The Duclair duck is a type of Rouen duck named after the town of

Duclair Duclair () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. The Duclair duck is named after the town, of which pressed duck (''canard à la presse'') is invented. Geography Duclair is a farming and lig ...

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

and traditionally raised in the region for both eggs and meat. Official standards were established for the breed on November 23, 1923.

Appearance

The Duclair duck is a type of Rouen duck and is also described as resembling the

Swedish Blue The Swedish Blue () or Blue Swedish is a Swedish List of duck breeds, breed of domestic duck. It originated in the former Dominions of Sweden, dominion of Swedish Pomerania – now in north-west Poland and north-east Germany – and is documented ...

. Males weigh up to and females up to . There are two color varieties, black and a less common blue. Both have a single white feather on each wing and a white bib. Official standards were established for the breed on November 23, 1923. Males are lighter and have an emerald green head and neck and blue-green wings. Excerpted i
''The New York Times''
November 23, 1879. Eggs have a blue-green shell and an average weight of about .

Uses

Duclair ducks were traditionally raised for both eggs and meat, and are particularly suitable for

roast duck In cooking and gastronomy, duck or duckling is the meat of several species of bird in the family Anatidae, found in both fresh and salt water. Duck is eaten in many cuisines around the world. It is a high-fat, high-protein meat rich in ir ...

. The meat has a "gamy" taste compared to other breeds of duck.

Pressed duck ''Pressed'' is a 2011 Canadian crime drama film directed by Justin Donnelly and starring Luke Goss, Tyler Johnston, Jeffrey Ballard, and Michael Eklund. It is the debut directing project for Justin Donnelly. Plot Business executive Brian Parker ...

originated in Duclair using Duclair ducks; some of the qualities of the meat are the result of the local tradition of slaughtering the ducks by suffocation rather than decapitation, so that the blood is not drained.

History

The breed arose from interbreeding between domestic ducks and migratory wild ducks. Beginning in the 18th century the ducks were raised in large numbers at the household level within the meander of the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

between Duclair and

Anneville-Ambourville Anneville-Ambourville () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography Anneville-Ambourville is a quarrying and farming village situated in the Roumois, inside a meander of the river Seine, ...

, sold at the weekly market in Duclair, and marketed in Paris and

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

. Official standards were established for the breed on November 23, 1923. Previously a symbol of the town of Duclair, local farming of the ducks dwindled during the 20th century, by 1991 to one farm that ceased raising them in 2006. , the Duclair was no longer marketed commercially in France; the last commercial producer closed in 2014. An ''Association pour la promotion du canard de Duclair'' was created in Duclair in 1991. The Club pour la Sauvegarde des Races avicoles Normandes has also sought to preserve and restart production of the breed. Since 2014, the has sponsored a program to reintroduce and promote the ducks, including creation of farming operations within the park. A farmer in

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

attempted to recreate the breed in the early 2000s by crossing a wild

mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

with a French Pekin.

References

External links

*{{Commons category-inline, Duclair duck Duck breeds originating in France