photo: U.S. Roast Duck
Duck has been a popular choice of meat in Asia since the Chinese domesticated it thousands of years ago. Duck meat is a popular choice amongst many as a source of healthy protein and fats. Duck also contains an abundance of iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper and more1.
Apart from duck meat, duck fat is also utilized by many. There are an increasing number of foodies and restaurants who switched to duck fat as it is considered a healthy alternative to using beef fat, pork fat or even butter to fry food. In comparison to beef fat, duck fat has 17% less saturated fat.
Duck contains more iron per serving than any other meat, including many cuts of beef. However, duck meat contains more cholesterol than beef. Even so, consumers can maintain an adequate intake of nutrients by adjusting their food intake to avoid excessive fats, cholesterol or calories.
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Nutrient content of 100 gram edible portions of various parts of duck (domesticated, meat only, raw) and beef (cured, corned beef, brisket, raw) |
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Nutrient |
Unit |
Duck |
Beef |
|
Energy |
kcal |
135 |
198 |
|
Protein |
g |
18.28 |
14.68 |
|
Fat |
g |
5.95 |
14.90 |
|
Carbohydrates |
g |
0.94 |
0.14 |
|
Calcium |
mg |
11 |
7 |
|
Iron |
mg |
2.4 |
1.69 |
|
Magnesium |
mg |
19 |
14 |
|
Sodium |
mg |
74 |
1217 |
|
Zinc |
mg |
1.90 |
2.85 |
|
Potassium |
mg |
271 |
297 |
|
Phosphorous |
mg |
203 |
117 |
|
Cholesterol |
mg |
77 |
54 |
Source: U.S Department of Agriculture
Duck is used in a variety of dishes around the world. A few common dishes in restaurants are, Roast Peking Duck, duck confit and duck risotto. Duck confit and duck risotto originate from the West but they are very popular in Asia. Roast Peking Duck is a famous Chinese dish from Beijing, and it is prized for its thin and crispy crust. It is often a must-have dish during celebrations.
Apart from duck meat and fat, their eggs are also included in many recipes. The salted duck egg is an extremely popular example. It is a Chinese preserved product which is made by soaking duck eggs in brine, or packing each egg in salted charcoal.
Salted duck eggs are usually boiled or steamed and go well with porridge. The egg white is salty and the orange egg yolk is rich and fatty. The salted duck egg yolk has several uses. It is included in rice dumplings and Chinese mooncakes to symbolize the full moon. It is also used to make the sauce forzichar dishes (wok-fried Chinese dishes) like pork-ribs and crabs.
In Singapore, more and more restaurants are incorporating salted duck eggs into their dishes. The result is an array of intriguing dishes such as salted egg ice cream, salted egg custard lava cake, charcoal waffles drizzled with salted egg yolk sauce and seafood pizza slathered with salted egg mayonnaise. Some of the places to find these dishes include Five & Dime, Fatcat Ice Cream Bar, Sin Lee Food and more.
Some restaurants have started introducing salted egg-infused dishes as a mystery item on the menu! These have become permanent menu items as more orders and positive feedbacks were received.
Due to the surging popularity of salted duck egg-infused dishes, egg suppliers have noted that there is a growing demand for salted duck eggs from eateries. In the past, orders for salted duck eggs only surged during the festive month of May (rice dumplings) and August (moon cakes). Sales of salted duck eggs are now consistent all year-round.