One more year of the traditional celebration of “Fira del Gall", a festival that takes place during the last weekend before Christmas which has started for almost a century ago. In 2015 it opened its doors on 19 and 20 December in Vilafranca Penedes. In this event, the buyer chooses a live specimen, which is plucked and gutted and ready to cook.

The event was attended by the organizers of the fair, with the mayor and the companies in the poultry industry to expose the different breeds of roosters: the Andalusian race Azul, the Spanish fighter, the Oca Ampurdanesa, the Pardo de Leon, Black, the Aperdizada, brunette and Barrada.

As a complement, you can taste the specialties prepared by restaurants of the area and see a sample of fantastic birds arrived from different parts of Catalonia, chaired by "Tomasot" the black rooster figure Penedes.

A representative of the organization of the fair declared: "The rooster fair is our party, but also an agricultural tradition. This is the time when we make public our commitment to the roosters of Penedès and traditional varieties, showing the best examples ".

One of the participants of the exhibition commented: "The fair is very important for many years and has a great success, which gives us more willing to participate each year and many people are encouraged, has great strategic role the various breeds of roosters of Catalonia, and is a good opportunity for companies of this industry. "

The rooster belongs to the family of the pheasant ("Phasianus"), which Oriental origin, possibly from India, from where it went to Persia and from there to Greece, around the century. According to the British naturalist Charles Darwin it was the "bankiva" rooster (Gallus gallus), the Southeast Asian ancestor of all current domestic fowl.

The Rooster of Penedes is famous for its tasty, consistent but tender meat and rich in protein. It grews up in a traditional way, with a diet based on corn and legumes. Its crest is sturdy, bright red and black plumage of a metal. It is delivered to the buyer with a distinctive seal.

Black rooster of Penedes – this label awarded by the Protected Geographical Identification (PGI). "It is a bird of slow growth very rustic, with good vitality, Mediterranean body type, light and heavy meat production." This bird breeds "outdoor parks throughout the year." Both its power as the way of life makes the animal to have "an upbringing, that gives the meat of rooster of  Penedès organoleptic and textural characteristics associated with this area of production."

The history

Rooster Fair has a long history, including many activities for two days. It is a very popular event, which over time has grown from a market where it was offered for sale the Black Rooster (local breed), a race typical hens Penedès (province of Barcelona) that is basically characterized by the type producing egg, shell intense reddish brown (of the darkest worldwide), an egg known as "ou rogenc Vilafranca" (egg Vilafranca), very appreciated in the market of Barcelona, also seen, increasingly, the production of chickens Penedès, obtained from the black variety and bred freely regime (2.2 kg at 11 weeks), marked under the name "Gall del Penedès" (Gallo Penedès).

Considering the food independence and economic autonomy these races with their historical and genetic possibilities regarding color genes allow them to produce the same generation which is important for poultry farmers and generate business without ever buying new chickens. Currently in Catalonia you can be found about 1,000 copies. Also in almost all regions of Spain as well as in France, Holland, England and the United States.

The fair with an extensive program of events offers a taste of the kitchen in the restaurants, from the most traditional to the most innovative, which are accompanied by an extensive display of red wines from Penedes. So you can visit any of the exhibitions that have been organized in the city which will be aperfect addition to the trip to Vilafranca Penedes.