have also been strongly selected for fecundity, with females laying up to 160 [[egg (biology)|eggs]] per year, compared to 5–12 eggs for a wild goose.<ref name=fao/><ref name=hbw/> Changes to the plumage are variable; many have been selected to lose dark brown tones of the wild bird. The result is an animal marked, or completely covered in white feathers. Others retain plumage close to the natural; some, such as the modern [[Toulouse Geese|Toulouse goose]] looks almost identical to the Greylag in plumage, differing only in structure. White geese are often preferred as they look better plucked and dressed, with any small down feathers remaining being less conspicuous. From the time of the Romans, white geese have been held in great esteem. The most recognized breeds of domestic geese are those with the distinctive names of [[Embden Geese|Embden]] and [[Toulouse Geese|Toulouse]], but a singular breed, said to have come from [[Sevastopol]], called the [[Sebastopol Goose]], was introduced into western Europe in 1856. In this breed, the upper plumage is elongated, curled and spirally twisted. Their shaft is transparent and so thin that it often splits into fine filaments, which, remaining free for 2-3 cm, often coalesce again; while the quills are aborted, so that the birds cannot fly. Geese have proved remarkably resistant to intensive rearing methods, and they remain to be an expensive luxury compared to other poultry like the [[chicken]] and [[domesticated turkey]]. Geese produce large edible eggs, weighing 120-170 g.<ref name=fao/> They can be used in cooking just like chicken's eggs, though they have proportionally more yolk, and this cooks to a slightly denser consistency. The taste is much the same as that of a chicken egg. ==Geese in cooking== [[Image:Goose img 5053.jpg|thumb|Roasted goose]] A goose can be [[roasting|roasted]] as a whole bird, but its size tends to preclude this except for banquets and other festive meals (such as at [[Christmas]]). Goosemeat contains much more fat than [[Domesticated turkey|turkeys]] or [[chicken]]s - at least 500 ml (around one pint) of fat may be rendered from an average-sized goose during cooking. One litre is not unusual for larger birds. The [[Cantonese cuisine|Cantonese]] barbecue features [[roast goose]] over a charcoal spit with a "tuned" crispy skin. Most of the fat is concentrated in the skin, and the meat itself is very lean, rather like [[duck]]. It is easy to overcook the breast and undercook the leg if roasting whole. Separate treatment for breast and leg is therefore often necessary to achieve a consistently cooked bird. Some argue that the breast meat of goose need not be cooked as thoroughly as that of chicken, since it has not endured the cramped living conditions of factory chickens. Goose [[fat]] is often separated and stored for use on its own. It can be used as a substitute for [[butter]], although the flavour can be slightly "gamey". Potatoes cooked in this fat are highly regarded by some. The fat keeps well in the refrigerator. Goose [[schmaltz]] is very popular in [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] [[Jewish cuisine]], and the overfeeding of geese to produce this schmaltz is widely considered to be the origin of ''[[foie gras]]'' in modern Europe. [[Roast goose]] is a traditional Christmas food in Scandinavia, Germany, Ireland and the UK. Goose can also be prepared as [[confit]], and the fat used to preserve the meat. Geese are also used in the production of ''[[foie gras]]''. ==Hybridation== Chinese and domesticated greylag geese can and do interbreed in locations where they live together, such as a public park. The resulting offspring usually have a slight or no bump on the beak, and the chinese goose's coloration. Feral geese often interbreed with canada geese, resulting in offspring that resemble both parents, but, unlike the domesticated goose, can usually fly. An example of an area where domesticated and canada goose hybrids exist is Lake George in Hobart, Indiana ==Geese in fiction and myth== [[Image:Domestic goose.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Domesticated [[Embden Geese|goose]]]] When Aphrodite first came ashore she was welcomed by the [[Charites]] (Roman "Graces"), whose chariot was drawn by geese. There are [[Mother Goose]] tales, such as a farmwife might have told; there is the proverbial goose that laid the golden eggs, warning about the perils of greed. And there is the goose as a veiled reference to the [[penis]] in the verses :''Goosy Goosy Gander, where dost thou wander?'' :''Upstairs, downstairs, in my lady's chamber.'' The geese in the temple of Juno on the [[Capitoline Hill]] were said by [[Livy]] to have saved [[Rome]] from the [[Gaul]]s around [[390 BC]] when they were disturbed in a night attack. The story may be an attempt to explain the origin of the sacred flock of geese at Rome. There is a tale of [[Trickster]] and the geese in the North American Trickster cycle [http://hotcakencyclopedia.com/ho.Trickster&Geese.html]. Liliane Bodson and Daniel Marcolungo, ''L'oie de bon aloi: Aspects de l'histoire ancienne de l'oie domestique'' [The goose in ancient life and folklore]. Vise (Musée Regional d'Archeologie et d'Histoire de Vise), 1994, discusses the image and lore of domestic geese in classical antiquity, with a separate chapter on the goose in folklore. One of [[Aesop's Fables]] relates the story of ''[[The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs]]'', the phrase itself passing into the language. ==See also== *[[List of goose breeds]] *[[American Poultry Association]] *[[Angel Wing]] - A disease common in geese. ==References==<!-- Zootaxa 1131: 49–58 --> {{reflist}} [[Category:Domesticated birds]] [[Category:Geese]] [[Category:Poultry]] [[be:Гусь свойская]] [[be-x-old:Гусь свойская]] [[de:Hausgans]] [[ko:거위]] [[hu:Házilúd]] [[ja:ガチョウ]] [[pl:Gęś domowa]] [[sv:Tamgås]]