Why is it safe to eat medium rare duck but not chicken?

Answer 1

The usda recommends that chicken be cooked to an internal temperature of 165F to kill various bacteria and pathogens that are frequently found in farmed animals. These bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes are easily spread in confined, cramped environments - therefore, making chickens especially vulnerable.

Ducks are also subject to these various germs, but there are two factors that influence their contamination. The environment in which they are raised (their pens or cages) and the processing of the duck into a sales-ready product.

Raising ducks require more space than chickens (access to water etc.) This increase in space spreads the animals (and therefore the bacterias etc.) out over a larger area, thereby distributing and reducing the exposure.

When ducks are harvested, the entire carcass is dipped in very hot paraffin wax, to aid in the removal of feathers. The processor dips the duck into the hot wax, pulls the duck out, and removes all of the feathers in one tug - including the difficult to remove, soft, down feathers. This process also exposes he skin, where many of these pathogens etc. live to the 180F wax - killing most of them immediately.

These two facts limit a ducks exposure and therefore, contamination by such dangerous bacteria.

Answer 2

Duck can be eaten medium rare because it has a lower risk of carrying harmful bacteria like salmonella, which is more common in chicken. Similarly, duck meat has different cooking requirements and internal temperature guidelines than chicken to ensure it is safe to consume.