Duck

Duck: Nutrition, History and Cooking Guide

The domesticated duck — primarily the Pekin (or White Pekin), Aylesbury, Muscovy, and Mallard breeds — has been raised for food across Asia and Europe for thousands of years. Duck has an especially profound place in Chinese cuisine: Peking duck (Beijing kaoya) — roasted whole duck with lacquered, crispy skin served with pancakes, spring onion, and hoisin sauce — is one of China's most celebrated dishes, with a history stretching back over six hundred years to the imperial court of the Ming dynasty. In France, duck confit (confit de canard) — duck legs slow-cooked and preserved in their own fat — is a cornerstone of Gascon and Périgord regional cooking. In Britain, duck has been eaten since the medieval period and the Aylesbury breed — developed in Buckinghamshire — was among the most prized table ducks in nineteenth-century England.

Nutritional Value of Duck

Domesticated duck provides 404 kcal and 11.5 g of protein per 100 g, with 39.3 g of fat. These figures reflect a whole duck including its famously substantial fat layer. Duck breast meat alone, skinless, provides approximately 140–160 kcal and 23–24 g of protein per 100 g. The fat in duck — primarily stored under the skin — is highly prized for cooking but dramatically increases caloric density. Duck fat is approximately 35% saturated and 65% unsaturated, with a significantly higher oleic acid content than many animal fats.

Health Considerations

Duck is best enjoyed as an occasional special food rather than an everyday protein, given its high fat content. The fat is predominantly unsaturated and the oleic acid profile is more similar to olive oil than to saturated animal fats. Duck breast without skin is surprisingly lean and nutritionally comparable to chicken dark meat. The rendered fat — duck dripping — stores well and is prized for roasting potatoes and vegetables.

How to Select and Store Duck

Choose plump birds with a good fat cover and deep-coloured meat. Aylesbury and Gressingham ducks are the most commonly found in British supermarkets. Refrigerate for up to two days; freeze for up to six months. A 2 kg duck serves two to three people.

How to Cook Duck

Score the skin deeply before roasting to allow fat to render. Roast at 200°C for 20 minutes per 500 g. Duck breast is best cooked in a cold pan — place skin-side down in a cold pan, bring to medium heat, and cook until the fat has rendered and the skin is golden (10–12 minutes), then flip for two to three minutes. Rest well. Duck legs suit slow braising or confiting in fat at 140°C for two and a half hours.