When most people think about chicken they think about lunch or dinner. That’s because that’s what we use them for. Sure they are fun to watch sometimes when you get to see a bunch of them running around together on a farm, but the bottom line is they are meant to be eaten. The Ayam Cemani is a very different kind of chicken. First of all, you can’t eat them and even if you could, you may not want to after seeing one. They are completely black inside and out… every single one of them. Yes, that includes their bones. Now you can understand how they have earned the name “Goth Chickens.” The chickens produce almost ten times the melanin that regular chickens do and this factor is what makes them all black. What it also does is give their feathers a purple tint to them that can be seen in the light. It gives the birds almost a metallic black color. These can’t be eaten for lunch or dinner though. Many years ago they were given a spiritual status in Indonesia so they cannot be cooked up and enjoyed for a meal. The USDA bans importation of these chickens and other live ones from Indonesia, but somehow there are a few in the country that are used for special occasions.
