What do Mexicans use chicken feet for?

Q: What country eats the most chicken feet?

If theres one place where theyre most popular, its China. Across the country, chicken feet are eaten everywhere from formal banquet halls to hole-in-the-wall lunch counters.

The definition of Folklore is traditional beliefs, customs and stories of a community; passed through the generations by word of mouth. I grew up in the American Southwest where American and Mexican folklore intersect. One of my favorite stories is the man with chicken feet. If you haven’t heard the story before sit back and enjoy.

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We can provide you with more community news -- but we need your help
What can chicken feet be used for?
Do Latinos eat chicken feet?
What country eats the most chicken feet?
What do you eat off of chicken feet?

Many many years ago there were community dances. Young people would dress up in their finest clothes and dance the night away. On the night of one of these dances. Against her parent’s wishes a girl dressed up in a beautiful red sparkly dress snuck out of the house to attend one of these dances.

When the girl arrived the dance was in full swing; people were dancing and having a great time. From across the room the girl spied the most handsome man. She watched as every woman in the community center danced with the handsome stranger. The women were enthralled by the man and stood in small clumps talking about how handsome he was.

After a couple of hours the stranger made his way to the girl and asked her to dance. The young girl and the stranger twirled and whirled faster and faster. The dancing couple were a blur to those around them. Something must have startled the girl because she looked down at her dance partners feet. The handsome stranger no longer had the legs and feet of a man but the feet of a large chicken. The girl screamed and fainted. When the girl finally came around the man was gone.

The girl returned home and told her parents about the stranger with the chicken feet. Her mother crossed herself and explained the handsome stranger was the devil and if she hadn’t screamed and fainted he would have taken the girl’s soul.

There are many different variations of this story throughout the American Southwest and Texas. This was the version of the story that I was told when I was growing up.

Most Americans are missing out on this tasty forgotten part of the chicken — chicken feet.

They’re known all over the world and taste just like other parts of the chicken, but the texture might take a little time for you to get used to. Unlike other parts of the chicken, the feet have very little edible meat — it’s mostly just skin and tendons. If they’re not cooked properly they can be chewy.

To prepare chicken feet, they need to be scalded first for 10-15 minutes, then the claws need to be snipped off. Once the feet are declawed, they can be used as a base for a broth, as an ingredient in a stew, or as its own dish. The cartilage in the feet has gelatin-like properties that can be used as a thickening agent in the broth. Some people claim chicken feet add calcium and minerals to a dish. Other people say the collagen in chicken feet even prevents wrinkles.

One of the most well-known chicken feet dishes is probably din sum style braised chicken feet — but other cultures eat it in different ways as well as a stew in Trinidad or deep fired like in Nigeria and the American South.

Story by Ana Facio-Krajcer

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What can chicken feet be used for?

Chicken feet are mostly used to prepare soups and stews and may be served as a snack, entrée, or side dish. However, you can find countless recipes online ranging from a classical soup to chicken feet salad, skewers, or fried appetizers.

Do Latinos eat chicken feet?

But her family soon learned that in Latino immigrant culture, chicken feet – some with the nails still protruding from the bird's toes – are used for making chicken soup and are considered a treat for children.

What country eats the most chicken feet?

If there's one place where they're most popular, it's China. Across the country, chicken feet are eaten everywhere from formal banquet halls to hole-in-the-wall lunch counters.

What do you eat off of chicken feet?

The edible part of chicken feet is basically skin, and that contains a lot of collagen. Collagen is good for your skin. People were at one point convinced that eating chicken feet would even give you a younger and healthier looking skin.