The statements in this article are based on reliable sources, and the relevant sources are detailed at the end of the article.
Text | Shi Mingjun's heart
Edit | Shi Mingjun's heart
<<——Preamble——>>
I have to say, time flies so fast.
In more than a month, it will be the Spring Festival that everyone misses.
Every year during the Spring Festival, we eat big fish and meat, especially chicken, and it is indispensable on the table every time, of course, this is normal, after all, eating chicken is a big tradition for us.
When it comes to eating chicken, it is inevitable to mention killing chicken.
I don't know if you've noticed?
Every time we kill a chicken, we can basically see a lump of something similar to "butter", and many people will choose to throw it away because they think it is "dirty".
But in fact, some people think wrongly, it is a piece of "treasure", why do you say that? What is it? What is the role and value of this "butter"?
<<·——鸡肚子里“黄油”——·>>
This piece of "butter" is simple.
I believe that people who have killed pigs and cows also know that in fact, it is the same fat as lard, butter and so on. This piece of "butter" is also called "chicken fat", which belongs to the animal oil we often talk about.
lard
This kind of thing has a natural flavor, but unfortunately, not all chickens can "have" it.
What kind of chicken belly has this "butter" in it?
One is the local chicken, but it is also divided into situations.
Specifically, the "butter" in the belly of the local chicken sold in supermarkets or vegetable markets is often very small in shape, and the color is not pure, and many of them even have no "butter" at all;
The free-range chickens in the countryside have a large piece of "butter" in their stomachs, which are not only large, but also golden in color.
Why are "big butter" and "small butter" appearing?
<< - Why "butter" is divided into large and small?—— >>
There are two main reasons for this stark difference.
On the one hand, the feeding methods of the two are different, the free-range chickens in the countryside are generally fed with grains and leftovers, and these chickens themselves will catch crickets, grasshoppers and other insects for food, and most of the free-range chickens are nutritionally balanced;
The chickens sold in supermarkets or vegetable markets are raised on feed, how can feed be compared with cereals?
On the other hand, chickens sold in supermarkets are raised for different periods of time than free-range chickens in rural areas.
Most of the chickens sold in the supermarket come out of the farm, and few people know that the local chickens in the farm are generally slaughtered in less than 2 months due to the "sassy operation" of some farmers. At this time, it is difficult for chickens to produce "butter", and even if they are lucky enough to be "born", it is only a small piece;
On the other hand, free-range chickens in rural areas are different, because of the above "nutritionally balanced" breeding methods, they usually take 5-6 months or even more than 1 year to slaughter.
What does this mean?
This means that free-range chickens have plenty of time to "wait" for the "butter" to appear.
Naturally grown local chickens basically have butter in their stomachs, and even some very good old chickens not only have "butter" in their stomachs, but also have intestines and internal organs.
"Butter"
On the other hand, if we buy a chicken and go home and find that the "butter" in the chicken's belly is big and abundant, it proves that the longer it has been cultivated, it can be called a high-quality chicken.
In addition to the native chicken, there is also a kind of chicken, which may also have "butter" in its body, but this chicken is more special.
Its scientific name is the white feather chicken, and it is also called "foreign chicken" by rural people, and the reason why it has this name is because it is a bred breed of chicken imported from abroad.
When did the "foreign chicken" come to our country?
<< -- the introduction and development of "foreign chickens" -- >>
In 1972, the Queen of the Netherlands gave us more than 50 white-feathered chickens, which was the first time it came to this land, but unfortunately, because the mainland did not understand breeding and breeding technology at that time, they were raised as commercial chickens, and their true value was "wasted" in vain.
It was not until the 80s of the 20th century that this kind of chicken was officially introduced to the mainland by some companies founded by Chinese, and since then a large number of breeding has begun.
What people didn't expect was that as soon as it appeared, it was sought after by the Chinese people. From 1984 to 1996, the production of chicken meat from white-feathered chickens in China increased at an annual rate of 12.1%.
