Consumed for many years, duck breast is a symbol of southwestern cuisine. How to choose, store, and cook it, we tell you everything.
Duck breast is a piece of meat from the brisket of a fat duck. This muscle should weigh 300g to be sold under the name "magret".
Originally, duck was mainly cooked confit or stewed, so nothing was wasted. The duck breast was invented by André Daguin, chef at the Hotel de France in Gers. In 1965, he created a fillet dish with a pepper sauce. This dish was then called "maigret de canard." Now called "magret de canard," it was chosen as the "favorite dish of the French" in 2011 according to a Sofres survey.
Gradually, this method became more popular, replacing the whole duck. Today, fried or grilled duck breast remains one of the classics of southwestern and French cuisine in general.
Duck breast is quite tough and has a strong flavor; this meat can be cooked rare or pink. There are two different types of duck breasts, one for fatty ducks and another for lean ducks. The muscle from the breast of a lean duck is called duck fillet, while the same muscle from a fat duck is called duck breast.
