Squab! Who Would Want to Eat a Soft Padded Sofa?!

If you don't know what squab is, you probably can't afford it.

But, that's okay, because squab producers have to eat, too: and they make their living selling the stuff.

Now, just what is squab?

Depends on the context:

Squab

• Noun
  • "dove (flesh of a pigeon suitable for roasting or braising; flesh of a dove (young squab) may be broiled)
  • "(soft padded sofa)
  • "(an unfledged pigeon)
  Adjective
  • "squabby (short and fat)"

Princeton's WordNet)

About Squab Producers of California

(They call themselves "SPOC" - live long and prosper?)

"Squab Producers of California is a unique agricultural cooperative. Formed in early 1943, the association of small independent farmers has worked together for more than sixty years to provide Squabs to a wide variety of customers worldwide. As a cooperative, Squab Producers brings the best of both worlds to its customers - birds raised by small, independent farmers AND a modern HACCP-compliant USDA inspected processing plant which utilizes state-of-the-art equipment and techniques to assure the optimum in quality and food safety...."

Sounds good enough to eat. Good thing, too, since that's what is supposed to be done with their product.

I checked the rest of SPOC's website and sure enough: they're into processing birds, not soft padded sofas.

I found this picture of squab - taken at the diners's end of the process - at "Camera in the Kitchen: Alinea"
Chicagoist (January 22, 2007)


(from Rachelle Bowden, Chicagoist, used w/o permission)
That doesn't look too gross, now, does it?

And, since it's a very small portion on a very plane plate: You know it's expensive.

Bon appétit, regarder votre manteau, and other real cultured stuff.