 Thanksgiving and Turkey
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,236 Likes: 56
Loquacious
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OP
Loquacious
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,236 Likes: 56 |
Have a good Columbus day weekend y'all to our south for Canadians grab a drumstick and have a good feast.
The truth about turkeys
Appropriately for the Americas – which were mistaken for a totally different continent by the Europeans who encountered them – turkeys are an unintended symbol of major confusion.
If you’re wondering why they’re named after a country that is nowhere near their actual home, this explanation from NPR gives the rather wonky backstory. It seems when the birds were first imported to England, it was via merchants operating out of Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire of the Turks. Average folks buying it for a meal would have associated it more with the Turks rather than the little-known New World, and it stuck.
Image Source.
The other explanation: Explorers may have mistaken it for a version of a Guinea fowl from West Africa … often called Turkey coqs due to the Turkish merchants who traded it.
It’s an odd naming fate for a bird so deeply rooted in the Americas. Your thanksgiving meal has an evolutionary history of 11 million years (according to this source).
It was domesticated in Mexico as early as 800 BC and in the southwestern U.S. by 200 BC (according to Discovery).
Aside from food, the Maya, Aztecs and other peoples prized them for their plumage and as part of religious rites, as did some of the peoples in North America.
Image Source.
Some pre-contact U.S. peoples actually encouraged their numbers as a side-effect of the controlled forest burning used to make meadowlands for game.
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Re: Thanksgiving and Turkey
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,393 Likes: 1
Second Wind
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Second Wind
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8,393 Likes: 1 |
I have no faith in human perfectability. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active - not more happy - nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago.
Edgar Allan Poe
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Re: Thanksgiving and Turkey
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,028 Likes: 8
New Tires
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New Tires
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,028 Likes: 8 |
Paul, in Kansas City Columbus Day is a day for Italian food. It's the equivalent of St. Pats for the Italian community. Even though Columbus worked on Spain's dime.
Thanksgiving is traditionally the "turkey day" followed by Christmas when it's optional.
But still the history of the bird is interesting, thanks. One of my favorite birds to hunt are pheasants, a bird not native to America or Europe.
Last edited by MACMC; 10/12/2014 12:51 PM.
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H. L. Mencken
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Re: Thanksgiving and Turkey
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,236 Likes: 56
Loquacious
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OP
Loquacious
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,236 Likes: 56 |
Well thanks to relatives and friends past and present and for an absolutely beautiful day for a ride here in the Capital area. Hope some the BA community had a chance to enjoy the fall colours on the open road.
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Re: Thanksgiving and Turkey
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,028 Likes: 8
New Tires
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New Tires
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,028 Likes: 8 |
Is wet a fall colour? I'm jealous, have fun. 
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
H. L. Mencken
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Re: Thanksgiving and Turkey
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 12,964
Stickman Yogi
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Stickman Yogi
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 12,964 |
Had a great Thanksgiving lasting over 3 days. First meal at friends. Next day camping. Third day meal with family. Doesn't get better.
Live to love, love to live.
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Re: Thanksgiving and Turkey
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,821
Bar Shake
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Bar Shake
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,821 |
Quote:
One of my favorite birds to hunt are pheasants, a bird not native to America or Europe.
Chukar are a favorite here. They're not native either, from Afghanistan I think.
Contra todo mal, mezcal; contra todo bien, también
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Re: Thanksgiving and Turkey
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,236 Likes: 56
Loquacious
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OP
Loquacious
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,236 Likes: 56 |
Quote:
Quote:
One of my favorite birds to hunt are pheasants, a bird not native to America or Europe.
Chukar are a favorite here. They're not native either, from Afghanistan I think.
Are they raised locally or brought in Bill? I've not seen them in our local meat market/butcher looks like it might take a couple for a family feast being a Partridge family member.
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Re: Thanksgiving and Turkey
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,821
Bar Shake
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Bar Shake
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,821 |
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
One of my favorite birds to hunt are pheasants, a bird not native to America or Europe.
Chukar are a favorite here. They're not native either, from Afghanistan I think.
Are they raised locally or brought in Bill? I've not seen them in our local meat market/butcher looks like it might take a couple for a family feast being a Partridge family member.
They're wild. Some years very prolific. I used to hunt them in the Las Vegas valley, but the city's expansion has done away with that. Some large populations pretty close by though so it's still not too expensive to shoot a few 
Contra todo mal, mezcal; contra todo bien, también
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