Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research | Vol. 2, No. 3 | June 2014 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12 P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com Acceptability of Native Darag Chicken Menu Variations DR. ROSARIO CLARABEL C. CONTRERAS, REMEDIOS D. CATAMIN DELIA A. PARAGADOS, AILEEN C. DE LA CRUZ rccon63@yahoo.com West Visayas State University - Calinog Campus, Iloilo PHILIPPINES Abstract- Traditional native chicken delicacies like lechon and adobo are very common dishes in a rural Filipino folks’ dining table. As the family economic standing improves, meat becomes a main item in a family diet, dishes like fried chicken and chicken nuggets have also become part of the family choices of chicken dishes in their meal. Intensification of the production of native Darag chicken would lead to optimization of food technological output for the university which will hopefully be a potential one town-one product (OTOP) of the municipality. Keywords – Native Darag Chicken, Calinog, Iloilo, Philippines, Lechon, Adobo, Food Technology I. INTRODUCTION In the Philippines, especially in the rural setting, native chickens constitute a large portion of the total chicken population. These chickens have been part of the natural setting and provide additional sources of income for so many rural farmers. Zoologically, the native chicken belongs to the genus Gallus of the family Phasianae. The domestic chicken has the scientific name Gallus domesticus. This is commonly called the native Darag chicken. Figure 1. Darag Chicken Darag is a general term used for the Philippine native chicken strain indigenous to and most dominant in Western Visayas. It evolved from the Red Jungle fowl (Gallus gallus bankiva).The typical plumage for the male, which is locally called Labuyo or Alimbuyog, is the red wings, hackle and black feathers and black tail. For the female, also called Darag, the plumage is yellowish-brown. The present native Darag chicken the campus raised descended from the indigenous Red Jungle fowl (Gallus bankiva)which are still roaming in the forest of Negros and Panay (www.bas.gov.ph). Darag is considered as the most popular native chicken in the region. The marketability for native chicken has evolved because of its unique flavor, nutritive value, adaptability to a wide-range of environmental conditions. These are the plus factors that gave Darag production a high mark for livelihood and business (www.pinoybisnes.com). The meat of the Philippine native chicken is recognized for its flavor, taste, texture and suitability to Filipino dishes, some gourmet claim that darag chicken meat is even better. Scientists attributed this to the high amount of free amino acid (aspartic) content in the meat (Tomambo et.al 2011). The early domesticated native chickens still resemble their wild ancestors in many characteristics. The wild adult male has a shiny red plumage with light brown hackle and black tail feathers while the female has flat yellowish-brownish plumage. The native chicken‟s combs are of single type, and the color of their shanks ranges from yellow to gray. The combined effects of mutation, natural selection, selection for cockfighting, and the indiscriminate crossing with the exotics led to the evolution of the so-called indigenous chickens. Some of the Philippines native chickens that are raised in the backyard of many farmers in the rural areas still resemble their wild ancestral type. They are nervous, flighty, but the female has strong maternal instincts. They are hardy and can reproduce and survive with minimal care and management. Intensification of Darag chicken production led to the expansion of its technological perspective. The West Visayas State University (WVSU) raised native Darag chicken purposely for research, preservation of the species, for instruction, dispersal to