The or is a French chicken product which has both and European Union protected designation of origin status, as . It may be produced only from white chickens of the Bresse Gauloise breed raised within a legallydefined area of the historic region and former province of Bresse, in eastern France.
History
The chickens of the Bresse region have long enjoyed a high reputation. The lawyer, politician, epicure and gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755–1826), who was born at Belley in the Ain, is supposed to have described the Bresse chicken as "the queen of poultry, the poultry of kings". The name – used both for chicken products and for the , the turkey of the area – received legal protection on 22 December 1936; this became an (AOC) in 1957. In the twenty-first century the has the reputation of being among the best-quality table chickens in the world. The chef Georges Blanc – who is from Bourg-en-Bresse – has been president of the , the association which oversees the product, since 1986. Alan Davidson has described the as the "aristocrat of modern table poultry", and Heston Blumenthal selected it for one of the dishes in his book In Search of Perfection.
Production
may be produced only from white chickens (the variety) of the Bresse Gauloise breed, raised within a legallydefined area of the historic region and former province of Bresse, in eastern France. The area is roughly rectangular, approximately , and includes parts of the departments of Ain, Jura and Saône-et-Loire, in the regions of Rhône-Alpes, Franche-Comté and Bourgogne respectively. It lies mainly between the towns of Mâcon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Dole and Lons-le-Saunier; Bourg-en-Bresse is within the area. Lyon is not far to the south, and Dijon not far to the north.
Approximately 1.2 million birds are produced each year, about 0.1% of the total annual production of chickens in France; about 10% are exported. The chickens are raised under strict controls. There are about 200 breeders; each must have a minimum of of pasture in the area of production, and allow a minimum of per bird. Each bird must pass inspection by the , the only breeding centre for the Bresse chicken.
The birds are kept free range for at least four months. From about 35 days they are fed cereals and dairy products; the diet is intentionally kept low in protein so that the birds forage for insects. They are then "finished" in an , a cage in a darkened fattening shed, where they are intensively fed on maize and milk. ('pullets') are fattened for two weeks, and slaughtered at a minimum age of four months and a minimum weight of ; or large hens are fattened for four weeks and slaughtered at five months, when they weigh at least ; or capons are also fattened for four weeks, and are slaughtered at eight months or more, at a minimum weight of .
The birds are marketed with the head and characteristic slate-blue legs, traditionally a sign of authenticity. The left leg carries a metal leg-ring with the name of the producer.
commands premium prices. In 2002 producers received an average of €4.00 per kg (whole chicken, ready to cook); comparable prices received by producers of organic and standard chickens were €2.70 and €1.60 respectively. Retail prices are much higher; a price of £19.50 per kg was reported from London in 2011.
Notes
References
E. Verrier, M. Tixier-Boichard, R. Bernigaud, M. Naves (2005). Conservation and value of local livestock breeds: usefulness of niche products and/or adaptation to specific environments. Animal Genetic Resources Information. 36 (April 2005): 21-31. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. .
Press release for La vie en blanc, by Georges Blanc (2008). Saint-Julien-sur-Veyle: GSL éditions. Accessed October 2014.
Alan Davidson (1999). The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford: Oxford University Press. .
Dirk de Jong (2007). De Bresse-Gauloise: Ruim 400 jaar oud en nog springlevend = Bresse-Gauloise: More than 400 years old, and still fresh and lively. Aviculture-Europe. 3 (2): [unpaginated, 9 pages]. Archived 26 February 2013.
Rien T. Fertel (2007). Review of Heston Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection: Reinventing Kitchen Classics by Heston Blumenthal. Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies. 7 (4): 100. .
Jon Henley (10 January 2008). Top of the pecking order. The Guardian. Accessed October 2014.
Christopher Hirst (19 March 2011). Home to roast: Are designer chickens worth the money?. The Independent. Accessed October 2014.
Victoria Roberts (2008). British poultry standards: complete specifications and judging points of all standardized breeds and varieties of poultry as compiled by the specialist breed clubs and recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain. Oxford: Blackwell. .
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