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- Title:
- Black Bird
- Description:
- When Antonio Morga lived in Manila from 1595 to 1603, he wrote that Chinese traders brought swans, geese, squabs. They also had unusual hens with black skin, flesh and bones that tasted good. He meant the ULIKBA that has an antioxidant called carnosine known to be beneficial for human muscles and the nervous system. ULIKBA added to the diet that included native chicken, some wild and others raised under houses built on stilts. Allan Cooper, Director of the Australian Center for Ancient DNA at University of Adelaide found that all ancient chicken bone samples in the Pacific area have a genetic signature unique to only the Philippines and neighbouring areas. It is not identical to the DNA signature of South American chickens, for instance. Did the Philippines become a center for the spread of chickens carried by ancient Polynesians who brought the fowl on their sailing journeys? Was the Philippines a major stopover for prehistoric Polynesians? Could it have been Taiwan? Gathering evidence continues to show how people, flora, fauna migrate and settle around the planet.
- Subjects:
- Antonio Morga Ulikba Chicken
- Exhibition:
- Antonio Morga 30
- Source:
- Clip art Chicken Silhouette. publicdomainpictures.net
- Type:
- Image;Still Image
- Format:
- image/jpeg
Source
- Preferred Citation:
- "Black Bird", Philippine Food History, Felice P. Sta. Maria
- Reference Link:
- felicepstamaria.net/items/coll080.html