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Original poster

Why don't we eat pigeon?

142 replies

booksandnooks · 20/04/2021 14:35

I just read a thread on a different forum about q guy who caught a restaurant catching pigeons and serving them as chicken.

Apparently he used to eat there all the time and didn't even realise the difference (very aware that this could be a lie) but it got me thinking, we have an abundance of pigeons everywhere.
Why don't we eat them?

It reminded me of the whole horse meat fiasco, nobody could tell the difference. Is it really down to the ICK factor?

OP posts:
Orgasmagorical · 20/04/2021 14:36

We do.

Thunderpunt · 20/04/2021 14:36

Because it's not coo-l Grin

BrownEyedGirl80 · 20/04/2021 14:36

You can eat Wood pigeon but not the ones you'd get on the street.I randomly watched a program on this last night

inmyslippers · 20/04/2021 14:37

I thought street pigeons were diseased riddled

Finfintytint · 20/04/2021 14:37

We do eat them and there are plenty of recipes for them.
I couldn’t though as I can’t get past them as flying rats.

HirplesWithHaggis · 20/04/2021 14:37

People do eat pigeon, but not manky city centre pigeons.

StillCoughingandLaughing · 20/04/2021 14:37

My mother has a bit of a phobia of pigeons, but also says she could never eat one. What harm they can do her once they’re cooked in gravy and baked in a pie, I don’t know Grin

WorkplaceLlama · 20/04/2021 14:38

Well wood pigeon can be found in a lot of restaurants.

But you wouldn't get as much meat from them, you'd have to either catch and kill wood pigeon which would be time consuming or farm them (imagine the practice of farming birds like that and what a mess it would be) because you couldn't eat city pigeons. They have all sorts of diseases.

ChelseaCat · 20/04/2021 14:38

Wood pigeon is delicious.

I highly doubt anyone would get away with serving pigeon in place of chicken. Pigeon meat is dark and very flavoursome (awful word sorry), rather than white and bland like chicken.

Bluntness100 · 20/04/2021 14:39

As others said, we eat wood pigeon, I’ve had it it’s nice, the pigeons running round the streets I don’t fancy eating one of those.

gelatodipistacchio · 20/04/2021 14:39

We do. They... don't taste like chicken at all.

GeidiPrimes · 20/04/2021 14:40

Pigeon is delicious! Nothing like chicken though, (more like red meat)

I wouldn't fancy eating street pigeon though.

Picklypickles · 20/04/2021 14:41

I cooked a pigeon a couple of weeks ago actually! They had them at our local farm shop and my partner has always liked pigeon and was really excited to find it! It was tiny, only really enough meat for him on it! I tried a bit as did our 9yr old daughter and we didn't like it, the meat was very dark and had a strong flavour, not sure how it could possibly be passed off as chicken?!

Enb76 · 20/04/2021 14:41

I'm not sure you could mistake pigeon for chicken. I eat pigeon quite a lot as it has a lovely earthy flavour. A pigeon breast pan fried in butter, sliced and set on top of a herby salad with sliced apple is a favourite lunch of mine.

TheSandman · 20/04/2021 14:43

How would anyone mistake chicken for pigeon?

Megan2018 · 20/04/2021 14:43

I love pigeon-on the menu frequently at our local. It’s nothing like chicken though.

I’m in an area that serves a lot of game.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 20/04/2021 14:43

Probably made up because there is a big difference between meats.

Yeah as pps said, we eat pigeons. We had some a month ago. I like them.

Frymetothemoon · 20/04/2021 14:43

I've eaten plenty of pigeon and it is indeed nothing like chicken. It's a totally different colour and has a far stronger taste. It's wood pigeon though, not those flying rats!

KrisAkabusi · 20/04/2021 14:44

The OP story sounds like an urban legend, similar to the Chinese restaurant serving cat. Pigeon looks and tastes nothing like chicken. Chicken is also really cheap to buy. You're not going to be able to catch enough pigeons to replace all the chicken a restaurant would normally serve, you'd have to pluck and process it for very little meat. It doesn't add up.

emmathedilemma · 20/04/2021 14:44

We do, it's lovely. Quite gamey, a bit like pheasant.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 20/04/2021 14:45

I wonder if seagulls in a city centre have a sloght chippy flavour to them😂

GlubGlubGlub · 20/04/2021 14:45

People do eat pigeon. It’s really popular and always has been Confused

EBearhug · 20/04/2021 14:46

I wouldn't want street pigeon either. Not that bothered about rural wood pigeon, either, but I would certainly think it healthier than urban ones.

They did used to be farmed - housed in dovecote, which provided fertiliser (also ingredients for tanning leather), eggs and meat, depending on when and where in history.

DappledThings · 20/04/2021 14:46

My old boss used to shoot pigeon. Occasionally I'd come into work to find a present of a home made pigeon pasty on my desk for lunch. Good times!

SVRT19674 · 20/04/2021 14:46

i don´t eat them for the same reason I don´t eat rats or cockroaches...