Goose meat is considered one of the world’s delicacies as it tastes delicious and offers a lot of nutritious elements.

In recent years, people in North America became more open to the idea of consuming goose meat mostly in Cantonese restaurants or during Christmas. (1)

In this article, we gathered all the information you need to know about goose meat including its nutritional values, health benefits, and the precautions you need to know before consuming goose meat, alongside tips on how to buy + cook + store it.

Which is healthier: duck or goose meat?

Duck and geese may have a lot of similarities but they still produce different types of meat.

It is true that both birds offer reddish-tinted meat fattier than chicken and may even feel drier if not handled properly.

However, duck meat can be one of the leanest meats especially when you consume it without the skin.

Goose meat on the other hand is generally fattier than duck meat and comes with more beneficial fatty acids. (2)

Nonetheless, the fats in a goose are located in pods that can easily be removed.

Also, goose liver is one of the healthiest ingredients being a complete source of protein and loaded with minerals and vitamins.

In fact, goose liver offers more Iron, Phosphorus, Zinc, Calcium, and B vitamins than beef liver with fewer calories and fats. (3)

Goose meat nutritional values and health benefits:

Nutritional values of goose meat:

Just like duck and chicken meat, the meat of geese is a great source of high-quality protein.

In fact, the protein content in a serving of 3 ounces of goose meat (85g) offers 19g of protein which is more than duck breast (13.1g).

However, goose is fatter than other poultries as it contains 6g of fats per serving which is more than turkey, duck, and chicken. (4)

It also contains the most calories with skin compared to other birds’ meat with skin which is why it’s better to not consume goose skin.

This is because goose meat with skin has more than 30% fat content compared to chicken meat with the skin.

Once you remove the skin of the goose, you will notice another layer of fats which you can also remove to obtain leaner cuts. (5)

In Asian practices, however, they like to keep the inner fat layer as it dissolves into the sauces and makes a fragrant glazing sauce.

As for the vitamins and minerals, goose meat offers huge amounts of copper, iron, phosphorus, b vitamins, and vitamin c.

These data counts for a serving of 3 ounces of goose meat (85g), raw: (6)

• Calories: 137
• Protein: 19g
• Cholesterol: 71mg
• Fat: 6.1g
• A vitamin: 1%
• C vitamin: 7%
• B1 vitamin: 9%
• B2 vitamin: 25%
• B3 vitamin: 23%
• B5 vitamin: 34%
• B6 vitamin: 32%
• B9 vitamin: 7%
• B12 vitamin: 18%
• Copper: 29%
• Iron: 12%
• Magnesium: 5%
• Phosphorus: 21%
• Potassium: 8%
• Zinc: 18%
• Selenium: 26%

Health benefits of goose meat:

Traditional Chinese medicines recommend goose meat to: (7)

• Suppress coughs, eliminate hemorrhoids and fever, prevent colds during winter and reduce the risk of bronchitis.
• Treat malnutrition, shortness of breath, weakness, and fatigue as well as maintain sufficient blood volemia.

However, there are many scientifically based benefits of consuming goose meat which we mention:

Strengthen immune system:

Goose meat offers a complete source of proteins with many amino acids including glycine, glutamic acid, glycine, tryptophan and histidine. (8)

These amino acids are essential in order to have proper functioning of the immune system.

In fact, arginine protects the heart, offers anti-inflammatory properties and reduces the risk of diabetes. (9)

Also, histidine helps the immune system by offering a great protection for nerve cells which maintains a healthy nervous system.

As for glutamic acid, it boosts the immune system and help detoxify the body from free radicals. (10)

Promotes a healthy cardiovascular system:

Once you remove the skin from goose meat it becomes a very lean cut of meat and still offers fats mostly in the form of mono-unsaturated fatty acids. (11)

These fatty acids have important antioxidant properties that can reduce the synthesis of bad cholesterol.

By consuming goose meat you will also give your body a better chance to break down thrombosis, and small blood clots in the veins.

As a result, the body has more fluid blood in the circulatory system which promotes the well-being of the cardiovascular system. (12)

A good source of Glycine:

A serving of 3 ounces of goose meat (85g) offers 1.35 g of glycine which makes up more than 30% of the daily needs. (13)

Glycine is one of the amino acids that offer a lot of health benefits including:

• Promotes collagen synthesis.
• Reduces the signs of aging like wrinkles.
• Improves skin health.
• A natural remedy for osteoarthritis as it can slow down its progression.

