Squab
Columba livia · Poultry
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Squab is a young domestic pigeon (Columba livia) slaughtered at about four weeks, just before it flies, when the breast is plump and the flesh is at its most tender. It is an all-dark, fine-grained, richly flavoured meat with a faint liver-ish note — a prized delicacy roasted or pan-seared to a rosy rare in French and Chinese kitchens.
Picking a good onedrag
Fresh-chilled, deep red and firmOff: tacky, slimy, smelling sour
Chilled and cleanEveryday bestDon't rinse it: washing splashes Campylobacter round the kitchen, says the FSA. Pregnant, under 5, over 65 or immunocompromised: no pink breast, cook it through.
Colour of the breastDeep red, a browner cast under the lights
Touch the skinMoist and clean, still not sticky
SmellMild and clean, nothing sharp in it