Do I Really Want To Eat A Rooster’s Beak?
August 13th, 2012 | Posted by in NY Catering | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)
Even if the anatomy of a beak doesn’t sound appetizing, you still might like New York catering that serves beak of rooster. That is, even if you don’t like the intermaxillary bone and its three prongs, and even if you can’t bring yourself to consider the minuscule digastric parts attaching things to the face, and even if you’ve never desired the thin and thorny keratin sheath called rhamphotheca wrapped around the beak, you still very well might like to eat beak of rooster. In fact, you may have already…and liked it.
But how?
“Beak of rooster” is the literal English translation of the common and delicious Mexican cuisine called “Pico de Gallo,” often served in NYC catering. Pico del Gallo is, technically, a raw condiment, similar in fact to a concasse (which is served on Brooklyn catering service favorite, bruschetta), and is made typically of diced tomatoes and other herbs and vegetables. Standard fare includes cilantro, onions lime juice and chili peppers. That may very well sound delicious, but why on Earth is it called “Beak of Rooster”? None of those ingredients bring to mind the keratin sheath.
The etymology betrays that “beak of rooster” refers not to the ingredients but the method of consumption, which traditionally meant using the thumb and index finger to pick up the food, mimicking the shape and function of a beak, such as the one on a rooster’s face. That’s one origin story. Another is that this condiment simply looks like birdfeed, all chopped and tiny, so it looks like a rooster’s beak could show up at any moment.
Whatever the origin of the name, if you like Pico de Gallo, you like “beak of rooster.”












