The most terrifying French recipe; Pressed duck with blood sauce!

French cuisine has a high reputation, and one of the most gruesome and exotic is the “pressed duck,” where roast duck bones are crushed to make a luxurious “blood sauce.”

“Pressed duck”, which has many fans, was removed from the restaurant menu for a while; But in recent years, you can see it being cooked again in special restaurants in France. Food preparation is done at the serving table, which is unique in French cuisine. The best restaurant to prepare this strange food is “Silver Tower Restaurant”.

Learn more about the French pressed duck dish:

Introducing pressed duck food

“Pressed duck” (le canard à la presse or pressed duck) is a complex and special dish that is mostly served in ceremonies and ceremonies. To cook this French dish, you need to press the half-cooked duck in an ornamental silver press to remove the blood and juices. Then these extracts are used to prepare “blood sauce” with food. This rich sauce should be served immediately with tender duck fillets. Grilled duck legs can also be served as a delicious second meal with this sauce.

_{Photo source: BBC website. Photographer: Unknown}

However, for two years, pressed duck disappeared from menus. In 2022 and 2023, the bird flu caused ducks to no longer have a place in restaurants across France and in French cuisine; But due to the use of antibiotics for chickens, this dish returned to the menu of French restaurants.

Eating pressed duck gives you the opportunity to clearly understand the grandeur of classic French cuisine that reached its peak in the late 19th century. Preparing it at the table is a unique move in the fine art of French cuisine; Because such things are usually done in hidden kitchens. This dish is still served in some of the country’s luxurious restaurants as well as specialized restaurants, and it has many fans among tourists who are looking to discover new things; There is even a special organization to protect the heritage of “pressed duck” called “Order of Canardiers”.

Where is pressed duck served?

Currently, the most famous address serving “pressed duck” in Paris is a restaurant known as “Silver Tower” (La Tour d’Argent). The restaurant, located on the banks of the Seine, reopened in August 2023 after a two-year renovation, and guests could once again enjoy watching the “pressed duck” being prepared.

_{Photo source: BBC website. Photographer: Unknown}

The Silver Tower restaurant is so famous for its pressed duck dish that in 2016 it auctioned a 19th-century silver press for an astonishing €40,000. The restaurant has five other presses for use in its kitchen, one of which is on loan to the Paris Museum of Decorative Arts as part of the Christoffel exhibit. This exhibition continues until April 2025.

History of pressed duck food

It is interesting to know that the famous dish “pressed duck”, like other valuable French dishes, has its roots in the villages. According to Josette Cheval, a member of the Ducks Association and CEO Julien Marchal-Guéret, the story goes that along the Seine River, migrating ducks stopped to rest next to local ducks. . During this resting period, fat ducklings were born with very soft, red and delicious meat. This dish, which started in the 17th century with duck hunting, gradually became a local dish in Duclair and Rouen, and in the late 19th century at the Hotel La Poste in Duclair. It was served in a special way.

_{Photo source: BBC website. Photographer: Jodi Hinds}

What do you think about pressed duck and blood sauce? Doesn’t the complicated way of preparing it seem harsh? If you have information about pressed duck food or other delicious French dishes; We will be happy if you share it with the audience.

_{Cover photo text: BBC website. Photographer: Jodi Hinds}