Switching from landscaping to animal husbandry

Just as ”sake” has local brands, there are local brands of chicken as well. Chicken such as ”Nagoya Cochin” or ”Miyazaki Jidori” are famous, but Aizu has ”Aizu Jidori”. Kazuhiro Kodaira raises this local chicken for poultry.
Aizu Jidori is said to have originated when a fleeing Heike samurai brought a chicken as a pet which later spread. In recent years, the breed was forced to the brink of extinction. However, several surviving chickens were found in 1987, and the original species have been raised and maintained at the Fukushima Prefecture Poultry Experiment Station.
In order to raise Aizu Jidori and commercialize them for consumption, a certified Poultry Processing Sanitation Supervisor is needed. In their search for the qualified person, they discovered Kodaira, who had studied at the Department of Animal Science at Tokyo Agricultural University. ”I was asked to take on this task because I happened to be qualified.” he told us laughing. He took over the Poultry Processing Facilities in Mishimacho. Eventually, he also began raising the chickens so that he could control the entire process in growing delicious chicken.

Healthy clucking sounds echo throughout

Kodaira showed us the chicken coop. It looked different from what you would imagine from the words ”chicken coop”. It looked more like a plastic greenhouse and looked quite tidy. The inside of the chicken coop was quite simple and clean. We also observed the smaller house where the chicks were boarded, and Nakata commented ”It looks like a sandbox where kids play.”
Something else that caught our attention was the energetic clucking that echoed throughout the chicken coop. When we mentioned this, Kodaira explained his belief toward raising chickens. ”If the chicken are not energetic, it can’t be passed on to us humans.”
In order to create that energy, the chicken coop is only loosely managed, keeping it close to natural as much as possible. While the physical condition of the chicken changes during the cold season and the hot season, the flavor must be maintained throughout the year. We were told that that was quite a challenge.

The ”umami” seems to be everlasting

When asked what kind of poultry he aims to produce, he told us ”meat that overflows with flavor when you chew it”. He made a charcoals fire and let us have a taste for ourselves.
”The sweetness is amazing.”, Nakata and his entourage enjoyed one piece after another. Hearing that comment, Kodaira explained ”That’s the sweetness of the fat”. The characteristics of Aizu Jidori is that sweetness and the ”umami” flavor. The more you chew, the more those flavors overflow in your mouth.
”For many people who do not like chicken meat, it’s the smell they don’t like. Our chicken doesn’t have that smell.” Both the breast and thigh have no dryness and are quite juicy. And most of all, the tastiness overflows when you bite into the meat.

Towards a local chicken that surpasses Japan’s top three chickens

Hearing direct compliments from the customers about how delicious it is brings joy and excitement. The Three Great Japanese Chickens – Hinai-dori, Nagoya Kochin, Miyazaki Jidori. Kodaira shared his strong desire to create a local chicken that surpasses all of them.

The post Raising chicken that surpasses Japan’s Three Greatest Chicken. “Aizu Free Range Chicken Mishimaya, Kazuhiro Kodaira” first appeared on NIHONMONO.

No use of “antibiotics”. Egg making following the example of Europe.

“I didn’t know that there are organic eggs.” Nakata seemed to be surprised. Shigenori Mukaiyama of “Kurofuji Farm” said, “No wonder. There are very few farms that raise poultry by organic farming to get organic eggs.”

Indeed, to get organic eggs, the chickens have to be raised organic. They must be raised in a near-natural environment without any use of antibiotics which are often used to fatten the chickens for meat. It is a lot of hard work.

Kurofuji Farm started organic poultry raising in 2002 according to the World Standard (IFOAM). ”Why did you start organic poultry raising?” ”I’ve looked around many countries, and especially in Europe, organic is already a standard. In Japan, a lot of chemicals are used to make good looking, good tasting products. But the real professional should be able to do it naturally,” so answered Mukaiyama to Nakata’s question.

Use of “chicken droppings” is also a part of environmental cycle. “Natural farming” to think environment as a “whole”.

“In order to do that, not only the feedstuff but the environment is vital. There is the forest, and the water is provided from it. It’s not only the matter of chickens. We use the chicken droppings as manure and for other things, and that kind of circulation is necessary for natural farming.”

As Mukaiyama said, organic farming is not possible without considering the natural environment as a whole. The droppings of the livestock that ate safe feedstuff will become manure, and the manure enriches the soil to produce healthy feed, and the animals that eat the feed will grow healthy. That’s circulation.

In the future, originality will be necessary, also in farming.

Mukaiyama talked passionately about his farming, then he asked Nakata a question. ”Why did you choose to visit us? I am very glad that you chose to come and look at an agricultural business.”” I’ve travelled all over Japan with this project, and I noticed a great difference in the environment in each region. That leads to uniqueness, not only in culture and folklore, but ways of doing agriculture. I find it very interesting.”

“That’s true. Originality is so important for farmers to survive, now and in the future. Fermented food, for example, is a distinct feature in Japanese food culture So, I think we should concentrate more on such things.”

The organic eggs of Kurofuji Farm has a story that the environment and commitment create . This may be the “originality” Mukaiyama talked about.

The post The first organic eggs in Japan “Kurofuji Farm” first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Raising Ukokkei in a natural environment

The best selling product at ”Kanazawa Ukkokeian” is ”Ukokkei Castella” made with “ukokkei (silkie fowl) eggs. The castella is not too sweet, moist and very rich.
Learning that ”Kanazawa Ukokkeian” breeds their “ukokkei” in a special way, we requested a visit to their facility. “Ukokkei” are said to be more difficult to breed than chicken, and they also lay fewer eggs. 1 fowl lays only about 40 to 50 eggs a year. Their coop is built adjacent to a bamboo forest and the “ukokkei” are free to roam about, pecking at worms or moving about freely.
The chicks are raised in a clean environment in a separate facility for about 250 days after hatching.
”The feed is all organic, and since we do not feed them any drugs, they need to be kept in a clean environment to avoid disease.” Kawachi, the president told us.

Eggs with a rich and thick flavor

The price of the precious eggs is 500 yen per egg. Nakata treated himself by eating raw on rice. He was surprised at how hard the shell was and how difficult it was to crack. Though the eggs are small, the yolk is large, with the rich “umami” being concentrated in the yolk. This is indeed a lavish treat.
“Ukokkei” eggs have a characteristic of being rich and thick. Therefore when whipped, the egg white becomes very fine and airy, creating a rich flavored smooth-textured castella cake. Besides their famous castella cakes, ”Kanazawa Ukokkeian” also makes both Japanese and Western sweets such as pudding, Baumkuchen, etc. They also sell side dishes made with “ukokkei” eggs and the eggs themselves.
Their products are among one of the favorites as Kanazawa souvenirs, but we highly recommend you have a taste for yourself before giving them all away.

The post Castella cakes made from Ukokkei eggs “Kanazawa Ukkokeian” first appeared on NIHONMONO.