The world is in love with chicken. From chicken tikka masala to grilled Mexican chicken, no matter where you go, you will always find chicken-based dishes beloved by the locals. But how did chicken become so popular?
A Brief History of Chicken
The origins of chicken stretch back 7,000 to 10,000 years, although historical evidence seems to indicate that humans first raised chickens for fighting and not for eating.
Egyptians and Romans loved eating chicken and developed sophisticated breeding, incubation, and feeding methods.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 AD), all the breeding techniques accumulated previously were lost. Producing chickens would remain an occasional occupation for a long time, well into the 20th century.
Chickens couldn’t be bred at a large scale because they need free space and sun to grow. Things changed with antibiotics and vitamins that paved the way for the indoor chicken production methods we know today.
A Global Phenomenon
Poultry is the most consumed meat in the United States, which also has the largest broiler chicken industry in the world, with approximately 16 percent of production exported to other countries.
Chicken is the main ingredient of many iconic dishes that span a vast array of cultures, for example, chicken soup, Buffalo wings, pollo alla cacciatora, coq au vin, coxinha, General Tso’s chicken, yakitori, kati kati chicken, and adobo.
Mexico loves chicken too. In fact, many Mexican dishes take full advantage of all the tasty possibilities of this type of meat. From chicken tacos to caldo de pollo and chicken grilled to perfection over real Mesquite charcoal, you can enjoy many of those delicacies at El Pollo Norteño!
More Interesting Facts About Chicken and Mexican Food
We love all the curious facts that surround chicken and authentic Mexican food. These are some previous posts you can read to learn more about this fascinating topic.
- Huevos Rancheros: everything you need to know
- Chicken and Mexican food: 5 curious facts
- Mexican Carne Asada is a way of life
- The amazing stories behind the names of Mexican food
- Mesquite, a symbol of Mexican culture
- Why Are chili peppers so important in Mexican cuisine
Enjoy Authentic Mexican Food at El Pollo Norteño
If what you want is Authentic Mexican food in Anaheim, California, El Pollo Norteño is the place to go.
Visit today any of our four locations (Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Garden Grove), order online, get in touch through Facebook, or call 866-MI-POLLO to enjoy our authentic Mexican dishes: amazing chicken grilled to perfection over real Mesquite charcoal, tacos, burritos, tortas, birria, and more!