The Thanksgiving Turkey

For many people, tradition dictates that the Thanksgiving turkey be the main course of the day. Interestingly, there are a few different reasons why people believe this Thanksgiving tradition to be true, at least in the United States. It has been said that it began because the birds were big enough to feed a crowd, they were affordable and readily available, and they were fresh. Past and present, Americans prefer a large “Tom Turkey” for big celebrations, as one can be enjoyed without any type of economical sacrifice.

The general consensus was that the cows were much more useful alive and beef was also not available commercially until around the late 19th century. Venison might have been a good choice as a Thanksgiving food but many people claimed they were not that excited about having to hunt for the game they would serve at their Thanksgiving feast. They also felt that rooster meat was too tough and the hens were more valuable for their eggs.

Even though both brined pork and ham were as readily available as turkey, it was not deemed good enough for this feast of giving thanks. Turkeys were considered the best bet, as the poults that were born in the spring would have about 7 months to do nothing but eat and grow plump for their place of honor at the Thanksgiving Day feast. It was also felt that eating a Thanksgiving turkey was more in keeping with Britain’s holiday customs that were introduced to the New World by the early settlers.

Economics was an important factor for most early settlers, especially since people were not necessarily preparing just one meal. Thanksgiving was also the time to bake other meats and pies and make preserves that would have to last throughout the winter as well. At one time the British ate swans and geese as a Thanksgiving tradition, but they finally came to prefer the turkey once it was introduced in England around 1540. Swans were not well received due to their diet; they sometimes tasted fishy unless they were fed seeds and wheat several weeks before being slaughtered.

Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863; however, by then the turkey was already pretty much the standard of Thanksgiving Day customs. Of course there are those who believe the Thanksgiving turkey, as well as the traditional sides of mashed potatoes, squash, peas, cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy, became firmly ensconced at center stage partially because of “A Christmas Carol” that was written by Charles Dickens. When Scrooge gave the gift of a turkey to the poor Cratchit family it cemented it as the bird of choice for all future holiday dinners.

Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed cure panic attack cures as well as tips on the various anxiety attack medication available at anxietydisordercure.com.