Ayam means “chicken” in Indonesian and Cemani is “completely black” in Javanese.
The breed originated from the island of Java, Indonesia. It was first imported into Europe in 1998 by Dutch breeder Jan Steverink. Currently stocks are kept in the Netherlands, Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. There are several varieties of the Ayam Cemani including the Swedish Black Chicken. It is thought that Ayam Cemani may also earlier have been brought to Europe by Dutch seamen who had numerous contacts in both Africa and Asia.