Forgotten 'Savoury Duck' delicacy once loved by Mancunians - that didn't have any duck in it
14.05.2023 - 09:21
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A once popular delicacy loved by generations of Mancunians is now almost completely forgotten. Greater Manchester has its fair share of local delicacies that are still popular today, from black pudding to Eccles Cakes. But there is another foodstuff, once widely sold in the region, that few people still eat.
The strangely named Savoury Duck was something of an acquired taste, not least for the fact that there was no duck in the actual recipe. Savoury Duck is actually a type of meat ball, or faggot, usually made from minced pork liver and heart, wrapped in bacon, with onion and breadcrumbs.
Of course, not actually containing the meat the name suggests is not that unusual when it comes to traditional British dishes cheaply concocted to offer an acceptably passing resemblance to the real thing. Other popular examples include mock turtle soup and Welsh Rarebit, also known as Welsh Rabbit, which is cheese on toast that traditionally includes other ingredients, like beer and mustard.
Savoury Duck dates back to the early-19th century, with one of the first uses of the term appearing in print in the Manchester Times and Manchester and Salford Advertiser and Chronicle in 1835. A traditional way of serving the dish is with potatoes, peas and gravy.
In Greater Manchester, the working class delicacy could typically be bought at a UCP (United Cattle Products) shop. UCP were once a big deal in the North of England, with nearly 150 restaurants and shops that helped to promote eating tripe, cow heel pie and oxtail soup.
Another way of consuming Savoury Duck in the region was on a muffin. Anecdotally, this appears to have been particularly popular way of consuming the dish in Oldham.
Recently, a picture of a Savoury Duck muffin was