Let's Talk Turkey

November 24, 2010

On the fourth Thursday of every November, we give thanks. Thanks, in part, that we are not turkeys!

Traditionally, we roast a whole turkey for Thanksgiving and eat only a small portion of it. After Thanksgiving, we eat turkey soup, turkey noodles, turkey dumplings, turkey sandwiches, turkey tetrazzini, turkey a la king, turkey casserole, stir-fried turkey, turkey surprise, turkey burgers, turkey chili, flaming turkey wings, and associated Thanksgiving leftovers until Christmas. Then, we cook another turkey and start the process anew!

Did you know the following turkey trivia?

• We eat a lot of turkey:  46 million turkeys are eaten in America every Thanksgiving, with 22 million more eaten at Christmas. 
• The wild turkey was first domesticated by Native Mesoamericans and is one of the few domestic animals that originated in the New World.
• There is a second species of turkey, the ocellated turkey that only lives in the Yucatan area of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. 
• Benjamin Franklin thought the wild turkey to be a better choice for our national bird than the bald eagle.
• Turkey (the bird) has nothing to do with Turkey (the country).
• The turducken is a Louisiana delicacy consisting of a deboned chicken stuffed inside a deboned duck stuffed inside a deboned turkey.
• Vegetarians can enjoy a turkey of sorts, too: the Tofurky.
• That red fleshy droopy thing on a turkey's beak is called a snood.
• Missouri is considered to be one of the best states for hunting wild turkeys.
• Deep-fried whole turkey may be delicious, but it is also potentially quite dangerous. The number of grease fire related insurance claims is doubled on Thanksgiving as compared to any other day in November.

Gobble gobble..

-Jeff
Grandview Branch