In the U.S.,
many people eagerly anticipate a Thanksgiving dinner full of food – including a
traditional turkey and some suspicious cranberry sauce still shaped like a
can. Nonetheless, each family's dinner
has some history. Let's learn about the
turkey – from the beginnings of the bird to some lesser-known facts. The photo is me as a child with my family's
flock (or rafter,
if you want to get technical).
Some History of the Turkey
Classified as large birds, turkeys are animals we usually
only think about around Thanksgiving. Native
to the eastern U.S. and
northern Mexico,
the wild turkey was first hunted by Native Americans. It was utilized for its meat (food), wing
bones (turkey calls), and feathers (decorations for ceremonial clothing).
The turkey was probably domesticated by the indigenous
peoples of Mexico.
Spanish explorers brought the bird back to Europe. Farmers raised turkeys and walked them to
market in groups with protective covering on their feet so they could travel
safely.
We don't know for sure if the pilgrims actually served
turkey at "The First Thanksgiving". It's
pretty likely, however, considering that turkeys were native and plentiful to
the area at the time. In fact, according to one source, the wild turkey "nearly
disappeared in the early 1900s because of overhunting". There was also a loss of habitat (turkeys
roost in trees) as forests were cut down to build new homes for settlers.
Turkey
Science
Some people like dark meat; others prefer white. Luckily, each turkey can serve everyone's
preferences. The breast and wings are
comprised of white meat while the legs and thighs are made up of dark
meat. This is because of the muscle type
and its ability to store oxygen.
Today's turkeys are bred for extra white meat, which is found
on the breast. Because of their
extra-large chests, these turkeys cannot breed.
Artificial insemination is used to fertilize domesticated turkey eggs that
are meant to provide adult birds for food consumption.
Wild turkeys can fly and glide for short distances (usually
under a mile), typically when they want to reach a roost in a tree. Turkeys can also run up to 20 miles
per hour. Can you keep up?
More Turkey
Facts:
- Sesame
Street's Big Bird is covered in dyed turkey feathers.
- Ben
Franklin thought the turkey should be the U.S.'s national bird;. we wound up with the bald eagle instead.
- The
floppy piece of skin hanging over the beak is called a snood; the pouch
under the throat is called a wattle.
- What's
that noise? Toms (males) gobble
while hens (females) cluck.
- The
largest variety of turkey is the Bronze turkey, with toms weighing in at
50 pounds. My family raised a Bronze
which was, according to my mother, "32 pounds without feathers and innards,
and would not fit in the oven"!
- Most
turkeys raised on farms for human consumption are White Hollands, which
cannot fly.
- When
you bowl three strikes in a row, it's called a "turkey" – GlobalSpec holds
a Wii bowling tournament – the "Turkey Bowl" – the Wednesday before
Thanksgiving.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_bird
http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=minisite_generic&content_type_id=872&display_order=1&mini_id=1083
http://www.pilgrims.net/plymouth/thanksgiving.htm
http://www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/thanks/tkyinfo.html
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/turkey/history.html
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