極太の脚がおいしさの証し　ベトナム旧正月のごちそう「ドンタオ鶏」

【フンイエン（ベトナム）ＡＦＰ＝時事】ベトナム・ハノイ近郊の養鶏場で、旧正月「テト」が近づく中、レ・バン・ヒエンさんは群れから１羽を選び出した。レンガのような極太の脚が特徴のドンタオ鶏は、１羽当たり２０００ドル（約２６万円）の値が付くこともある。（写真はドンタオ鶏。同国フンイエン省で）
　別名「ドラゴンチキン」とも呼ばれるドンタオ鶏の名は、北部の産地ドンタオにちなんでいる。極太の脚がごちそうとされ、特にテト期間中に富裕層に好まれている。
　ヒエンさん自慢のドンタオ鶏は、脚の重さだけで体重４キロの２割ほどを占めている。この鶏には約１５０ドル（約１万９０００円）の値が付いたが、特に大きくて血統書付きのものは１０倍以上の価格で取引されている。
　１５年以上養鶏に携わるヒエンさんは、おいしさのカギは「トウモロコシとコメを使った飼料と放し飼い」にあるとし、「歩けば歩くほど、筋肉が付き大きくなる」と言う。
　ドンタオの肉の部分は最大１０キロにもなる。硬くて歯ごたえがあり、低脂肪なことが特徴だ。ゆでたり、炒めたり、煮込んだりと調理法はさまざま。レモングラスと一緒に提供されることもある。
　ドンタオ鶏をよく購入するというレ・バン・ルアンさんは、ヒエンさんのドンタオ鶏を取引先や親戚への贈り物に選んだ。「脚の皮の部分が一番おいしい。脚は太ければ太いほどいい」と語った。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/01/23-15:51）

On a farm close to Hanoi, Le Van Hien picks out the best bird among his flock of dragon chickens -- a breed with legs as thick as a brick that can fetch up to $2,000 a head.
The lumpy legs of the Dong Tao chicken -- named after the commune where it is bred in northern Vietnam -- are considered a delicacy, and are particularly popular among the wealthy during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, known as Tet.
Hien's prized four-kilogramme bird, whose enormous legs make up around a fifth of its body weight, was sold for about $150 -- but especially large pedigree chickens have been valued at more than 10 times that. Some are even entered into beauty contests.
The key to the bird's taste is its diet of corn and rice and the freedom it has to roam, Hien told AFP.
Although the laying hens are kept in battery cages, which have been banned in some countries across the world, the chickens bred for meat are let loose in a small garden.
The more the chicken walks, the stronger and bigger their muscles are, said Hien, who has been breeding chickens for more than 15 years.
The meat of the Dong Tao chicken -- which can reach up to 10 kg -- is prized for its tough and chewy texture and is also low in fat.
It is sometimes served boiled, but also fried, stewed or served with lemongrass.
Le Van Luan, who picked Hien's chicken meat as a year-end gift for his business partners and elderly relatives, is a regular customer in Dong Tao.
The best part of the Dong Tao chicken is the skin of their legs. The bigger the legs are, the tastier, he said.