Related Reports:
It is also because of its emergence coupled with social progress, people's ideological changes and other factors, so that eating chicken has changed from the original holiday delicacy to a daily delicacy.
According to relevant statistics, in 2017, the number of white-feathered chickens slaughtered in the mainland was 4.2 billion, and they together with the yellow-feathered chickens in the mainland accounted for 83% of the country's chicken slaughter.
Relevant data
This is a staggering statistic, why is the white-feathered chicken becoming more and more popular?
Compared with local chickens, white feather chickens have a more mature business model, and many KFC, McDonald's, including chicken steak restaurants, are white feather chickens, how can they not be "hot"?
It should be noted that in addition to some fast-growing white-feathered broilers, the three yellow chickens and Qingyuan hemp chickens in the white-feathered broilers, because of their long production cycle and different feeding methods from other breeds of chickens, so they may also have "butter" in their bodies, and due to their large size, the "butter" in their stomachs is even larger than that of rural free-range chickens.
So, is this "butter" to be eaten?
If so, what is its role and value?
"Butter"
<< - the value and role of "butter" - >>
I believe that some friends who love to cook also know that there is a magical seasoning in the supermarket - chicken juice.
In fact, it is made of the "butter" in the chicken belly, don't look at it, the chicken juice is just a small bottle, but the seasoning is not worse than the oil consumption, and even the effect is far more than the oil consumption several times, it is also because of this, the price in the supermarket is generally much more expensive than the oil consumption.
Speaking of which, in fact, the reason why some restaurants are better to cook is because they use chicken juice as a seasoning.
So, what exactly is "butter" worth?
Friends who like to drink soup can choose to add some "butter" to the stew, not too much, a little is enough, which can make the soup more delicious.
Not only to make soup, "butter" can also be used to stir-fry vegetables, usually when stir-frying vegetables, we can boil some "butter", and then use its oil residue to fry vegetables, and the fried vegetables are fragrant.
A friend who has personally tried it told me that the green vegetables fried with "butter" in the chicken belly taste amazing, even more fragrant than the "lard" fried.
In addition, we can also use the condensed "butter" to add sugar, knead it into balls, and then use it to make glutinous rice balls. Guizhou's famous dish "Tangyuan Xinzi" may be made in this way.
Guizhou "Tangyuan Heart"
Now you know, why do I say it's a "treasure"?
If you see "butter" when you kill a chicken, don't throw it away, it can add flavor and brightness to our dishes.
It's a pity that although it can be eaten, this "butter" can't be eaten much, why?
"Chicken fat"
First of all, although "chicken fat" has nutritional value, it is not high, if you eat too much, it will more or less affect the body, such as eating too much, easy to gain weight, etc. And according to scientific investigations, "chicken fat" has a significant impact on the health of the elderly and women.
Specifically, nutritionists pointed out that "chicken fat" is high in cholesterol, and cholesterol can greatly increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. If the elderly and women consume it for a long time, then excess cholesterol will inevitably accumulate in the body, which is not only not conducive to health, but also increases the probability of heart disease, cerebral thrombosis and other diseases.
In addition, some unscrupulous traders will add various hormones to chicken feed, resulting in more or less hormone residues in "chicken fat", once we eat this "butter", what impact will it have on our health, we can imagine.
Secondly, stir-fry with it, it is fine for a short time, but it may feel greasy for a long time, after all, no matter how delicious "chicken fat" is, it also belongs to animal oil like lard and butter.
Many people may say that there are various ways we can reduce the greasy feeling of "butter".
That's true, but eating "chicken fat" for a long time is really not a rational approach, and everyone must pay attention to this.
What else do you know about "chicken fat"?
The source in this article is from (Baidu Encyclopedia), official media (Linyi Lingang release) released on December 15, 2023, official media (China News Weekly) released on July 3, 2013, official media (39 Health Network, Physician Liu of the Third Xiangya Hospital Affiliated to Central South University) released on November 02, 2021, but in order to improve the readability of the article, the details may be polished, please read sensibly, for reference only!