Let’s Talk Turkey…and have a Give Away!

by
The wild turkey, native to eastern and central USA.

Turkeys are native to North America and there are two species–the wild turkey, which is native to what is now the eastern and central regions of the United States, and the Ocellated turkey which is native to southern Mexico. Surprisingly, the domestic turkeys in the United States probably originated not from our native birds, but from the the Mexican species.

Ocellated turkey, native to Mexico

The Mayans are thought to have domesticated turkeys about 2000 years ago. Symbols of the birds are featured in Mayan manuscripts and chronicles of the Spanish expeditions to the Yucatan describe foods made of turkey. Spanish explorers brought the birds from Mexico to Europe in the early 1500s, where they were very popular with aristocrats. Turkeys arrived in England during the mid-1500s, and when English settlers came to North America, they brought domestic turkeys with them. (I wonder if they were surprised to see that there were already turkeys there.)

Royal Palm Turkey

There were through to be about 10 million wild turkeys in the United States in the 1600s. By the 1930s there were an estimated 30,000 birds. In the mid-20th century, biologists began trapping turkeys from the Ozarks and New York, two of the places that still had wild turkeys, and transplanting them to other areas around the country.

Domestic turkeys were a luxury item until the 1940s when farmers began intensively breeding the birds and the prices dropped. The advent of refrigeration allowed for frozen turkeys, which greatly increased the market as turkeys could now be shipped to other parts of the country.

Broad Breasted White Turkey

Ben Franklin did not suggest that the turkey become our national symbol, however, he was not a fan of the bald eagle. When comparing the two birds, he said, [The turkey is] “a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America…He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage.”

Interestingly, this bird of courage can be aggressive toward humans. I can’t say that I blame them, all things considered. On that note, I have to ask, are you a Thanksgiving turkey fan? Or do you prefer another protein? One randomly drawn respondent will receive a $20 Amazon gift card. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Jeannie Watt
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Jeannie Watt raises cattle in Montana and loves all things western. When she's not writing, Jeannie enjoys sewing, making mosaic mirrors, riding her horses and buying hay. Lots and lots of hay.

124 thoughts on “Let’s Talk Turkey…and have a Give Away!”

  1. It’s not my favorite, but it’s a tradition, so we have it. I leave most of the leftovers to my husband and sons–give me all the sides.

    Thank you for the history.

  2. We obviously don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Finland. Some people here do eat turkey at Christmas, though.

  4. I love seeing the wild turkeys roam in my yard from time to time, but when it comes to eating, I prefer ham or maybe roasted chicken but I’m not much of a turkey fan.

  6. I am a turkey lover. A very interesting article. We have wild turkeys roam in our area. Happy Thanksgiving!

  8. Turkey is great any time of year, but especially at Thanksgiving! It’s a great lean protein with LOTS of great sides to make it even better. (dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, etc)

  9. We have ham and turkey for Thanksgiving. My best friend and I have created a tradition for our 2 families the last 15 years of sharing the preparation before having dinner together. So I usually make the meats and some desserts. She makes the sides and some desserts. I enjoy leftover turkey sandwiches for a few days- our kids have always liked ham better.

  11. Long time turkey tradition in our family. Never a hint of any other option.
    Christmas is prime rib and Easter is lamb. Never ham.
    Happy Turkey Day to all!!

  15. Hey Jeanie! We also have turkey and ham. Truthfully, I would rather have a baked or fried chicken. But, it’s more of a tradition. My husband took on frying a turkey about 20 years ago. He has done it ever since for my family. I bake the ham. We take the food to my mother’s place on the Suwannee River. We have done this more than 30 years. Mama puts up her Christmas tree before thanksgiving. It’s also a tradition. Other than her cornbread dressing, which I now make. And have for almost 10 years now.

    We have wild turkeys everywhere in our woods here! I’ve seen families of them crossing the roads not far from the river.

    Wishing you and everyone here a Happy Thanksgiving!

  16. At my son’s house they serve a boneless turkey, they buy it already cooked and warm it in a crock pot yum.

  17. When we would have a big family get together for Thanksgiving we would have both turkey and ham (I like both, preferred the ham). But now with our smaller gatherings we do just a turkey. 🙂

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    • I love the turkey ham thing that so many people have mentioned. I can see where it’s easier to just have one or the other when the gatherings are small, though. Happy Thanksgiving!

  18. I have a BIG family, and this year its my turn to host, so I have 2 turkeys and 2 hams as well. My family will bring in some of the sides so I don’t have to do all the cooking. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

  19. Very interesting historical information! We have a very small family, so we rarely cooked a turkey. More typically we just cooked a chicken to use also as stock for the dressing and giblet gravy.

    Best wishes for the season!

  21. Turkey is my choice for Thanksgiving but that’s the only time I like to eat it. Thank you for the chance to win a prize. Happy Thanksgiving!

