Meli,

 

If you haven't already, you might want to check out "Feeding Colonial Boston: A Zooarchaeological Study" by David B. Landon , Historical Archaeology Volume 30 Number 1 (1996). Poultry (chicken) is addressed.  There is least one figure that concerns faunal representation in rural and urban settings via pie charts, which includes poultry.

 

You may also try posting your question on the zooarchaeology listserv. 

 

 

Paul M. Matchen, M.A., R.P.A.



	-----Original Message----- 

	From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY on behalf of Meli Diamanti 

	Sent: Mon 8/27/2007 3:31 PM 

	To: [log in to unmask] 

	Cc: 

	Subject: poultry consumption

	

	



	I'm looking for information on poultry consumption, or the chicken

	equivalent of "where's the beef?"

	

	I've seen comparisons of beef/motton/pork consumption between households

	or sites in historic faunal analyses, but where is the discussion of

	chicken?  Was chicken not commonly consumed historically?  I read that

	it really increased in relation to the shortages of meat during World

	War II (Wikipedia got this from a History Channel web page), but where

	can I find information on consumption before World War I?

	I'm working on analyzing domestic sites from the Pittsburgh,

	Pennsylvania area c. 1900-1920's.  there is a wonderfully detailed study

	of butcher shops and meat consumption patterns in various Pittsburgh

	neighborhoods from 1932 (John Cover), but it does not include chicken or

	other poultry.  Was poultry sold by separate shops? Was it sold along

	with farm produce from hucksters' wagons?  Or what?

	We are finding some poultry bones in the faunal sample, but very

	little.  So I'm wondering whether that was common for the time & place -

	to be eating so little chicken as opposed to beef/mutton/pork, or is it

	a reflection of status.  None of these are wealthy hosueholds.  But they

	are households of several different ethnic groups, so I thought the lack

	of chicken would not be common among them if it was a matter of ethnic

	food preferences.

	I see that poultry was first listed in the Federal Agricultural Census

	of 1880, and that poultry raising was not really successful as a

	business until c. 1900, but that is the period I'm looking at, so i

	would expect to see it.  Was chicken more expensive or scarce, or a

	specialty item like fish? (Fish seems to be missing from my samples,

	even from a convent of parochial school teachers).

	

	I would appreciate any leads on this subject, either information on

	general historic trends in dietary change, or informaiton from specific

	sites or other sources.  If you want to reply off list, I can be reached

	at [log in to unmask]

	

	Meli Diamanti

	Archaeological & Historical Consultants, Inc.