The first time I saw the Japanese term 地鶏 (jidori) I immediately made a literal translation of "earth chicken" then "local chicken" -- as it turned out, the au courant term is free-range chicken.
The original Jidori chickens of Japan are fed tomatoes and apples during breeding season. In Los Angeles, when chefs order jidori, they expect a high-quality chicken with no hormones or steroids and that was processed (killed!) in past 24 hours. Fresh and never frozen.
地鶏 = jidori
地 = ji = earth
鶏 = dori (tori) = chicken
"ground chicken" or "chicken of the earth"
地鶏の卵 (たまご) = jidori no tamago (eggs)
I bought this box of half-dozen jidori eggs at a Korean supermarket for $4.29. It was the only organic eggs they carried.


