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PGI — Alsace
Beneath the grey skies of the Vosges, Alsatian free-range hens peck at barley and maize — poultry fed the Alsatian way, tasting of the earth and the wind of the Kochersberg.
Free-range poultry from Alsace, PGI (IGP) since 1996.
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Since the Middle Ages, Alsatian farms — from the Kochersberg to the Vosges foothills, across the fertile plain of the Ried — have reared farmyard poultry. Hens, chickens and capons featured so frequently on menus for special occasions that a 14th-century chronicler attributed to Bishop Jean de Ligne the consumption of a hen a day; in 1449, the banquet given by the Bishop of Strasbourg, Robert de Bavière, for his entry into his residence served roast capons, and in 1543, for the wedding of Georges de Ribeaupierre and Elisabeth de Helfenstein, 152 capons and 200 hens were served at table.
This reputation was later embodied in a specific type, the Wantzenauermichtkràtzerle — the chicken of La Wantzenau —, recognised before 1870 and dispatched as far as Paris in baskets known as "Bulle" (from the word poule). The Strasbourg market was then bountifully supplied by the farm women of the Kochersberg, who took the tram linking their agricultural plain to the city. In 1988, spurred on by the Chambre d'agriculture du Bas-Rhin, this farm-chicken tradition gave rise to the poulet fermier d'Alsace Label Rouge, a direct continuation of traditional farm chicken; farm turkey, reared on the farms of the Alsace plain since 1945 for the Christmas holidays, followed the same path.
The PGI (IGP) Volailles d'Alsace (IG/02/94), recognised in 1996, marked a decisive turning point: it protects precisely two products, poulet fermier d'Alsace and dinde fermière noire d'Alsace, and sets out their golden rules — extensive rearing, cereal-based feed, slow-growing strains — to make them products of excellence, exportable under inspection.
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On 11 November, goose is roasted in Alsace. This tradition dates back to Martin de Tours, who died on 8 November 397: legend has it that he hid among geese to escape his appointment as bishop, but the clamour of the birds betrayed him and delivered him to the crowd. In Alsace, this tradition takes even deeper root: the goose of the Ried, richly fattened in November after the harvests, is a celebratory dish for the peasantry.
On St Martin's Day, children make Martinslaterne (paper lanterns) and sing as they go door-to-door; family tables are crowned with a roast goose with apples and quetsches, accompanied by a Riesling Grand Cru from the Haut-Rhin. This festival also celebrates the end of the grape harvest and the onset of winter: a seasonal turning point etched into Alsatian collective memory.
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The capon — a castrated cockerel fattened from six months of age — only truly thrives on extensive farms. In times past, the capon was a mark of culinary distinction for well-to-do families. At the Christmas markets of Strasbourg and Colmar, whole poultry — farm chickens, capons, guinea fowl — are displayed with pride, often on traditional baker-roasters' stalls: golden, crisp, exuding an incomparable aroma of thyme and butter.
This practice has continued since the Middle Ages, but the capon is not one of the two products covered by the PGI Volailles d'Alsace — only poulet fermier (a minimum of 81 days of rearing) and dinde fermière noire (140 days) are. The capon follows the same extensive rearing method as the Label Rouge poulet fermier from which it derives — slow growth, cereal-based feed, free range — without itself benefiting from PGI protection.
The PGI Volailles d'Alsace (IG/02/94) protects precisely two products: poulet fermier d'Alsace and dinde fermière noire d'Alsace, slow-growing strains reared in the open air and fed on at least 75% cereals. Beyond the strict scope of this PGI, Alsatian farmyards also rear other traditional regional farm poultry:
tender white meat, fine flesh, pronounced grain flavour
firm flesh, gentle flavour, minimum 140 days of rearing
castrated cockerel, fattened, from the same extensive rearing as Label Rouge poulet fermier, outside the PGI scope
lean meat, subtle gamey flavour, firmer texture than chicken
delicate small poultry, dark red meat, fine and distinctive flavour
red meat, rich and fatty flavour, excellent for braises and slow cooking
dark red meat, abundant and fragrant fat, ideal for confits and festive roasts
Appearance
Golden or slightly bronzed skin (natural colour, unbleached), pale pink to red flesh depending on the species, straw-yellow fat indicative of cereal-based feed.
Aroma
Light, clean, farmyard smell (straw, grain), free from chemical or rancid odours; more pronounced gamey aromas for goose and duck.
Taste
Full grain flavour (maize, barley, wheat), pronounced grilled-roast aromas on cooking, a sustained and slightly sweet underlying flavour, good length on the palate, with no metallic or industrial aftertaste.
Texture
Firm, flavourful flesh, meat adheres well to the bone, melting, non-rancid fat, skin that crisps during cooking.
Rearing conditions:
fewer than 11 chickens per m² of building (fewer than 6 turkeys per m²), buildings limited to 400 m²
mandatory from the 42nd day until slaughter — 2 m²/chicken, 6 m²/turkey
minimum 81 days for poulet fermier, 140 days for dinde fermière noire
cereal-based, at least 75% minimum, without added growth promoters
sanitary break and cleaning-disinfection of premises between flocks
must be carried out in Alsace (67 or 68)
in Alsace as well (respecting the terroir right to the end)
The product specifications also require extensive semi-free-range rearing (open air or grassy run), without cages or battery systems, water ad libitum, and regular checks throughout the rearing chain.
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Since: 1996
Area covered: Alsace (67, 68) — poulet fermier d'Alsace (≥ 81 days) and dinde fermière noire d'Alsace (≥ 140 days)
Key requirements: Density < 11 chickens/m² (< 6 turkeys/m²), cereals ≥ 75%, slow-growing strains, slaughter and processing in Alsace
Association
Family-run
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