Goose liver nutritional values and health benefits:

Nutritional values of goose liver:

Goose liver is very praised for its nutritional value and even plays an essential role in one of the most famous French dishes “Foie Gras”. (14)

The liver of this bird offers good amounts of proteins, vitamins, and minerals sometimes even more than what is found in beef liver.

44% of goose liver are fats mostly in the form of unsaturated fatty acids such as palmitoleic acid, arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid… (15)

All of these are lipids and oils essential for many body functions.

These data counts for a serving of ½ goose liver (47g), raw: (16)

• Calories: 63
• Protein: 7.7g
• Cholesterol: 242mg
• Fat: 2g
• A vitamin: 492%
• C vitamin: 2%
• B1 vitamin: 22%
• B2 vitamin: 32%
• B3 vitamin: 19%
• B5 vitamin: 58%
• B6 vitamin: 21%
• B9 vitamin: 87%
• B12 vitamin: 1071%
• Copper: 398%
• Iron: 81%
• Magnesium: 3%
• Phosphorus: 10%
• Potassium: 2%
• Zinc: 13%
• Selenium: 59%

Health benefits of goose liver:

Goose liver is full of essential nutrients which makes it very beneficial for the body.

Being one of the main vital organs, the liver is responsible for blood filtration and detoxification as well as nutrient storage.

Consuming goose liver can supply the human body with many nutrients which brings a lot of health virtues: (17)

• Protects the eyes and maintains good functioning of the eyesight.
• Offers a good supply of vitamin B2, an essential nutrient that helps the body detoxify itself and supplement it with coenzymes.
• Contains an abundance of vitamin A even more than fish, milk, and other food sources which promotes the body’s growth.
• Goose liver also offers a large number of antioxidants mostly vitamin C and Selenium which boosts the immune system and counter the effects of aging.
• A great source of Iron, one of the most essential trace elements needed to produce red blood cells which can reduce the risk of anemia.

Consuming goose meat:

Over the years, goose meat has been replaced with turkey, especially during festive meals. (18)

Nonetheless, goose meat has become a luxurious dish that most people want to try at least once in their life.

There are a few tips you need to learn to help you deal with goose meat for the first time:

• It is better to make a few incisions on the skin before you roast the meat in the oven to allow the fats to drain.
• Goose combines well with chestnuts, onions, orange juice, lemon juice, and boiled rice.
• The fats in goose meat can withstand high heat without turning black which makes it suitable to use for cooking.
• In fact, cooking with goose fats is a lot more healthy than using butter and it adds a poultry flavor to your recipe. (19)

Roasted goose meat:

Ingredients:

• 1 Goose (12 pounds or 5.5 KG).
• 2 lemons.
• 1 cup of mushrooms.
• 2 garlic bulbs.
• 1 onion.
• 2 potatoes.
• 3 tsp of salt and 3 tsp of paprika.
• 2 tbsps. of olive oil.
• 1 strip of sage.

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Meanwhile, start cutting mushrooms, garlic, and onions into small pieces then put them in a bowl.
• Do the same for the lemons and cut them (skin included) then add them to the bowl as well.
• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan while you peel off the potatoes then dice them into small cubes.
• Fry the potato cubes until they become crispy and golden.
• Add the fried potato cubes to the bowl along with the other ingredients and season them with 2 tsp of salt, 2 tsp of paprika, and sage and now you have a fragrant stuffing.
• Stuff the goose with those ingredients and make sure you grease the outside of the goose with melted butter, sprinkle the goose with 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of paprika and it’s ready for roasting.
• Put the stuffed goose on an oven tray, make a few incisions on the skin layer to promote fats drainage then insert the tray into the oven.
• Let the goose cook for 2 hours until it looks golden brown.
• Take the goose out, and serve it to up to 8 people!

Precautions before you consume goose meat:

Despite all the health benefits you can get from goose meat, there are some precautions you need to know before you consume it.

This type of poultry meat can be a little too high in terms of calories especially when consumed with skin which is probably not suitable for people prone to obesity.

In addition, consuming too much goose meat regularly can cause atherosclerosis (plaque formation on the artery walls). (20)

It is certainly not a recommended choice for people dealing with diabetes, heart disease, and blood pressure issues.

