Description
The Volailles du Béarn PGI include free-range winged animals of different species like chicken, guinea hens, guinea-hen capons and turkeys.
Production Area
The production area of Volailles du Béarn PGI covers the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the neighbouring cantons of Gers, Landes and Hautes-Pyrénées in the Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees regions.
Production Method
All the breeds of Volailles du Béarn PGI are raised in the open air using roofed shelters built to enable the access to large grassy areas. The diet consists of 50% maize and vegetables and minerals. All Volailles du Béarn PGI, except of capons, are put down when they reach an age close to sexual maturity.
Appearance and Flavour
The fowl of Volailles du Béarn PGI is compact and tasteful, leaner than fowls obtained by means of other breeding methods. The capon fowl is characterized by high softness and a velvety consistency, whilst the guinea hen is darker and very compact.
History
The history of Volailles du Béarn PGI goes back to far times, indeed, the presence of winged animal farms is confirmed already since the 18th century in the region. King Henry IV helped to develop this production. Also the gastronomic tradition of Béarn, rich in recipes with winged animals, confirms the importance of this production.
Gastronomy
The Volailles du Béarn PGI can be conserved in many ways: fresh, in slices and filleted or frozen. The recipes based on Volailles du Béarn PGI are linked to the local gastronomic tradition with deep historic roots. These fowls, famous due to their compactness and tasteful flavour, are ideal to prepare exquisite and elaborated second courses. 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 du Béarn 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 fermière de Noël, poulet jaune fermier élevé an plein air en petit bâtiment (Christmas farm turkey; farm yellow chicken raised in the open air and in small shelters). 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.
Distinctive Features
The peculiar characteristics of Volailles du Béarn PGI are due to the type of breeding in small shelters with access to large grassy areas and to their diet mostly based on maize, in a region where the climate is favourable for breeding in the open air.
