Description
The Volailles de l'Ain PGI inlcude free-range winged animals of different breeds, like chickens and capons, guinea hens and turkeys. It is farm poultry with bare neck and white, yellow or black feathering.
Production Area
The production area of Volailles de l'Ain PGI includes the entire department of Ain and its neighbouring cantons, in the region of Rhône-Alpes.
Production Method
Volailles de l'Ain PGI belong to a rustic quality from an original slow-raising breed. These winged animals are raised in the open air, in grassy and well-shaded paths to achieve the best physical development and are nurtured with 75% of cereals, whilst the rest includes herbs, worms and insects which the animals find in the open areas. They are butchered only after 81 days of life.
Appearance and Flavour
Volailles de l'Ain PGI are much appreciated due to their white, fine and tasteful fowls, leaner than other winged animals which are not raised in the open air.
History
The breeding of farm winged animals in the production area of Volailles de l'Ain PGI has ancient origins, linked to the local production. All the farms, small or big, raised poultry and winged animals to achieve fowls and for the production of eggs, as confirmed by the archive and cadastral documents.
Gastronomy
Volailles de l'Ain PGI can be conserved for a few days in the refrigerator, wrapped into their purchasing paper and stored in the coldest compartment. These fowls can be cooked in different ways depending on the cut of the product, if whole or in slices. The department of Ain has a reputation from a gastronomic point of view due to the many winged-animal based dishes, which are traditional. These recipes are also mentioned in the famous Anthelme Brillat-Savarin book, which comes from these locations. The fowls of Volailles de l'Ain PGI are very good for stuffed roasts or enriched with creams and glazing; they are accompanied by potatoes and vegetables. Turkeys, capons and guinea hens are highly demanded to prepare traditional dishes during the Christmas feasts.
Marketing
The Volailles de l'Ain PGI includes different types of products, depending on the specific varieties of poultry of the denomination which are individually written on the package. Amongst these, there are poulet fermier (noir e blanc), dinde fermière de Noël, chapon fermière (black and white farm chicken, Christmas farm turkey, farm capon). It is sold fresh, whole or without head, or in slices, packed in suitable trays with protected atmosphere to guarantee a longer conservation and keep unaltered the organoleptic features of fowl. Guinea hens and free-range Chickens are sold also in slices or boneless.
Distinctive Features
Thanks to the specific selection of the breed, the slaughtering age, the diet rich in cereals and the specific breeding method, the nutritional values of Volailles de l'Ain PGI free-range, winged animals are a lot, indeed, they contain more protein and less water, mineral salts and vitamins. And, above all thanks to the specific breeding method which gives to the fowls of these winged animals a unique taste, much appreciated by connoisseurs.
