Duck, duck, goose! Guangdong rotisseries cheat with meat
Staff Reporter
2012-03-26
08:47 (GMT+8)
Cooks slice open a duck head and put the heart inside to make it look like a goose. (File photo/China Times)
The fairy tale of the Ugly Duckling has come to life in China with a novel twist as some restaurants in the southern province of Guangdong have been found to have altered the shape of a roast duck to make it look like a more expensive goose.
According to the Guangzhou Daily, goose is considered tastier than duck and sells for about double the price.
Some restaurants have looked to maximise their profits by offering cheaper goose breeds or frozen goose.
Some even less scrupulous restaurants meanwhile have reportedly been using a heated iron plate to press the flesh of a roast docks to make it appear to be a goose.
The two types of poultry have a similar taste and their appearance is almost identical after they are plucked and their limbs removed.
Some restaurants went so far as to make a slit in aduck's head and place the heart inside to masquerade as the distinctive bump on a goose's head.
A rotisserie cook said these practices are common in Guangdong.
Unwary diners often fail to realize that the goose they bought was actually duck since many people do not eat the head and many rotisseries do not label their meat.
