Malay (chicken)

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The Malay is a breed of chicken originating in Asia, most likely in northern India. It is unknown why they were called Malay, but perhaps because of a mistake by the former East India Company, when they introduced that exotic new breed around 1570. In Asia, the Malay chicken is usually found only in rural areas and villages.

Today, in the West the Malay is mainly kept for participation in poultry shows by breeders. It is considered a hard-feathered, gamefowl breed. The Malay has an upright stance, a well muscled form and a large skull with a cruel expression. Nowadays they are selected to be better egg-layers than in the 1970's with 70 to 120 eggs annually for a young hen and older hens laying only 30 to 55 eggs.

As food

Malay Chicken is a tougher meat than many other breeds. Because of this, the Malay chicken is often double boiled in herbs, or is stewed. Recipes for it often call for curry, garlic, cumin, turmeric, etc.. The Malay carcass may be hung in kitchen at room temperature for 12 or 24 hours or meat cubes be soaked in buttermilk. In both cases milk acid helps to cut the fibrilles in the meat. The shorter muscle fibres are becoming soft again like in a young cockerel.

In the Borneo region of Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei, the Malay chicken is called Sigun. The Malay Chicken is sometimes used as a combatant for betting in a game called Sabong.

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