Description
The Volailles de Normandie PGI include free-range winged animals of different breeds, coming from slow-raising breeds and crossbreeds like Christmas turkeys; guinea hens; free-range, white and yellow chickens; bare-neck, black capons; bare-neck white chickens; free-range, white chickens 91 days old; free-range and bare-neck, yellow chickens. The bare-neck breed of Forez is an ancient breed originated in France. From a bare-neck couple can be obtained bare-neck chickens without front feather tie; standard feathering chicken and some bare-neck chickens with feather tie on the neck front, the only used for reproduction and coming from this breed. There is also a dwarfish breed.
Production Area
The production area of Volailles de Normandie PGI covers the departments of Seine-Maritime, Eure, Calvados, Manche and Orne and the neighbouring cantons of these departments.
Production Method
The breeding of Volailles de Normandie PGI takes place in the open air or free and depends on the sizes of grassy areas and fencings. Their diet consists of cereals and butchering is made when the different breeds are close to sexual maturity, except of capon.
Appearance and Flavour
The fowl of Volailles de Normandie PGI is compact and tasteful.
History
The fame of Volailles de Normandie PGI is due to its historic origins, as in the 19th century up to mid 1960s, there were small or big breeding areas in every farm of the region. The existence of numerous local breeds started at the beginning of the century - of which 6 still exist - confirms the popularity of this product which were sold in the most important markets of winged animals of the region. The structures which existed in the past in the region and the peculiar climate have been ideal for the development of a free breeding. The production system was revamped in the 1970s.
Gastronomy
The Volailles de Normandie PGI can be conserved in different ways: fresh, frozen or cooked. At the same time, there are a lot of recipes based on Volailles de Normandie PGI, famous due to the compactness of fowls and their exquisite taste. With the different breeds of Volailles de Normandie PGI, a lot of tasteful and elaborated second courses can be prepared. Roasted or sauté with aromatic herbs or cooked with precious wines, they are the base of flavourful dishes, often accompanied by sauces and creams in line with the French tradition and trimmings of cooked vegetables of potatoes.
Marketing
The Volailles de Bourgogne 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, blanc, blanc de 91 jours, blanc âgé de 15 semaines minimum, jaune cou-nu), dinde fermière de Noël, chapon fermier, pintade fermière (farm chicken, black, white 91 days old, white max 15 week old and bare-neck yellow; Christmas farm turkey; farm capon; farm guinea hen). The product 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. The name of the corresponding breed and the name and address of control authority must be written on all packages.
Distinctive Features
The specific selection of the breed, the butchering age, the diet rich of cereals and peculiar breeding method in line with the climatic characteristics of the Normandy region make the nutritional features of Volailles de Normandie PGI very specific, with more proteins and less water content, in addition to be rich of mineral salts and vitamins.
