Poultry
Appenzeller Spitzhauben
B tier
Appenzeller Spitzhauben is a Swiss alpine breed famous for its forward-pointing crest (Spitzhauben, “pointed hood”) and V-comb. Silver-spangled and gold-spangled colour varieties are most common. Birds are agile climbers and foragers adapted to cold mountain weather, producing white eggs and relatively small, lean carcasses. Meat from Spitzhauben is best treated like free-range mountain poultry: whole roasting with careful timing, pot-roasting, or stewing older birds. Flavour is cleaner and more pronounced than industrial broilers, while breast yield is modest, so whole-bird and dark-meat dishes show the breed to best advantage.
Also known as: Appenzeller Spitzhauben, Spitzhauben, Appenzeller Spitzhauben, Appenzeller Spitzhauben, Appenzeller Spitzhauben
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History
Crested mountain fowl were kept in the Appenzell region of Switzerland for eggs and subsistence meat.
Local farmers fixed the pointed crest and hardy alpine type associated with Appenzeller Spitzhauben.
Organised Swiss breed promotion formalised standards after near-loss of pure mountain strains.
Conservation programmes expanded flocks and reintroduced Spitzhauben to hobbyists beyond Appenzell.
International fancy and heritage keepers popularised silver- and gold-spangled Spitzhauben worldwide.