Yao'an Squab

Yao'an Squab

　　Yao'an basin boasts fertile land, concentrated arable fields, and a mild climate, making it abundant in rice, wheat, and legumes. Local farmers enjoy raising pigeons, as the flocks find food easily and reproduce quickly. There’s a local saying, “two meetings in forty days,” meaning a pair of adult pigeons can produce 2–3 pairs of squabs in just 40 days. Pigeon farming in Yao'an has a history of several hundred years, and almost every household in the basin raises pigeons. A dedicated pigeon market has been set up in Dongchuan Town for trading, attracting buyers from both within and outside the province in an endless stream. On average, 200,000 to 300,000 squabs are available for market each year.

　　Newly hatched chicks, before their feathers have fully grown and they leave the nest, are called squabs. Squab meat is tender with delicate bones, not greasy or overly rich. It is both a delicacy on the dining table and used in traditional medicine. When stewed with white aconite slices to make “Squab and Aconite Soup,” it is believed to have remarkable tonic effects for enriching blood, earning it the folk name “ginseng of meats.” It is especially effective in treating physical weakness and neurasthenia.