VIJAYAWADA: Cashing in on the huge demand for meat of roosters, locally known as Kosa, that sustain injuries or die during the Sankranti cockfights, their prices have touched `5,000 to `7,000 per kg. Sankranti gamecocks are nurtured carefully with heavy diets throughout the year to help them gain immunity and power.
Enthusiasts of the ‘sport’ compete with one another to grab the flesh and enjoy the rooster’s meat, which has a unique taste.
According to cockfight competition rules, the owner of the rooster that wins a fight also owns the dead ‘competitor’. The owner auctions the dead rooster instantly. As soon as a gamecock is dead, all its feathers are removed, the bird is grilled and handed over to the one making the best bid. Kosas are free from fat has tremendous demand with people willing to part with an extra buck to get the flesh.
Incidentally, as a matter of an established tradition in some quarters, Kosa curries are served with pride to the newlywed…