Capon / chapon

A capon is a rooster that has been castrated to improve the quality of its flesh for food.

History

The Romans are credited with inventing the capon. The Lex Faunia of 162 BC forbade fattening hens in order to conserve grain rations. In order to get around this the Romans castrated roosters, which resulted in a doubling of size.^[1] European gastronomic texts of the past dealt largely with capons, as the ordinary chicken of the farmyard was regarded as peasant fare, “popular malice crediting monks with a weakness for capons.”^[2]

Effects of Caponization

Caponization is the process of turning a cockerel (young rooster) into a capon. Caponization can be done by surgically removing the rooster’s testes, or may also be accomplished through the use of estrogen implants. With either method, the sex hormones normally present in roosters are no longer effective. Caponization must be done before the rooster matures, so that it develops without the influence of sex hormones.

Capons, due to the lack of sex hormones, are not as aggressive as normal roosters. This makes capons easier to handle, and allows capons to be kept together with other capons since their reduced aggressiveness prevents them from fighting.

The lack of sex hormones results in meat that is less gamy in taste. Capon meat is also more moist, tender, and flavorful than that of a hen or rooster, which is due not only to the hormonal differences during the capon’s development but is also because capons are not as active as roosters, which makes their meat more tender and fatty.^[3]

Capons develop a smaller head, comb, and wattle than that of a normal rooster.

Capons are fairly rare in industrial meat production. Chickens raised for meat are bred and raised so that they mature very quickly. Industrial chickens can be sent to market in as little as five weeks. Capons produced under these conditions will taste very similar to conventional meat, making their production unnecessary.

Chapon de Bresse

The capon of Bresse chicken is the only one with an AOC.

The AOC Bresse capon requirements:¤ 8 months of living.
¤ breeding in the wild, on grassy.
¤ Food consisting of cereals harvested in BRESSE, milk and milk products, worms and molluscs.
¤ final fattening spruce for 4 weeks.
¤ Minimum weight: 3 kg
¤ Marketing 1 to December 31.
¤ Introduction: rolled into the net.

The brotherhood of poulardiers Bresse

The brotherhood of poulardiers Bresse is entirely related to a product: Bresse poultry. Born December 15, 1962, shortly after the decree of the AOC decree No. 57-866 of 1 August 1957, which defined the conditions of production of the Bresse poultry and established by the same warranty quality, the Brotherhood was created at the initiative of Senator Mayor Henry Louhans Varlot. A few months before the contest of poultry fines (glorious) it brings together those responsible for economic and business sectors in the region, organizing a group to defend this product, and in agreement with the CIVB not representative of the inter-in the grand council The Brotherhood of poulardiers was launched. If the first chapters were conducted after a fashion, the brotherhood has gradually structured, defining its role and modalities of its operation in accordance with the statute law of 1 July 1901, filed with the sub-prefecture 16 July 1964 the Brotherhood of poulardiers Bresse appeared in the Gazette.

The goals that takes the brotherhood (Article 2 of the bylaws):

To make every effort to enforce “the law of appellation.”
To fight against any form of farming, and “puppet” labels .
Active propaganda in favor of the Bresse poultry in France and abroad.
To preserve and revive the age-old customs and traditions of the farmers, sharecroppers and farm Bresse.
To promote tourism, folklore and gastronomy from Bresse.
To provide assistance to parties to the glorious and artistic and gastronomic within the scope of its purpose.

Dates and locations of chapters and interests

Chapter Spring: end of May on Friday evening at the castle of Espeyssoles Vonnas at Georges Blanc

Chapter Fall: always the last Sunday of November (immutable)

The four glorious contest of poultry from Bresse fine 3rd week of December Bourg en Bresse, Pont de Vaux; Montrevel en Bresse, Louhans 1st prize pack of 3 capons Bourg en Bresse and Louhans receives a Sevres vase of the President of the Republic

 

Hymne des Poulardiers

Chevalier de la poularde
Groupons nous, serrons les rangs
Saluons notre cocarde
Soyons fiers d’être Bressans
A la gloire de nos poulets champions
Amis, mangeons, buvons, chantons
Chevalier de la poularde
Amis buvons et chantons