Description
The Volailles du Gers PGI include chicken, pullets and grey, red, white and black capons; black turkeys, guinea hens and guinea-hen capons. All these breeds come from the Gris de Gers rustic species with slow-raising.
Production Area
The production area of Volailles du Gers PGI is located in the department of Gers and in some neighbouring areas of the departments of Haute-Garonne, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées and Tarn-et-Garonne, in the Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees regions.
Production Method
The winged animals receive a natural diet which consists above all of vegetables and minerals, with almost 80% of cereals. They are raised in the open air and free. The animals are slaughtered when they reach an age close to sexual maturity. The duration of breeding is two times more than the one of standard farming.
Appearance and Flavour
The flesh of Volailles du Gers PGI is firm, with very thin skin and high flavour features. The guinea hen is highly demanded due to its dark flesh, lean, perfumed and characterised by a slight aftertaste of game. The turkey has fattier and tenderer flesh.
History
The fame of Volailles du Gers PGI is historically linked to traditional farming of poultry in the farms of this region, which has been dedicated for centuries to poultry farming. The grey chicken of Gers is well-known and its production was relaunched in the 1970s. The present reputation of poultry of Gers is very important for local gastronomy, in addition to being famous also at a national level.
Gastronomy
The Volailles du Gers PGI can be conserved in the refrigerator for a few days, in their original package. The flesh of this poultry is prepared in different recipes depending on the cut and is also used to prepare a lot of dishes, from the simplest to the most elaborated. It can be cooked whole or in slices, stuffed or not, in oven or fried, seasoned with aromatic herbs or spices, in white or tomato sauce. The guinea hen is above all used to prepare terrines and pâtés thanks to its taste which recalls slightly game. Black turkey is demanded for Christmas and New Year feasts to prepare local dishes.
Marketing
The Volailles du Gers PGI include 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 dinde noire fermière de Noël, pintade fermière, chapon fermier, poularde fermière, canard fermier, chapon de pintade fermier, poulet fermier (blanc, jaune, roux, blanc or noir) (Christmas, farm, black turkey; farm capon; farm pullet; farm goose; farm guinea-hen capon; farm, white, yellow, red, white or black chicken). It is marketed fresh or frozen, whole with or without head or in slices packed in trays with protected atmosphere which guarantee a longer conservation and keep its organoleptic features.
Distinctive Features
The diet rich of cereals and the slow and accurate raising give the Volailles du Gers PGI peculiar organoleptic features and a highly appreciated flavour.
