The Bionda Piemontese is a traditional Italian dual-purpose

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

. It originates in the

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

region of north-western Italy, from which it takes its name. It may also be called the Bionda di Cuneo, after the

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

Cuneo Cuneo (; pms, Coni ; oc, Coni/Couni ; french: Coni ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area. It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in ...

or the surrounding

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

; Bionda di Villanova, after the comune of

Villanova d'Asti Villanova d'Asti is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Asti, Piedmont, northern Italy. It has around 5,000 inhabitants. The economy is based on a mixture of agriculture and industry. Villanova d'Asti was founded in the Middle Ages. The main ...

in the

province of Asti The Province of Asti ( it, Provincia di Asti, Piedmontese: ''Provincia d’Ast'') is a province in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Asti. To the northwest it borders on the Metropolitan City of Turin; to the sou ...

; Rossa delle Crivelle, after a village near

Buttigliera d'Asti Buttigliera d'Asti is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about northwest of Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a ''comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) ...

; or Nostralina.

History

The Bionda Piemontese was once widely distributed in

Piemonte it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. In the 1960s, industrialisation and intensive agriculture caused a decline in the breed, which is suitable only for free-range management. Recovery began in 1999 under the auspices of the Istituto Professionale per l'Agricoltura e l'Ambiente of

Verzuolo Verzuolo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin and about north of Cuneo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 6,379 and an area of .All demographics and ...

, in the

province of Cuneo Cuneo (Italian), or Coni (Piedmontese), is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ( departments of Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Haut ...

. A

breed standard In animal husbandry or animal fancy, a breed standard is a description of the characteristics of a hypothetical or ideal example of a breed. The description may include physical or morphological detail, genetic criteria, or criteria of athletic ...

was approved by the Federazione Italiana Associazioni Avicole, the federation of Italian poultry associations, in May 2007, based in part on a description of the breed by Vittorino Vezzani in an article published in 1938. Breed numbers remain low. A study published in 2007 used a figure of approximately for the total breeding stock, of which approximately 400 were cocks.

Characteristics

The Bionda Piemontese is buff, with either a black or a blue tail. It has yellow skin and legs; the ear-lobes vary from yellow to creamy white. The

comb A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...

is single and large, with 4–6 points. Average weight is for cocks, for hens. The eggs are pinkish brown and weigh . Ring size is for cocks, for hens.

Uses

It is a dual-purpose breed. Hens lay 180–200 eggs per year. It grows fast. In meat production, birds may reach their final weight at about 16 weeks, or be slaughtered at about 10 weeks at a weight of . It is used in the production of the Cappone di Morozzo, or capon of Morozzo, a traditional agricultural product raised under strict conditions in the comuni of

Morozzo Morozzo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo. Morozzo borders the following municipalities: Beinette, Castelletto Stura, Cuneo, Margarit ...

Margarita A margarita is a cocktail consisting of Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight up). T ...

Castelletto Stura Castelletto Stura is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo. Castelletto Stura borders the following municipalities: Centallo, Cuneo, ...

Montanera Montanera is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo. Montanera borders the following municipalities: Castelletto Stura, Centallo, Fossano, M ...

Sant'Albano Stura Sant'Albano Stura is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo. Sant'Albano Stura borders the following municipalities: Fossano, Magliano Alpi, ...

Trinità Trinità is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo. Trinità borders the following municipalities: Bene Vagienna, Fossano, Magliano Alpi, an ...

Magliano Alpi Magliano Alpi ( pms, Majan) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,145 and an area of .Al ...

Rocca de' Baldi Rocca de' Baldi is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo. Rocca de' Baldi borders the following municipalities: Magliano Alpi, Mondovì, Mo ...

Mondovì Mondovì (; pms, Ël Mondvì , la, Mons Regalis) is a town and ''comune'' (township) in Piedmont, northern Italy, about from Turin. The area around it is known as the Monregalese. The town, located on the Monte Regale hill, is divided into ...

Villanova Mondovì Villanova Mondovì is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about east of Cuneo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 5,506 and an area of .All demographic ...

Pianfei Pianfei is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about east of Cuneo. Pianfei borders the following municipalities: Chiusa di Pesio, Margarita, Mondovì, Roccaforte ...

Beinette Beinette is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about east of Cuneo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,898 and an area of .All demographics and other ...

and Cuneo. Capons are slaughtered at no less than 220 days, and weigh . The combs and wattles removed during caponisation, at about 10 weeks, are an essential ingredient of the traditional Piedmontese dish ''la Finanziera''.

References

{{Chicken breeds of Italy Chicken breeds Chicken breeds originating in Italy Ark of Taste foods