Also, people dealing with problems in the digestive system or pancreas should avoid consuming goose meat.

Even for healthy people, over-consuming goose can cause some discomfort like nausea or heartburn.

You can avoid most of the above issues by consuming goose meat no more than once a week, without its skin, and accompanied by parsley, celery, cucumber…

Nonetheless, goose meat can cause some allergic reactions in very rare cases, especially those that suffer from: (21)

• Eczema.
• Hives.
• Chronic Neurodermatitis.

By consuming this meat regularly these patients with skin issues will mostly suffer from itching and skin inflammation.

Storing goose meat:

Like chicken and duck meat, you can store goose meat in the coldest part of your fridge for up to 4 days.

In case you bought packaged goose meat, you must follow the expiration date indicated on the label.

Sometimes you can find vacuum-packed goose meat which offers more protection and extends the lifespan of this poultry meat.

In case you want to store it for months, it can be frozen as a whole bird for 6 months and it will remain edible even after. (22)

If you want to store some of the leftovers make sure that you put the remaining pieces of goose meat in an airtight container for no more than 2 days in the fridge.

Buying goose meat:

Goose meat is among the luxurious types of meat as the birds are not suitable for large-scale industrial breeding.

Generally, you’re only going to find goose meat in the market during festive periods except for goose liver which can be sold on its own.

A mature goose can feed about 8 people which can give you an idea about the quantity you need for your recipe. (23)

It can be tricky to choose the best quality goose meat in the market, especially for those who never shopped for this item before.

However, there are a few easy tips you can learn to help you buy the best pieces of goose meat in the market: (24)

• High-quality goose meat must be elastic and dense in a way that it recovers fast once you press it with your finger.
• There should be no feather left nor visible damage on the skin of the bird.
• A good quality goose has transparent, not yellow, fats and a light-yellow skin with a pinky shade.
• The meat in the throat part is very tender and soft.
• In case you find whole birds in the market, make sure that the beak is not pale and the skin is not sticky.
• Small geese usually provide tough and dry meat therefore you should always aim for larger birds.
• To choose mature birds, you can easily look at the legs as young geese have yellow legs that turn red once they mature.

 

 

 

 

References:

(1): The Story Behind the Christmas Goose (delish.com)
(2): Understanding Goose – Dima Al Sharif goose goose duck, cooking goose, goose meat (dimasharif.com)
(3): Goose Liver: Health Benefits, Nutrition, and Easy Recipe – Dr. Robert Kiltz (doctorkiltz.com)
(4): 5 High-Protein Game Birds You Should Try (bodybuilding.com)
(5): All About Heavy Goose Breeds – Backyard Poultry (iamcountryside.com)
(6): Goose, raw, meat only, domesticated nutrition facts and analysis. (nutritionvalue.org)
(7): Multiple lines of evidence of early goose domestication in a 7,000-y-old rice cultivation village in the lower Yangtze River, China | PNAS
(8): Chemical composition and amino acid profiles of goose muscles from native Polish breeds – PubMed (nih.gov)
(9): Multifarious Beneficial Effect of Nonessential Amino Acid, Glycine: A Review – PMC (nih.gov)
(10): 6 Benefits of Glutamic Acid (sunwarrior.com)
(11): Goose Fat Benefits | Latest News | Blackwells Farm Shop (blackwellsfarmproduce.co.uk)
(12): Research Note: Effect of diet with different proportions of ryegrass on breast meat quality of broiler geese – ScienceDirect
(13): Goose Meat: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits – Nutrition Advance
(14): Foie gras | Definition, Production, Cruelty, & Facts | Britannica
(15): Foie gras nutrition, glycemic index, calories, net carbs & more (foodstruct.com)
(16): Nutrition Facts for Goose Liver Raw (myfooddata.com)
(17): Is foie gras good to eat? | Vinmec
(18): Why Did We Change From Goose To Turkey? – Sweetish Hill
(19): Goose fat for cooking – Valette (bienmanger.com)
(20): Benefits and Harm of Goose Meat – Kimdeyir
(21): Goose Benefits + Side Effects (healabel.com)
(22): Can You Freeze Goose Fat? Yes! Here’s How… | Freeze It
(23): BBC Good Food Middle East – Fresh, new recipes and all the culinary inspiration you need (bbcgoodfoodme.com)
(24): How to choose the right goose meat? – Healthy Food Near Me (healthy-food-near-me.com)