- Vikram Doctor
- Updated: Mar 07, 2022, 09:37 IST IST
As an increasing number of people begin to ditch the white meat, a look at how a mistaken delivery in 1923, a supermarket-sponsored contest and the Cold War helped it become a constant fixture in our diet. And what we don’t get about the health concerns it poses
When charred chicken bones were found at Indus Valley civilisation sites, it didn’t seem like a surprise. Charles Darwin argued that domestic chickens descended from the Indian Jungle Fowl — and considering our appetite for the bird today is immense, crossing four million metric tonnes in 2021 — it seems also fairly obvious that it has ancient roots.
Reality, however, is a bit complex. India’s love of chicken is a relatively recent phenomenon. Genome analysis, published in 2020, suggests that chicken’s centre of domestication was southeast Asia, or southern China, though the Indian Jungle Fowl may have crossbred with it quite early.
Reality, however, is a bit complex. India’s love of chicken is a relatively recent phenomenon. Genome analysis, published in 2020, suggests that chicken’s centre of domestication was southeast Asia, or southern China, though the Indian Jungle Fowl may have crossbred with it quite early.
