INTRODUCTION
Poultry and Game have been enjoyed by man from the dawn of time. In country places the humblest home has always considered the chicken to be an essential part of living, and the rich and important have, down the ages, included fowl and game in the finest banquets. In modern times, the movement of large numbers of people to the cities has resulted in Country Fare, especially of a perishable nature, being denied to the majority of these people, and it is only with the general use of refrigeration and the mass production of poultry products that these wonderful sources of protein are readily available to everyone. Ease of transport has also helped and now many delicious ingredients are offered to anyone who wishes to, make use of the many recipes which come from the four corners of the world.
This part of the world is doubly blessed with an abundance of both domestic and wild fowl and game, all very cheap in comparison with other more traditional meats both here and in other countries. Gone are the days when Chicken and Duck were luxuries beyond the means of ordinary folk. Chicken and the Domestic Rabbit are, with out doubt, the cheapest of all meats, and though Duck is more difficult to produce its price compares very favourably with any other meat, and is now being produced in abundance. Goose and Turkey are, because of their size, reserved for high days and holidays, but are generally available throughout the year, and can probably be bought cheaper out of season and stored by anyone with a deep freeze.
“A BIRD IN THE HAND” has hatched out after forty years of living in the Rhodesian countryside. lt is essentially a collection of recipes suitable for the ordinary family who wish to enjoy plenty of Poultry and Game. The desire to experiment with different dishes has come, partly from the necessity to eat large quantities of poultry, and partly with the intention of publicising our Poultry business.
The 100 recipes in this book have all been tested and tasted by our large family, and I am most grateful to them all for their kindly criticism. All ingredients are readily available in Rhodesia, and methods and suggested quantities have been kept to the simplest terms.
The book is designed to stand up on the kitchen table, and I hope the coloured pages will make the sections easy to follow.
Rosemary Gurney designed the cover and the delightful section headings, for which I am most grateful.
I trust you will all enjoy reading and using the recipes, and will, from now on have better and better eating.
TIME AND TEMPERATURE TABLE FOR POULTRY
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Publication of this page has been brought forward following a request from Barbara, a reader from San Diego.