Turkey Talk

(Fun facts on the Thanksgiving bird)

- There is no evidence that turkey was eaten at the first Thanksgiving, although it is an animal native to North America.
- In fact in the years before refrigeration some form of pork, such as ribs were often eaten as that was the time of year that pigs were slaughtered, while turkeys could be eaten any time of the year.
- It is thought by many that turkey became the main meat at Thanksgiving in large part to the Norman Rockwell painting “Freedom from Want” that shows a woman setting a very large turkey down on the dinning room table.
- Every year two turkeys are picked out and the President pardon’s one after which both are retired to a petting zoo or farm.
- This custom originally started when President Lincoln was giving a turkey for Christmas dinner, but his children wanted to keep it as a pet, so he gave the turkey a pardon. And was later moved to a Thanksgiving Day custom.
- Although turkey’s contain high amounts of tryptophan, a chemical that causes sleepiness, it doesn’t contain enough to make on fall asleep and it is more the over eating of Thanksgiving that causes the post dinner nap.
- A 3.5 oz serving of turkey breast meat contains on average 17 g protein, 10% DRA of vitamin B1, 21% of B2, 10% B6, 10% vitamin C, 12% iron, 23% phosphorus, 13% zinc and smaller amounts of other vitamins and minerals.
- Scientifically there is no difference between wild and domestic turkeys.
- Only male turkeys gobble.
- The turkey can fly.