Over the past couple of weeks I have done lots of research for potential topics and after considering my options I decided to look into chicken as food, and the cultural and historical significance of chicken throughout the world. The more I thought about it the more I realized that chicken was such a staple food of so many cultures; it seemed like the ultimate versatile food item that was served everywhere.  This really piqued my interest. I started my research and began looking for answers to the questions I had: When are the earliest records of chicken being eaten? What do some early chicken recipes look like? Where did chicken come from? I found many answers in an article published by NPR reporter Dan Charles titled “The Ancient City Where People Decided To Eat Chickens.” As I continued my research I determined it would be useful to see some old recipes and see examples of ways that different cultures prepare chicken. I started by finding a recipe for fried chicken in “The Virginia Housewife,” Mary Randolph’s classic American cookbook. This is believed to be one of the first fried chicken recipes to be published in America. This source shows one example of the cultural implications of chicken when it came to America.  It serves as an example of how one culture modified and adapted chicken recipes to put their own spin on it.

While this source is very helpful, it is not enough to learn about different cultures. As I continue my research, I hope to delve into old cookbooks or find old archived recipes online from cultures all over the world. I really want to learn about the different symbolic meanings that chicken has in each culture.