On 11/1/2022 at 10:43 PM, Anna N said:I know you said you would leave the meat for another post, but what about the liver? The kidneys?
That is indeed quite an omission which I did intend to address, but it ran away from me.
Unless you are buying a whole live bird (quite possible), it is likely the liver (鸭肝 - yā gān) and kidneys (鸭肾 - yā shèn) will have already been siphoned off. They aren't that easy to find in the supermarkets or markets. I suspect (without any real evidence) that the livers go away to the restaurant trade or to be sold separately at a premium.
The kidneys probably go off to Nanjing in eastern China, from where they are dried and sold internationally as a delicacy and as traditional medicine. I understand this trade is less lucrative than before as several countries have banned their import due to avian flu and other concerns.
When I have acquired whole ducks (or occasionally found intact innards), the livers have tended to be rather under-developed. I'm not sure at what age the birds are dispatched, but probably too young to develop the full fat opulence of a fois gras or anything near that. I can buy duck (or goose) fois gras, French or domestic, at a price.
Braised duck livers are sold as snack food, too - relatively pricey snack food. Believe it or not, they are also sold as pet food.
Duck Liver
Image from advertisement at https://www.baopals.com/products/597105992987 - but they don't deliver to me.
