The Ayam Cemani ("ayam" means chicken in Indonesian and Malay) is a very unusual and exotic breed from Indonesia. Cemani can either mean the "village of Cemani" in local dialect or "solid black" in Sanskrit. It possibly originated in Sumatra where the original breed is now extinct. People of wealth and community standing have these birds as status symbols and take great care of them. They are thought of as good luck charms, with the blood and other parts of the bird being used in traditional medicine preparations. The Ayam Cemani is said to have magical powers and can facilitate communication between the living and the spirit world. As such, it is used as a sacrificial bird to please the gods, its' flesh is rarely eaten in Indonesia. They were first imported to Europe in 1998 by a Dutchman named Jan Steverink.

Cemani chickens have a dominant phenotype of hyperpigmentation showing mostly black, including feathers, beak, and internal organs. The roosters weigh in around 4.5-6.5 lb, with the hens coming in at 3.5-4.5 lb, respectively. In appearance they are strong and muscular with close fitting feathers, not unlike a game bird. On average they will lay around 80 eggs per year which is around 1 egg per week. In comparison to the size of the hen the eggs are quite large and they are cream colored with a very slight pink tint (not black).