tenderized the meat, and further heightened its
“wild” flavor. Gamy game is no longer the
style. Modern farmed animals are often
relatively sedentary, eat a uniform diet, and
are slaughtered before they reach sexual
maturity, so they’re usually milder in flavor
and more tender than their wild counterparts.
Since distinctive meat flavors reside in the
fat, they can be minimized by careful
trimming.
Some Characteristics of Meat Birds
In general, older and larger birds and those
with more red fibers have a more
pronounced flavor.
Bird Age, weeks
Chickens
Industrial broiler, fryer 6–8
Roaster 12–20
French label rouge 11.5