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PGI — Label Rouge — Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc farmhouse poultry: tender white meat, free-range, delicate mild flavour.
Free-range poultry from Languedoc-Roussillon, PGI (IGP) since 1996.
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The poultry-farming tradition in Languedoc is as old as the vineyards that cover its garrigues. On the farms of Gard, Hérault, and Lozère, the farmyard has always held a central place: chickens, guinea fowl, capons, and turkeys fed on scraps from the vines and orchards, fattening on sun-drenched outdoor runs before reaching the family table. This extensive farming model — unhurried, attuned to the rhythm of the Mediterranean seasons — has for centuries shaped poultry with a more pronounced, complex flavour than birds reared in confinement.
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It was this tradition of extensive farming that Label Rouge, obtained in 1984 by the SICA Cévennes-Languedoc, was first to reward; the "Volailles du Languedoc" PGI only followed twelve years later, registered in 1996 in accordance with European Regulation No 1107/96. This dual certification guarantees both geographical roots — Gard, Hérault, Lozère, and Bouches-du-Rhône — and organoleptic quality monitored through tasting. More than twenty farmers belong to the group today, producing in the region of 480,000 birds a year (chickens and guinea fowl combined), in compliance with specifications that mandate open-air rearing and prohibit any growth promoters in the feed.
Appearance
Well-conformed whole bird, fine lightly golden skin, uniform pearly-white fat, white to pinkish meat
Aroma
Light and herbaceous, pleasantly rustic, with no greasy or strong odour
Flavour
Firm flesh and muscle, juicy meat, non-greasy and full of flavour; the aromatic plants of the garrigue (thyme, rosemary, savory, bay laurel) that surround the animals impart a delicate flavour to them.
Texture
Tender yet firm flesh, melting fat, generous cooking juices
slow-growing strains, each delivery of chicks accompanied by a certificate of origin
reared in well-lit poultry houses of 400 m² maximum, pop-holes to the run open from 9:00 to dusk
fresh or frozen, whole or in cuts, under the Label Rouge + PGI label
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Volailles du Languedoc shine in all the great dishes of the Midi. Roast chicken with garrigue herbs — wild thyme, rosemary, savory — is the Sunday dish par excellence. Guinea fowl, meatier and subtly gamey, pairs ideally with Lucques olives and confit tomatoes.
In winter, capon stuffed with truffles or ceps from the Languedoc forests is the celebratory dish that brings families together. Turkey, stuffed with Cévennes chestnuts and apples, graces year-end holiday tables.
Wine pairings: a white Languedoc (Picpoul de Pinet, Clairette du Languedoc) for dishes in white sauces; a light red from Saint-Chinian or Faugères for roast poultry.
Since: 1996
Area covered: Gard, Hérault, Lozère, Bouches-du-Rhône
Key requirements: Slow-growing strains, slaughter age from 81 to 150 days depending on the species, outdoor run of at least 2 m²/bird, cereals ≥ 75%, no growth promoters
Since: 1984
Area covered: Gard, Hérault, Lozère, Bouches-du-Rhône
Key requirements: Same requirements + regular organoleptic testing (tasting, cooking loss)
Major house
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