Why did the Roman army always take a flock of chickens to war?

In 490 BC, on the side of a road in Greece, people saw the chicken that saved western civilization. At that time, the Persian army attacked, and the Athenian general Themistocles led his army to meet them. On the way, he saw two cocks fighting on the roadside. ?

According to historical records, the Greeks were encouraged to bravely kill the enemy and drive away the invaders. Western civilization was saved, and those two chickens who fought side by side can be said to have contributed.

Chicken is a ubiquitous food in our time, and it is easy to cross different cultural boundaries. Chicken is mild in taste and even in meat quality, which is suitable for almost any cooking method. The younger generation in Britain thinks Indian curry chicken is a national dish, and American fried chicken is also very popular in China. In the past, most families in the United States kept a few chickens in the yard for future use as delicious food. Today, chicken still reminds most Americans of nostalgia. The writer Jack canfield wants to find a metaphor for psychological comfort. He thinks of chicken soup for the soul, not clam soup for the soul.

On the Mediterranean coast, some chicken bones dating back to 800 BC were excavated. The Romans liked chicken and came up with various cooking methods. Farmers have figured out ways to fatten chickens: some feed them bread soaked in wine; Some are mixed with cumin, barley and lizards as feed. The authorities once banned this feeding method. In BC 16 1 year, in order to prevent corruption and blind pursuit of luxury in Rome, the authorities issued a decree requiring people to eat only one chicken per meal-and not to overfeed it. Experienced Roman chefs soon discovered that castrated cocks love to grow meat, so capons were born. ?

But after the disintegration of Rome, the status of chickens in Europe seems to have decreased. Kevin McDonnell, a professor of archaeology at University College London, said that in the post-Roman period, chicken heads returned to the level of the Iron Age, that is, 1 1,000 years ago. He concluded that the large organized chicken farms in Roman times-suitable for feeding a large number of chickens and protecting them from predators-basically disappeared. Hundreds of years later, birds such as geese and partridges began to appear on the medieval table.