Guinea Fowl

The first guinea fowls originated from western Africa (previously known as Guinea) and even today, they are still hunted in the African bush. They were eaten in ancient Egypt and appeared in Roman banquets under the name of meleagris. The bird found its way into Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries through the Strait of Gibraltar by way of the Portuguese conquerors who brought back with them the pintada (painted) fowl, so named because of their brightly colored heads and little white spots that cover their bodies.