View source for Bresse chicken

{{short description|French chicken product}}
{{use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{use list-defined references|date=October 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2014}}
{{About|the chicken||Bresse (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox prepared food
| name = Poulet de Bresse
| image = Poulet de Bresse - Bresse Chicken.jpg
| caption = A labelled poulet de Bresse
| alternate_name = 
| country = France
| region = [[Bresse]]
| national_cuisine = 
| type = pullet, chicken or capon
| serving_size = 100 g
| calories = 
| protein = 
| fat = 
| carbohydrate = 
| glycemic_index = 
| similar_dish = 
| other = ''Protected designation of origin'' (PDO) and ''[[appellation d'origine contrôlée]]'' (AOC) status
| no_recipes = true
| no_commons = true
}}
[[File:Poulet de Bresse area of production on France relief location map.jpg|thumb|The approximate area of production of the poulet de Bresse (in red)]]
[[Image:Volailles Bresse.JPG|thumb|right|White Bresse de Bény chickens|300px]]
The {{lang|fr|'''poulet de Bresse'''|italic=no}} ({{IPA|fr|pu.lɛ d(ə) bʁɛs}}) or '''volaille de Bresse''' is a French [[chicken meat|chicken]] product which has ''[[appellation d'origine contrôlée]]'' status, and which was registered as a [[Protected Designation of Origin]] under EU and UK law as ''Volaille de Bresse / Poulet de Bresse / Poularde de Bresse / Chapon de Bresse''. It may be produced only from white chickens of the [[Bresse Gauloise]] breed raised within a legally{{hyphen}}defined area of the historic region and former [[province of France|province]] of [[Bresse]], in eastern France.

== History ==

The chickens of the Bresse region have long enjoyed a high reputation. The lawyer, politician, [[Epicure (gourmet)|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".<ref name=guardian/> The name Volaille de Bresse, used for both chicken products and for the dinde de Bresse, the [[domestic turkey|turkey]] of the area, received legal protection on 22 December 1936;<ref name=dirk/> this became an ''[[appellation d'origine contrôlée]]'' (AOC) in 1957.<ref name=guardian/> Today the poulet de Bresse has the reputation of being the best quality table chicken in the world.<ref name=roberts/> The chef [[Georges Blanc (chef)|Georges Blanc]], who is from Bourg-en-Bresse, has been president of the Comité Interprofessionnel de la Volaille de Bresse, the association which oversees the product, since 1986.<ref name=blanc/> [[Alan Davidson (food writer)|Alan Davidson]] described the poulet de Bresse as the "aristocrat of modern table poultry",<ref name=davidson/> and [[Heston Blumenthal]] selected it for one of the dishes in his book ''In Search of Perfection''.<ref name=fertel/>

== Production ==

Poulet de Bresse may be produced only from white chickens (the Bresse de Bény variety) of the [[Bresse Gauloise|Bresse]] breed, raised within a legally defined area of the historic region and former [[province of France|province]] of [[Bresse]], in eastern France. The area is roughly rectangular, approximately {{nobreak|100 km}} by {{nobreak|40 km}}, and includes parts of the [[départements]] of [[Ain]], [[Jura (department)|Jura]] and [[Saône-et-Loire]], in the [[Regions of France|regions]] of [[Rhône-Alpes]], [[Franche-Comté]] and [[Bourgogne]] respectively. It lies mainly between the towns of [[Mâcon]], [[Chalon-sur-Saône]], [[Dole, Jura|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 poulet de Bresse birds are produced each year, about 0.1% of the total annual production of chickens in France; about 10% are exported.<ref name=guardian/> The chickens are raised under strict controls. There are about 200 breeders; each must have a minimum of 0.5 ha of pasture in the area of production, and allow a minimum of 10 m<sup>2</sup> per bird. Each bird must pass inspection by the Centre de Sélection de la Volaille de Bresse, the only breeding centre for the Bresse chicken.<ref name=dirk/> 

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 will forage for insects. They are then "finished" in an épinette, a cage in a darkened fattening shed, where they are intensively fed on maize and milk.<ref name=guardian/> ''Poulets'' or [[pullet]]s are fattened for two weeks, and slaughtered at a minimum age of four months and a minimum weight of {{nobreak|1.2 kg}}; ''[[poulardes]]'' or large hens are fattened for four weeks and slaughtered at five months, when they weigh at least {{nobreak|1.8 kg}}; ''chapons'' or [[capon]]s are also fattened for four weeks, and are slaughtered at eight months or more, at a minimum weight of {{nobreak|3 kg}}.<ref name=dirk/>

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.<ref name=dirk/>

Poulet de Bresse commands premium prices. In 2002 producers of poulet de Bresse 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.<ref name=anim/> Retail prices are much higher; a price of £19.50 per kg was reported from London in 2011.<ref name=hirst/>

== References ==
{{commonscat}}
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name=anim>E. Verrier, M. Tixier-Boichard, R. Bernigaud, M. Naves (2005). [http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/a0070t/a0070t07.htm 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. {{doi|10.1017/S1014233900005538}}</ref>

<ref name=blanc>[http://www.georgesblanc.com/maj/images/pdf/presse/dossier-de-presse.pdf Press release for ''La vie en blanc'', by Georges Blanc (2008)]. Saint-Julien-sur-Veyle: GSL éditions. Accessed October 2014.</ref>

<ref name=davidson>Alan Davidson (1999). ''The Oxford Companion to Food''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. {{isbn|9780192115799}}. {{nobreak|p. 378.}}</ref>

<ref name=dirk>Dirk de Jong (2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20130226073253/http://www.aviculture-europe.nl/nummers/07E02A04.pdf 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.</ref>

<ref name=fertel>Rien T. Fertel (2007). [https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/gfc.2007.7.4.100 Review of ''Heston Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection: Reinventing Kitchen Classics'' by Heston Blumenthal]. ''Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies'' '''7''' (4): 100. {{doi|10.1525/gfc.2007.7.4.100}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

<ref name=guardian>Jon Henley (10 January 2008). [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/jan/10/ethicalliving.animalwelfare Top of the pecking order]. ''The Guardian''. Accessed October 2014.</ref>

<ref name=hirst>Christopher Hirst (19 March 2011). [https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/home-to-roast-are-designer-chickens-worth-the-money-2246423.html Home to roast: Are designer chickens worth the money?]. ''The Independent''. Accessed October 2014.</ref>

<ref name=roberts>Victoria Roberts (2008). [https://books.google.it/books?id=nAfyUHY42u0C&hl=en ''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. {{isbn|9781405156424}}. {{nobreak|p. 330.}}</ref> 

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{{French cuisine}}

__NOTOC__

[[Category:Chicken as food]]
[[Category:Food and drink in France]]
[[Category:Cuisine of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]]
[[Category:Franche-Comté]]
[[Category:Cuisine of Lyon]]
[[Category:French products with protected designation of origin]]

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