Short
Arnold
Lara MFood Facts: Chicken
April 12th 2011 15:04
In my series Food Facts I hope to shed a little light on the history of some of our favorite fares. I will look into where they originated and how they transformed over time to the foods we enjoy today.
For the first item in this section I chose the chicken. I'm not trying to close the argument of what came first, but instead thought I would start with one of the world's most popular proteins.
The History
The chicken that we think of today is a bit different from its ancestors the red junglefowl. While you can certainly see the similarities of the two birds, the junglefowl was known to be much more wild and aggressive than today's chickens. These junglefowl are believed to have been first domesticated in China, and they can still be found today in many parts of southeast Asia.
It was formerly believed that Spanish conquistadors had been responsible for introducing the chicken to the Americas, but more recently archeologists have found evidence of chicken bones that predate the Columbus expedition.
Today’s Chicken
The chickens of today have become less active and more docile than their distant relatives. They carry more meat and produce eggs in larger numbers and size for consumers to enjoy.
According to the Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds, there were more than 24 million chickens in the world in 2003. No other species of bird can claim a larger population. Chicken is used worldwide; the largest consumers of the bird are not surprisingly China and the United States.
I hope I was able to shed some light on this finger lickin' favorite! Be sure to check back for the next set of food facts.
For the first item in this section I chose the chicken. I'm not trying to close the argument of what came first, but instead thought I would start with one of the world's most popular proteins.
Chicken is served today in many different ways
The History
The chicken that we think of today is a bit different from its ancestors the red junglefowl. While you can certainly see the similarities of the two birds, the junglefowl was known to be much more wild and aggressive than today's chickens. These junglefowl are believed to have been first domesticated in China, and they can still be found today in many parts of southeast Asia.
The red jungle fowl
It was formerly believed that Spanish conquistadors had been responsible for introducing the chicken to the Americas, but more recently archeologists have found evidence of chicken bones that predate the Columbus expedition.
Today’s Chicken
The chickens of today have become less active and more docile than their distant relatives. They carry more meat and produce eggs in larger numbers and size for consumers to enjoy.
Chicken is farmed all over the world
According to the Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds, there were more than 24 million chickens in the world in 2003. No other species of bird can claim a larger population. Chicken is used worldwide; the largest consumers of the bird are not surprisingly China and the United States.
I hope I was able to shed some light on this finger lickin' favorite! Be sure to check back for the next set of food facts.
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