Why do we Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a form of harvest festival, traditionally celebrated mostly in North America. Turkey is the main cuisine of Thanksgiving celebrations. But, do you know why? Let's find out on this story.
Turkey can be considered as an integral part of Thanksgiving celebrations. No Thanksgiving dinner ever really feels complete without a turkey! Ahhh... its mouth-watering taste and delicious taste. Even if you don't eat it 364 days in a year, you'll most likely eat it this one day. But, did you know why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving? Well, that is an interesting story. In fact, there are a number of interesting stories that are accounted for turkey becoming such a meal staple on this day. Eating turkey on Thanksgiving Day was NOT ALWAYS a part of the traditions.
There is pork, there is chicken and fish and then, there is turkey. There are a lot more meats, but, why is only turkey given the special treatment on Thanksgiving? Our great-grandfathers could have chosen anything as the highlight of the dinner celebration. Well, the thing is that they did not choose turkey. So, how did we start eating turkey for Thanksgiving? I don't think anyone can put a finger on a specific incident that led to this custom. Seems like a bit of mystery, but, we can try solving the puzzle with these pieces from the history. Surprise yourself!
♦ There may be plenty of reasons why we eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day, but, the fact remains that a roasted wild turkey makes for a wonderful delicacy to celebrate it. According to Benjamin Franklin, turkey is a much more respectable bird and withal a true original native of North America. In fact, he wanted to establish turkey as the national bird of America instead of the bald eagle! Wouldn't have been able to eat it then.
♦ Did you know? Every year, 45 million turkeys become Thanksgiving dinner. It is no secret that American like their poultry big, fresh, juicy, easily available and economical. It made the perfect meat to feed a big family for the big Thanksgiving dinner celebration. Also, there are no opportunity costs attached to slaughtering turkeys because they do not provide milk like cows or eggs like hens. Chicken and beef were very expensive back then and processed meats have been commercially available on supermarket shelves only since the last few decades. Rooster's meat is very hard to chew and other meats either had to be hunted for or they were consumed on a daily basis. Hence, the bird was the best option that could be purely used for its exotic taste. Do you think the Americans took inspiration from the British? Well, that is another story.
♦ Legend has it that the Colonists were in the search of a cheap and easily available option that could sufficiently satiate the hunger of a lot of people. In the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I was celebrating a harvest festival with peacock meat, wild boar along with a baked goose. When she was informed that the Spanish Armada had sunk on its way to attack England, the Queen was so delighted that she ordered an additional roast goose. Thus, goose became the favorite bird at the harvest celebration in England. This custom was carried over to America by early settlers who replaced roasted goose with roasted turkey as wild turkeys were abundantly found (they are not migratory birds) as compared to geese which are also difficult to rear. Thus, a new tradition of serving turkey at the Thanksgiving celebrations was born. Some say, that eating turkey in affluent families came in to practice in England in the 15th century itself when it was very expensive.
♦ More scientifically speaking, since turkeys are born in the spring season and take about 9 months to mature, after gobbling up on insects, worms and acorns till maturity (giving the meat its taste) they are perfect for being feasted on in fall, by which time they weigh as much as ten pounds! That is a lot of turkey to make pies, lots of pies! Pies were a staple winter food for American homes and they made all sorts of possible imaginable. Turkey meat can last for a long time.
♦ Another story behind eating turkey on Thanksgiving goes like this: By 1540s, England had already adopted turkey as a part of its Thanksgiving feast to celebrate the harvest. The tradition of turkey is rooted in the 'History of Plymouth Plantation', which was written by William Bradford, the Pilgrim Governor. The book states that when in 1620 Pilgrims arrived in America, sailing from Plymouth in England, they brought the practice of eating turkeys with them. In 1621, the unofficially first Thanksgiving harvest feast was cooked to praise the Lord. They were to dine with Wampanoag Indians, a Native American Indian tribe of hunters that gathered all types of meats, who took them for hunting wild birds (according to the letters of pilgrim Edward Winslow) as per their signed treaty for peaceful co-existence. On the behest of the Pilgrims, turkeys were hunted and served during the course of the feast. But the Governor's documents were lost being taken away by the British during the War of Independence. These documents were rediscovered in 1854. After that, turkey was accepted as an icon of Thanksgiving Day and eating turkey on this day became a tradition. Did you know? The male turkey is popularly known as 'tom' and female turkey is called 'hen'.
♦ Thanks to the influential Charles Dickens, even after turkey became hugely popular throughout the States as the traditional Thanksgiving meal, he further made it an essential part of the menu through his best-selling book A Christmas Carol, 1843, which describes the traditional English Christmas feast. Bob Cratchit's family is handed over a turkey from Scrooge (his first act of kindness) as a Christmas present to finish their meal. At the time this book was published, turkeys were easily in grocery stores but could only be afforded by wealthy families.
