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Cooking: PartridgesThese delicate birds, now farm-raised in the United States for their moist white meat have their roots in Asia, Europe and Northern Africa. References in ancient Roman and Greek history books are numerous. There is an interesting story, or actually a Greek myth, about a boy being thrown from the top of Athene's temple by his angry uncle Daedalus. Athene, acting as any righteous God would, turned the boy into a partridge as he plummeted to his death and he flew away safely. There is a sanctuary honoring the partridge beside Athene's temple on the Acropolis. This is where the story gets interesting...One of Athene's names was Onke, which means "pear tree". Coincidence? I think not!
Fortunately for us Americans, The Europeans were proud of their bird and brought them over from the continent to inhabit North America. They weren't very successful at first, but obviously they persevered. There is another story about a European ruler that sent President George Washington six live pheasants and one partridge. The partridge didn't survive the trip and to this day no one knows why only one bird was sent instead of a mating pair. It has been hinted though that the captain of the ship was partial to the delicate birds. Anyway...
Today, the Chukar Partridge is farm-raised on a natural, wholesome diet for hunting reserves and for consumption. The breast meat is white and has an almost nutty piney taste, while the legs are slightly darker and still tender. They are not extremely prolific and are in high demand, especially in the fall, which is when they mature. The partridge is in the quail and pheasant families and similar cooking methods apply. Care must be taken not to overcook the meat. A little underdone is better than a little overdone. Many professional chefs prefer to split them and grill them quickly over a hot grill, while the more traditional method is whole roasted. I think you will agree that they deserve a place on your table for the holidays or for that matter any special occasion.
Source David Nelson
