Capon

A capon (from Latin caponem) is a cockerel or rooster that has been castrated to improve the quality of its flesh for food and, in some countries like Spain, fattened by forced feeding.

In the United Kingdom, birds sold as capons are chemically or physically castrated cocks.

The origins of caponised chickens are contested. Such culinary practices existed far-east within ancient China as well as Europe from Greek and Roman empires.

One of the earliest records of caponisation occurred during the time of the Roman Republic. The Lex Faunia of 162 BC forbade fattening hens to conserve grain rations. To get around this the Romans instead castrated roosters, which resulted in a doubling of size. It was also practiced later throughout medieval times with gastronomic texts describing capons as preferred poultry since the ordinary fowl of the farmyard was regarded as peasant fare and "popular malice crediting monks with a weakness for capons."

The practice of caponisation found its way in modern-day America through the east of Philadelphia where the industry is predominant. Today the nation of France is internationally renowned for maintaining a strong caponisation tradition with widespread and established industries throughout the country.

William Shakespeare mentioned capon in the famous "All the world's a stage" monologue from his play As You Like It (written c.1600). He similarly describes capon as a food of the wealthy. The monologue describes human life as consisting of seven stages, and the fifth stage is a middle-aged man who has reached the point where he has acquired wisdom and wealth. The monologue describes the fifth stage as: "The Justice, In fair round belly, with a good capon lin'd".

Caponisation is the process of turning a cockerel into a capon. Caponization can be done by surgically removing the bird's testes, or may also be accomplished through the use of estrogen implants. With either method, the sex hormones normally present are no longer effective. Caponization must be done before the rooster matures, so that it develops without the influence of sex hormones.

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Wikipedia