Chicken feet

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Chicken feet

鳳爪

凤爪

fèngzhǎo

fung6 zaau2

Literal meaning:

Fenghuang claws
or
Phoenix talons

Transliterations
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin:	fèngzhǎo
Yue (Cantonese)
- Jyutping:	fung6 zaau2

Chicken feet are a part of chicken that is eaten in Chinese and South African cuisine. The majority of the edible meat on the feet consist of skin and tendons, without much muscle. This gives the feet a distinct texture different from the rest of chicken's meat. There are many small bones which may make it difficult to eat for some, and are often picked out before service. Being mostly cartilage, chicken feet are also very gelatinous. Some folk medicine traditions claim that chicken feet can prevent or treat wrinkles, due to their high collagen content.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Chinese cuisine

In Chinese cuisine, it is often an option at dim sum restaurants, served as "phoenix talons" . The chicken feet are fried first in order to make them puffy before being boiled and marinated, usually in black bean sauce^[1]. Sometimes duck feet are used in dim sum instead of chicken feet.^[2] Duck feet with mustard, which is often served with vinegar, fresh green pepper and crushed garlic, is a popular salad/appetizer.

[edit] South African cuisine

In South Africa, chicken feet are mainly eaten in Durban and Soweto, where they are known as "walkie talkies" (together with the head) and "chicken dust" respectively.^[3] They are mostly prepared and eaten in the inner cities and townships. The feet are boiled to remove the hard skin and are then covered in seasonings and grilled. The name "chicken dust" derives from the dust that chickens create when scratching the ground with their feet.