Grilled Mutton Bird with Tomato Salad – Fouke Griye ek Salad Ponmdamour- eaten with plain boiled rice, accompanied with fresh chilli sauce made with belenbi is an acquired taste and was a delicacy among the Seychellois. ‘Un plat, maintenant, interdit!’
Why are we posting this recipe?
To stay true to our vision
The vision we have for The Creole Melting Pot is that it ‘will become a treasury of authentic Seychellois Creole recipes and an information source on the culture and traditions of the Seychelles Islands’. We will stay true to this vision so that future generations can appreciate where we came from and how our parents and grand parents and even some of us survived on these small islands, isolated in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
We expect mixed reactions
Consequently, there will be posts that will, on one hand,every now and then, turn a few of us off, and this is one of them. On the other hand, this post will also bring back some nostalgic memories to quite a few of us, Seychellois, especially to those of us, including myself, who grew up on small islands and who ate mutton bird as part of our diet.
Historical Trivia
I am posting this recipe and related future posts because, despite the fact that harvesting the fouke or mutton-bird (wedged -tailed shearwater) is now illegal in Seychelles, it was a source of protein and a major part of our diet for many generations and is in-bedded in our tradition. It was consumed from the early days of settlement up to about the 1970s when it became protected under the Wild Animals and Birds Protection Act making its harvesting illegal.
My personal account
I, for one, grew up eating mutton bird, on Aride and Cousin Islands where my dad, Maxime, was the island administrator. I have experienced the harvesting and preparation of the mutton bird and I have summarised my personal account here. I am also fortunate in that I can still have access mutton bird in Australia where I do indulge once in a while.
The Mutton Bird –fouke
The fouke is a migratory bird that breeds in burrows on some of the smaller islands of the Seychelles and it is the chicks, the flesh of which are very fat, oily and tender, that were collected to be salted. Each burrow holds only one chick as the bird lays only one egg. The bird was plentiful in most smaller inner and outer islands, but their population has now more or less disappeared from the inner islands and has diminished greatly in the outlying islands. This is mainly due to cats and dogs destroying their burrow as well as indiscriminate harvesting in years gone by.
Origin of the name – Fouke
The Creole name fouke derives from the French ‘fouquet’, a term used by French sailors for petrels and dating back to 1689. It is also referred to as fouke dezile to distinguish it from other related species. The scientific family name, procellaria, comes from the Latin ‘Procella’, meaning the storm, probably referring to the fact that these birds are often seen at sea, gliding over the waves during stormy weather.
Origin of the name- Mutton Bird
The name “mutton bird” was first used by the early settlers on Norfolk Island in reference to their mutton-like taste. It is only the chicks that are harvested because the meat of adults are too tough. An officer in the Royal Marines called them “the flying sheep”. The origin of the name may also possibly refer to the woolly appearance of its young.
How does it taste?
Mutton Bird is a bird and therefore has the tough flesh of a bird but the taste of fish, from the prestigious diet of fish, squid, anchovies and shrimp-like krill that it feasts on during its migration from the breeding grounds of the southern hemisphere to the feeding grounds of the northern hemisphere and back again. It is an acquired taste, which has been described as chicken stuffed with kippers!
How about the smell?
The smell of the cooking birds is strong and pervasive, and not to everyone’s liking. Some lovers of the bird are made to boil them outside or in the shed by family members who object to the smell.
Mutton Bird in Australia and New Zealand
As mentioned earlier, mutton birds are protected in the Seychelles under the Wild Animals and Birds Protection Act and are also protected by an International Treaty making it illegal to harvest the birds. There are, however, two exceptions:
They are harvested in Tasmania
They are harvested under licence in Tasmania, Australia. This is because the Tasmanian Aboriginal people have hunted and eaten mutton birds for more than 10,000 years and are consequently allowed to harvest the birds. The government allows a five-week annual harvest period, conducted by licensed commercial operators.
They are harvested in New Zealand
They are also harvested in New Zealand, where the Māori people of New Zealand’s southernmost region and their descendants, have rights to gather muttonbirds on 36 islands, known as the Titi or Muttonbird Islands, around Rakiura (Stewart Island). The activity is managed entirely by Rakiura Māori whose muttonbirding rights are guaranteed by the 1864 Deed of Cession of Stewart Island. The season starts on the 1st of April and goes through to the 31st of May.
