In the process of writing an article about Egyptian Fayoumis with Kermit Blackwood this month, I learned more about the history of Games in India. The Asil in India fought as a proxy for the gods in religious ceremonies as well as for sport. Asils came overland from India with traders to Canaan, present-day Israel. There, the Canaanites, the Hebrew people of the Levant, bred it selectively into an egg-layer, the first egg production breed. Chicken and eggs play a prominent role in Jewish cookery. These historic Hebrews were probably the first people to mix eggs into flour to make bread and noodles. Chickens and their contributions to the diet were one of the cultural additions incorporated into Roman life after the Romans conquered the Middle East.
That Game background influenced not only the Fayoumi, but spread into Mediterranean breeds such as the Leghorn and Minorca and the Lakenvelder. Ultimately, through the Fayoumi, it influenced Silver Campines and Friesans, which have plumage similar to Fayoumis.
Tune in to The Chicken Whisperer Tuesday for the discussion.
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