what is squab
Squab is the culinary term for a very young domestic pigeon, typically under about four weeks old, raised specifically for its meat.
Quick Scoop: What Is Squab?
Squab is a small, farmed pigeon harvested before it can fly, so the meat stays very tender and moist. In cooking, “squab” usually means both the bird and its meat, much like how we say “chicken” for the animal and the dish.
- It’s considered a delicacy in many cuisines around the world.
- The meat is dark, rich, and often compared to duck or very flavorful dark chicken.
- Most of the edible meat is in the breast, with some on the legs.
- Birds are typically around four weeks old, before they take flight, which keeps the flesh especially soft.
A typical restaurant squab looks like a tiny roast chicken on the plate, but with darker meat and fattier skin.
Taste, Texture, and How It’s Cooked
Squab is prized by chefs because it eats like luxurious dark poultry.
- Taste: Mildly gamey, rich, and slightly sweet, closer to duck than to standard chicken.
- Texture: Very tender and juicy when cooked properly, with fine-grained meat.
- Skin: Naturally fatty, which crisps up nicely when roasted or pan-seared.
Common cooking methods include:
- Roasting whole (often served still on the bone) for crisp skin and rosy meat.
- Pan-searing the breasts and finishing in the oven, cooked to medium-rare or medium for best tenderness.
- Braising or stewing in some traditional or rustic preparations.
Because the birds are small, cooking times are usually short—more like cooking a thick chicken thigh than a whole chicken.
Where Squab Fits in Food Culture
Squab has a long culinary history and appears in many regional cuisines.
- It has been eaten in Europe and Africa for centuries and is still seen as a delicacy today.
- Modern commercial squab now comes almost entirely from domesticated, farmed pigeons rather than wild birds.
- You’ll most often find it at fine-dining restaurants, specialty bistros, or in certain traditional dishes rather than in everyday home cooking.
Because pigeons don’t adapt well to heavy industrial farming, squab production tends to rely on smaller or specialized breeders, which is part of why prices are higher than chicken and closer to other specialty game birds.
Other Meanings of “Squab”
Outside of food, the word has a few other uses:
- In general English, “squab” can simply mean a fledgling bird, especially a young pigeon.
- It can also mean a cushion or padded seat, like on a couch or chair, in some dictionary definitions.
But in a restaurant or food context, if you see “squab” on the menu, it’s almost always referring to young pigeon meat.
TL;DR: Squab is young farmed pigeon, harvested at about four weeks and served as a tender, rich dark meat delicacy, often compared to duck or very flavorful dark chicken.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.