In the Chilean region of Araucanìa, characterized by the high number of indigenous Mapuche, farmers’ market stalls are laden with the kaleidoscopic displays of eggs colored cobalt blue, pale green, and everything in between. Temuco is particularly famous for its blue eggs. While most farm-raised chickens lay the occasional blue egg, Temuco chickens always lay blue or green eggs, a genetic trait that turns the bird’s white eggs blue and its brown eggs green. In Chile, this particular chicken breed is called the Araucana, the name that conquering Spaniards gave the Mapuche people, as well as to the region’s chickens, ultimately. It is not clear whether the Araucana chicken is an indigenous breed or if it is a descendant of the chickens first brought from Spain by the conquistadores.
The Araucana has been the subject of much interest and research in Chile, and apparently it is unique in its ability to exclusively produce blue eggs. Many of the breeds now present in the Americas that regularly produce a percentage of blue eggs may well be descended from crosses with the Araucana. Today, the Araucana has been crossed with so many different breeds that it is no longer possible to describe it as a ‘pure’ breed with predictable physical characteristics. Historical documents describe Chilean native chicken breeds as being divided into two main categories: the colloncas, with a short rear end and no feathers around the ears, and quetros, with a normal profile and a fully feathered head. More likely than not, the chickens with short rear ends are of Asian origin and were brought to Chile by Dutch traders from Bali. Physically speaking, the Araucana appears to be part of the colloncas type, but the blue egg characteristic is nonexistent in Balinesian chickens, and appears to have been a mutation in the imported chickens upon their arrival and selection in southern Chile. To fully understand the Araucana, long and complicated research is necessary, together with selection within the various chicken populations. Even then, as with many animal breeds that are poorly documented and frequently crossed, the Araucana will always have a mysterious past. Although the laying chickens all have different physical appearances, they are clearly from the wide gene pool of the Araucana, and none can survive in industrial chicken farms. These chickens must be kept outside in order to produce eggs. In Chile, where agriculture is rapidly intensifying, the blue eggs are a uniquely valuable ‘self-identifying’ product: the eggshells themselves are a sign of freerange quality and one that cannot be counterfeited.

The Presidium
Slow Food’s partner in this Presidium is Temuco NGO CET SUR (which has worked for years to study and promote traditional Mapuche foods),work to enhance blue and green eggs as healthy and natural products. The Presidium supports the research and selection of the historic Araucana breed. To this end, the Presidium works with the network of small farmers, Curadoras de semillas, Chilean Seed Savers, which is widespread in southern Chile and considered an important protector of vegetable and animal diversity, working to save local species such as medicinal herbs, black quinoa, and local potato varieties. The curadoras raise groups of Blue Egg Chicken, and sell the eggs both on the local and national market. They also collaborate on research and selection efforts. The Presidium aims to support the curadoras in their everyday work, preserving traditional techniques of farming and promoting this product, outcome of Mapuche’s traditions.

Production area
Mapuche’s communities set in region VIII (Bío-Bío) and in region IX (La Araucanía)