Turkey became such a preferred option for holiday shoppers that they soon came to relish it not just for Thanksgiving, but also Christmas. Now, a turkey is even associated with the American holidays.
There is pork, there is chicken and fish and then, there is turkey. There are a lot more meats, but, why is only turkey given the special treatment on Thanksgiving? Our great-grandfathers could have chosen anything as the highlight of the dinner celebration. Well, the thing is that they did not choose turkey. So, how did we start eating turkey for Thanksgiving? I don't think anyone can put a finger on a specific incident that led to this custom. Seems like a bit of mystery, but, we can try solving the puzzle with these pieces from the history. Surprise yourself!
Why do we Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?
♦ There may be plenty of reasons why we eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day, but, the fact remains that a roasted wild turkey makes for a wonderful delicacy to celebrate it. According to Benjamin Franklin, turkey is a much more respectable bird and withal a true original native of North America. In fact, he wanted to establish turkey as the national bird of America instead of the bald eagle! Wouldn't have been able to eat it then.
♦ Did you know? Every year, 45 million turkeys become Thanksgiving dinner. It is no secret that American like their poultry big, fresh, juicy, easily available and economical. It made the perfect meat to feed a big family for the big Thanksgiving dinner celebration. Also, there are no opportunity costs attached to slaughtering turkeys because they do not provide milk like cows or eggs like hens. Chicken and beef were very expensive back then and processed meats have been commercially available on supermarket shelves only since the last few decades. Rooster's meat is very hard to chew and other meats either had to be hunted for or they were consumed on a daily basis. Hence, the bird was the best option that could be purely used for its exotic taste. Do you think the Americans took inspiration from the British? Well, that is another story.
♦ Legend has it that the Colonists were in the search of a cheap and easily available option that could sufficiently satiate the hunger of a lot of people. In the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I was celebrating a harvest festival with peacock meat, wild boar along with a baked goose. When she was informed that the Spanish Armada had sunk on its way to attack England, the Queen was so delighted that she ordered an additional roast goose. Thus, goose became the favorite bird at the harvest celebration in England. This custom was carried over to America by early settlers who replaced roasted goose with roasted turkey as wild turkeys were abundantly found (they are not migratory birds) as compared to geese which are also difficult to rear. Thus, a new tradition of serving turkey at the Thanksgiving celebrations was born. Some say, that eating turkey in affluent families came in to practice in England in the 15th century itself when it was very expensive.
♦ More scientifically speaking, since turkeys are born in the spring season and take about 9 months to mature, after gobbling up on insects, worms and acorns till maturity (giving the meat its taste) they are perfect for being feasted on in fall, by which time they weigh as much as ten pounds! That is a lot of turkey to make pies, lots of pies! Pies were a staple winter food for American homes and they made all sorts of possible imaginable. Turkey meat can last for a long time.
♦ Another story behind eating turkey on Thanksgiving goes like this: By 1540s, England had already adopted turkey as a part of its Thanksgiving feast to celebrate the harvest. The tradition of turkey is rooted in the 'History of Plymouth Plantation', which was written by William Bradford, the Pilgrim Governor. The book states that when in 1620 Pilgrims arrived in America, sailing from Plymouth in England, they brought the practice of eating turkeys with them. In 1621, the unofficially first Thanksgiving harvest feast was cooked to praise the Lord. They were to dine with Wampanoag Indians, a Native American Indian tribe of hunters that gathered all types of meats, who took them for hunting wild birds (according to the letters of pilgrim Edward Winslow) as per their signed treaty for peaceful co-existence. On the behest of the Pilgrims, turkeys were hunted and served during the course of the feast. But the Governor's documents were lost being taken away by the British during the War of Independence. These documents were rediscovered in 1854. After that, turkey was accepted as an icon of Thanksgiving Day and eating turkey on this day became a tradition. Did you know? The male turkey is popularly known as 'tom' and female turkey is called 'hen'.
♦ Thanks to the influential Charles Dickens, even after turkey became hugely popular throughout the States as the traditional Thanksgiving meal, he further made it an essential part of the menu through his best-selling book A Christmas Carol, 1843, which describes the traditional English Christmas feast. Bob Cratchit's family is handed over a turkey from Scrooge (his first act of kindness) as a Christmas present to finish their meal. At the time this book was published, turkeys were easily in grocery stores but could only be afforded by wealthy families.
Turkey became such a preferred option for holiday shoppers that they soon came to relish it not just for Thanksgiving, but also Christmas. Now, a turkey is even associated with the American holidays.
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