  23. We’re not turkey fans. We only like the white meat.
    We had 4 generations of turkey vusit us daily in our El Dorado Co foothills home.
    I sure miss them

  25. I always look forward to Thanksgiving since it means family, and the best food ever which includes turkey. Once a year and a feast.

  26. Turkey is one of my most favorite proteins, so I have always loved Thanksgiving turkey dinner. When I was a child, my mom also served turkey for Christmas. I recall getting upset that we only had turkey twice a year and it was two months in a row without any turkey the other ten months. Happy Thanksgiving!

  30. when my mom was live: Thanksgiving was only Turkey meat. Since mom died, my sister and I have been playing with different meats. This year my sisters son is making a turkey (he believes that turkey is for thanksgiving) but my sister is making a ham and her daughter is bringing a pot roast. Something for everyone. One year my sister made stroganoff in the crock pot. We had so much going on that year, we kept it simple. Worked wonders.

  31. I like turkey, but I am in the minority in the household.
    We’ll be having ham, and very few of the traditional side dishes this year. It’ll just my hubby, our kids and me. With his mom in a memory care facility and his brothers moved off nearer their in-laws, we’re all the local family left to gather.

  33. It has been years since I enjoyed turkey. In fact, chicken breast is not my favorite meal either. I love it breaded in a sandwich, such as at Popeye’s. But, at Thanksgiving I would just a soon eat ham. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. May GOD bless you as well.

  36. Absolutely NO TURKEY or Green Bean Casserole! The sides I serve go great with the meat chosen for the holiday – this year it’s Pork Loin. Lemon Meringue Pie, from lemons right off the tree, instead of Pumpkin.

  38. Having Turkey on Thanksgiving Day is a tradition, we usually have Turkey on Thanksgiving and Ham on Christmas and of course Tamales. Thank you for posting about turkeys, I enjoyed it and learned some things. May you all have a Blessed Thanksgiving.

  40. I like turkey and we usually have it on Thanksgiving. My son usually cooks it in his smoker. Happy Thanksgiving .

  42. I enjoy Turkey on Thanksgiving and a few times every year! I’m having a Turkey Gobbler sandwich for lunch today to get the taste buds ready for tomorrows feast.

  45. We always have Turkey for Thanksgiving and ham for Christmas. I do not like hot turkey.(I think it is because when I clean and prepare the bird I don’t have am appetite for eating it.) I do love cold Turkey sandwiches the following day with Hellmann’s mayonnaise, lettuce and cranberry sauce. YUMMY! Have a wonderful blessed Thanksgiving Day and weekend.
    Thank you for this opportunity.

  46. Yes, I Love Turkey we have Turkey and Ham both for Thanksgiving and Christmas? Happy Thanksgiving too all!

  47. Honestly for me, it’s not Thanksgiving without the turkey! I love getting a bigger one than we need so we can have turkey sandwiches for the following lunch the next day. Nothing better than fresh turkey sandwiches!! 🙂

    What an interesting blog today, I didn’t realize there were so many different breeds of turkey. I really love the Mexican turkey!

  53. When we were kids my uncle raised turkeys on his poultry farm. Weekends in October and November were spent at their farm with our parents as part of the turkey harvest crew. We kids were assigned the job of wheeling the birds from the kill area to the room where the feathers were picked by machine and a crew of people picked out the pin feathers. The wheel barrow held four or more turkeys at a time which kept us busy. We also found time to play. Turkey was always part of our big family Thanksgiving gathering and when my mom raised ducks we also had duck. Many years later, Thanksgiving has to have a whole turkey and my husband always wants one big enough to put sliced turkey for sandwiches in the freezer….planned leftovers:)

    • How fascinating, Alice! Plucking turkeys is difficult business. I can see the a need for a crew for pinfeathers. Planned leftovers are brilliant and sure make life easier after the big day!

  54. My scariest moment with a wild turkey was when one flew across the road and almost into the windshield of the rental car I was driving while visiting my sister near Saratoga Springs, NY.

  55. I love turkey, I cook it sometimes during the year not just at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Mostly Turkey breast

  57. I enjoy turkey and look forward to fixing it every Thanksgiving. It is too bad they are so big. It is hard to manage one except with a large group. One year, I had the turkey cut in half lengthwise so I would have both white and dark meat. It worked well making it easier to cook and not having a ton of leftovers. It took me three grocery stores before I would find a butcher that would cut one for me. I eat turkey, dressing, and gravy for a few days and look forward to turkey sandwiches with lots of mayo.

  58. I wish I could still feast on turkey. In high school, college, and beyond I was always on a diet. Low fat, white meat turkey was consumed regularly. This led to my becoming sensitized to it (the tryptophan has a definite sleep inducing effect on me now). Our main dish will be a casserole of rice, ground beef, onion, celery and seasonings. We will include pie on our menu!

  59. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. No expectations. Just a gathering of family and good food. I am a turkey fan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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