Classic French Bresse chicken, flavor limited to its place of origin
Just as Taiwan, China's food scene tries to use "poached chicken" as the representative Taiwanese chicken dish, French Bresse Poultry has established an internationally classic legend for French chicken cuisine through its place of origin, breed and rearing methods.
French Bresse chicken is a must-try delicacy for many diners in pursuit of chicken cuisine. Its annual output is only 1.5 million birds, and a 2 kg Bresse chicken costs nearly 2,000 yuan (Taiwan dollars) locally. What makes "it" so famous internationally? The answer, besides the high-standard rearing methods, also lies in innovation among chefs.
Bresse chicken showcases French country cuisine
The reason Bresse chicken became famous far and wide is that it was made known by Paul Bocuse, known as the father of modern French cuisine. Ren Guoxi said that one of Paul Bocuse's dishes is a whole Bresse chicken wrapped in a pig's bladder. Liu Xiuying, former food writer for Next Magazine, added that when this dish is served it looks almost like a work of art; the pig's bladder puffs up like a balloon but does not burst, black truffle is stuffed under the chicken skin, and the chicken body is stuffed with chanterelles, greens, potatoes, carrots and so on, and it is very delicious.
Ren Guoxi said that this dish was actually invented by rural women in Lyon. In the early days, Lyon developed a textile industry, and to make a living, rural women would go to middle-class households to cook, which is how this dish came to be. Later, Paul Bocuse presented this hometown dish perfectly.
Taiwan native chickens are not inferior to Bresse chicken, but lack a system to highlight their value
Every year France holds a "Bresse chicken beauty contest" in Lyon. Liu Xiuying, who once made a pilgrimage to Lyon, said excitedly that the beauty contest venue is about the size of a high school sports stadium, and each Bresse chicken lies quietly there keeping the feathers on its tail end, judged by local Michelin three-star chefs. The champion Bresse chicken is finally given to the French prime minister, showing that such judging has policy significance.
After a visit to Lyon, France, Liu Xiuying found that in fact many high-quality Taiwan native chickens cared for by good breeders are not inferior to Bresse chicken, but local chefs and consumers are willing to spend big money to buy such chickens for cooking, because French people can understand the value represented by Bresse chicken behind it, its rearing methods and the time spent, and this is also what brought about Bresse chicken's current status.
Ren Guoxi said that he had actually tasted Taiwan native chicken in the mountains of Hsinchu whose quality was not inferior to Bresse chicken. "Taiwan still has many good poultry farmers who spend time raising native chickens; the only difference is that Taiwan lacks a system like AOC, introducing aspects such as scientific research, to classify and define the various native chicken breeds."
News mini-glossary
AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee): AOC is a geographical indication for traditional French products. Its origins can be traced back to the 15th century, when Charles VI issued a special certificate to Roquefort cheese. In 1935, AOC began to be used to manage wine production, until 1919 when the French authorities passed the "law on the protection of designations of origin," giving detailed rules for the production areas of given products.
In 1957, Bresse chicken was formally included in France's AOC regulated appellation rules. From 1862 onward, on the eve of Christmas, a Bresse chicken competition began to be held, and the champion Bresse chicken was sent to the Elysee Palace to become the president's Christmas dinner.
(This article was funded by the Jianzhen Environmental Education Foundation for personnel expenses, but it completely does not interfere with news topic selection and interview writing, ensuring news independence.)