According to the Huffington Post, for the first time in 100 years, chicken is more popular than beef in the US – in the 1950s Americans ate an average of 7 kilograms per year; by 2000 they were eating 24 kilograms; and by 2012 that number had increased to 27 kilograms per person per year. Figures taken from the South African Poultry Association (http://www.sapoultry.co.za/), puts our per capita consumption in 2014 at nearly 38 kilograms for the year – that’s a lot of chicken. Did you know that the difference between a layer and a broiler is that the former type of chicken is used for egg production, while the latter is used for its meat? Or that thanks to modernisation, a hen lay on average 160 eggs in 1960, versus 325 eggs in 2009? Or that incredibly enough, a hen will turn her egg 50 times a day to keep the yolk from sticking to the side?
Domesticated since at least the 7th century BC, the chicken has played an important role in culture and cuisine over the millennia. Romans reportedly took chickens along with them to war, not to eat mind you, but for portent purposes – if the chickens ate with relish, victory was more probable. And in Mali, the locals used a chicken when big decisions loomed – if at slaughter the chicken fell to the left or right the answer to the question asked was ‘yes’, but if the chicken fell forward the answer was ‘no’. Gastronomically too, the chicken has survived many incarnations, from the 14th century ‘Hindle wakes’ – a bird stuffed with prunes, bacon, almonds, breadcrumbs and herbs; and traditional chicken pie in the 1800s; to coronation chicken salad – cubed chicken tossed in a light and creamy curry and mango chutney sauce – created for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation lunch in 1953. In broth form it’s even reported to hold healing qualities – chicken soup has long been seen as a cure for all forms of ailment even earning the nickname ‘Jewish penicillin’ thanks to its propensity to be served by Jewish mothers to the ill. From fortune teller to healer, the humble chicken has seen it all – and its popularity as a healthy and versatile source of protein continues to grow.
Meeting this huge demand is leading South African meat wholesalers, N1 – their Halaal certified meat offering includes a wide variety of high-quality chicken products, from the whole bird, chicken pieces, kebabs, livers and mince; to the non-Halaal crumbed chicken burgers, steaklets, nuggets and breasts. With chicken consumption constantly increasing, be sure to call N1 today for all your poultry needs.
Sources: Purdue University and Smithsonian Magazine
