So this year I’m making my first ever Christmas Goose. Above is a before picture. I will then put it through the paces using a combination of recipes from Jacques Pepin, Julia Child and this recipe from Bonny Wolf of NPR which Brian sent me yesterday. This one is particularly interesting because of the information it provides on the delights of goose fat and the history of the goose on the American table.
This got me digging around to figure out exactly what has made the goose such an Icon of the European and to a lesser degree the American holiday table. Here’s a brief look at the mythological significance of the goose in ancient cultures:
“Feasting on geese has long been a tradition in the Old World, as is clear from ancient mythology. The prevalence of goose gods in numerous cultures attests to the ritual importance of geese and to the fact that these rituals date back to antiquity…The goose feast that came to characterize holiday celebrations in later times arise as a modern-day derivative of these ancient rites and sacrifices. People in Europe, Central Asia, North America, and North Africa customarily sacrified geese, particularly at the turn of the seasons. Like other migratory fowl, geese appeared and diappeared at crucial times in the yearly cycle, so eating them customairly accompanied ceremonial events in the solar and agricultural year. People have linked geese to the changing seasons for so long that originally the goose served as a sacrifice to the spirit of vegetation, in thanks for the harvest. After the goose was ceremonially killed, participants in the sacrifice feasted on its flesh in a ritual that they believed would ensure the regeneration of the Earth…Goose was served at the Celtic Samhain, or Halloween; the Germanic Yule, originally the first day of the new year; and Michaelmas, the ritual feast of the winter solstice. The Michaelmas feast is probably the most famous goose feast, apart from that at Christmas dinner…Turkeys, native to the New World, were more plentiful than geese during the period of early settlement. American settlers served turkey at Thanksgiving, making it the seasonal feast bird. In much of the Western world today, turkeys have replaced geese also at the Christmas feast; but for all practical purposes, these two birds share the same symbolism. Just as the people of the Old World connected geese to the sun, some of the North American tribes connected turkeys to the sun.”
—Nectar and Ambrosia: An Encyclopedia of Food in World Mythology, Tamra Andrews [ABC-CLIO:Santa Barbara CA] 2000 (p. 105-6) You can find more history on this site should you desire it.
As far as beer pairing is concerned with goose it seems that dark rich beers are generally favored. According to this pairing chart Porters, Doppelbocks and Trappist beers all work well. I think I’ll likely pick up a Teufel Bock from Atwater Brewery out of Detroit. Had one of these a couple of months ago at a local joint, Jak’s tap in the west loop, and found it quite delightful. I’ll probably add a Trappist as well, possibly Chimay as it’s a popular beer which I rarely drink and am interested in trying again. That, however, is a decision that remains to be made.
I will also be composing a song and a prayer to the goose. I’ll let ya know how that works out. I leave you with what will hopefully be an after picture.
Merry Michealmas!!!