Accessing mutton Bird
If you have never tried mutton bird, are curious and game enough, or feel nostalgic ( because you have eaten it in your youth) , and wish to try eating it , you can source it on line. You will not be able to get it fresh. You can buy it either frozen or salted and is prepared as “skun” or ‘plucked’. Skun bird has been skinned, which means the layer of fat beneath the skin has also largely been removed. Plucked birds have feathers removed and the skin is left on as well as all the fat.
Medicinal value of Mutton Bird Oil
Mutton bird oil is incredibly rich in Omega 3 and contains very powerful anti-oxidants. It is used both as a dietary health supplement and in topical creams for a range of health issues. . You can purchase the oil on line. This link may assist.
Preparing the Grilled Mutton Bird with Tomato Salad – Fouke Griye ek Salad Ponmdamour
For this recipe, we have managed to access ‘plucked’ salted mutton birds, with skin on.
It is only the chicks that are harvested and they must be prepared properly before being used. The recommended preparation method is as follows:
Boil the Bird
Take your mutton birds and pluck off any down feathers that may be left. Wash them under running water and transfer them in a big pot, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about one hour. I recommend that this is best done outside in the open so that the smell can dissipate. Once that hour has been reached, drain off the water. As you can see from the photo, the bird possesses an astounding amount of fat and the boiling process assists in removing some of the salt as well as rendering some of the fat.
Fill the pot again with enough fresh water to cover the bird. Bring to boil again and simmer for about another 15 minutes. Remove from the water and cool. Pat dry and keep.
Portion the bird
Wear an apron and place the bird, skin side up on a cutting board. Use a heavy knife and cut in half along the backbone and then cut each half into three portions. The meat is now ready to be prepared as required.
You can cook the prepared meat in many ways including grilling; cooked in a curry; cooked in lentils or in a frikase.
For this recipe we will grill our prepared meat and then toss it in a tomato salad. The grilling further assists in rendering the fat as well as adding that extras flavour to the meat.
This Grilled Mutton Bird with Tomato Salad – Fouke Griye ek Salad Ponmdamour– is a dish that you may not be able to eat with a fork and a knife. You may have to use your fingers.
This post has been contributed by Jean-Paul
Here is the Recipe for Grilled Mutton Bird with Tomato Salad – Fouke Griye ek Salad Ponmdamour
Salted, boiled and grilled mutton bird tossed in a tomato salad and eaten with plain boiled rice, accompanied with fresh chilli sauce made with belenbi is an acquired taste and was a delicacy among the Seychellois. ‘Un plat interdit!
- 4 salted mutton birds
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil for grilling
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 1 tbsp vinegar preferably toddy vinegar
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for salad
- Cracked pepper (and salt if required)
- juice of one lemon or lime- for grilling
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Take your mutton birds and pluck off any down feathers that may be left.
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Soak the mutton bird in cold water for about one hour and then wash thoroughly in running water in order to remove the maximum salt as possible.
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Transfer them in a big pot, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about one hour. This is best done outside.
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Once that hour has been reached, drain off the water. The boiling process assists in removing most of the salt as well as rendering some of the fat.
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Fill the pot again with fresh water enough to cover the bird and bring to boil again and simmer for about another 15 minutes. Remove from the water and cool. Pat dry and keep.
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Wear an apron and place the bird, skin side up on a cutting board and trim off the feet. Then cut in half along the backbone and then cut each half in three portions. The meat is now ready to be prepared as required.
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Mixed lemon juice with cracked pepper and baste over mutton bird
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Prepare hot charcoal and slow grill the mutton bird. This will further render some more of the fat. Squeeze some more lemon juice if required.
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Once grilled, place in a bowl and allow to cool.
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Prepare the vinaigrette, in a medium size bowl, by mixing the vegetable oil, vinegar and pepper.
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Mix in the onion and sliced tomatoes, and then add to the grilled mutton bird and toss all together.
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Serve on plain boiled rice and freshly made chilli sauce.
Instead of grilling you may also choose to pan-fry the meat on low heat in a frying pan. The low heat will further render some more of the fat. Avoid high heat as the fat will burn.
Did you make this recipe?
I hope you will enjoy cooking this dish. Please let me know how it turned out for you. If you have a different version of the recipe or have related questions, please leave your comments below.
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