Thanksgiving Means Roasted Turkey!

One reason that has been given when asked why the Thanksgiving turkey is a tradition observed in America is because one “Tom Turkey” can easily feed a rather large gathering of family and friends, and in the days of the settlers, one could be used without being a huge economical hardship to the farmer, or to the person or family chosen to host Thanksgiving. Today, as in the past, the tradition is still considered to be a good choice because the birds are readily available, fresh or frozen.

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.

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln finally declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, yet by that time the Thanksgiving turkey was pretty much a family tradition for all. Some feel that when Scrooge gave the gift of a holiday turkey to the Cratchit family, in Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” that it seemed to forever cement the turkey’s place, as well as its familiar sidekicks dressing and gravy, as the fitting choice for all future Thanksgiving and Christmas Day feasts.

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