.gif)
Malay (chicken)
Encyclopedia
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
originating in Asia, most likely in northern Pakistan (formerly part of India). These birds are cousins of Asil. It is unknown why they were called Malay, but perhaps because of a mistake by the former East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, when they introduced that exotic new breed around 1570. In Asia, the Malay chicken is usually found only in rural areas and village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s. It is sometimes referred to as "kampung" chicken (kampung means "village" in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
). In the Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
region of Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
, Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
and Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
, the Malay chicken is called Sigun. In north West Pakistan these are called Sadalay meaning big docile or gentle giants. The Malay Chicken is sometimes used in cockfighting.
Today, in the West the Malay is mainly kept for participation in poultry shows by breeders. It is considered a hard-feathered, gamefowl
Gamecock
A gamecock or game fowl is a type of rooster with physical and behavioral traits suitable for cockfighting. Game fowl are more closely related to their wild cousins "jungle fowl"; a shy wild chicken from forests in South Central and Southeastern Asia...
breed. The Malay has an upright stance, a well muscled form and a large skull with a cruel expression. Nowadays they are selected to be better egg-layers than in the 1970s with 70 to 120 eggs annually for a young hen and older hens laying only 30 to 55 eggs.
As food
In Malaysia, kampung chicken is considered a premium by people living in urban areas and costs more in supermarkets and wet markets than conventionally-raised broiler chickens, due to its supposedly better flavour.Malay Chicken is a tougher meat than many other breeds. Because of this, the Malay chicken is often double boiled in herbs or is stewed, and recipes often call for curry, garlic, cumin, turmeric, etc. The Malay carcass may be hung in the kitchen at room temperature for 12 or 24 hours. The meat may also be cubed for soaking in buttermilk, as the milk acid helps to cut the fibrils in the meat.