White Meat, Dark Meat

Why do Americans prefer white meat overwhelmingly to dark?

The American chicken industry ends up with a HUGE surplus of dark meat. Americans prefer that tender white breast meat overwhelmingly – but it’s not JUST for taste. According to Dr. Marcia Pelchat, a lot of us tend to be a bit squeamish. She says when we’re faced with a chicken leg, there’s no hiding the fact that it’s the leg of an animal. Up until 50 years ago, chickens were sold exclusively in the shape of – whole chickens. But now, we prefer nondescript neatly packaged products that don’t much resemble what it was when it was standing, running, or swimming around.

Other countries aren’t quite so squeamish. Most Europeans actually prefer the taste of gamier dark meat – which is nutrient rich with higher levels of iron and zinc.