Red legs

PalmThe animal stalked me from its wooden cage. It was so cramped in there that it seemed it would burst if I used my strength. If it had been within reach, I would have eagerly released it so it could feel the air again between its open wings. Being round, the partridge could only peek through the bars. Its slanted red eye anxiously watched me, its mask seemingly condemning it to its fate: a thieving bird trapped in a tiny prison.

The partridge, red-legged partridge, or red-legged quail, is a medium-sized ground bird with a rounded body, red legs, and plumage in shades of gray, ochre, and reddish-brown that allows it to camouflage itself well among the dry, low grasses. It is a sedentary species that breeds on the ground and usually lays a single clutch of 10 to 12 eggs. It was introduced to the Balearic Islands in the 13th century and is hunted with shotguns and dogs, using decoys and other unsavory methods.

The most prized

In terms of gastronomy, the partridge is one of the most beloved and frequently mentioned birds in our cookbooks. Its lean and flavorful meat pairs beautifully with acidic flavors like lemon, pickled dishes, and wines. It is often cooked with spices that further enhance the dish. In medieval cookbooks, it is the most prized game bird, and we find various ways of preparing it. Sometimes it was roasted, with the partridges covered in lard or thinly sliced ​​bacon. It was served with a sauce such as almadroc or porriola, or simply with rosewater. Partridges were also boiled in a sauce like perdigado with egg yolks or in vinegar. It was common for partridge to be part of the filling for panadas, large roasts filled with bacon and various birds cut into small pieces, bones and all.

In our recipe books, this legacy branches into two paths. One leads to dishes where the partridge is roasted or fried. The other, richer and more varied, leads us to stews and braised dishes.

Manuscripts from the 18th and 19th centuries record one of the most common and surprising ways to prepare roast partridge: partridge in a breadcrumb without pasta. To cook it, you need to beat eggs and add rice flour, sugar, and a little wine. The partridges are cooked in the oven and basted frequently with this mixture until cooked through. Another simpler variation is partridges roasted with oil, where the preparation is made with one part oil to two parts water, plus spices. Partridge with pámpulo leaves falls into this category, one of the most interesting and visually appealing recipes collected by Antoni Tugores in Cuisine of a time and a country (2024). The dish in question was prepared at the Sant Martí estate when the Marquesses had guests. The birds, which had to be tender, like the leaves of the pámpulo plant, were marinated with oil and lemon, sautéed, and arranged in a roasting tin. They were covered with oiled leaves, and when these began to char, another layer of leaves was added until there were seven or eight. Then the roasting tin was brought to the table, and the guests were amazed by this delicacy. The dish was served with nothing else, as the meat was eaten with the roasted pámpulo leaves.

The aguiados (a type of stew) featuring partridge are usually more elaborate and varied. To popular dishes like partridge with cabbage or pickled partridge, we must add other interesting ones such as partridge in lentil sauce, partridge "paisana" style, or partridge broth, where the meat is first cooked in the embers and then finished in a broth of water and lemon juice. Or partridge "Menorcan style," where the sautéed meat is then simmered in a broth with garlic, bay leaf, and vanilla. Since partridge meat can be dry, cooking methods can be a good guarantee for optimal results, especially with larger specimens.

Today's recipe is a salmín, a cooking method suitable for game meat, which we have discussed on another occasion.