The Turkey

1. The Prehistoric Turkey; or, How the Turkey Conquered North America

Download PDF (142.8 KB)
pp. 3-13

More than twelve thousand species of birds are dispersed throughout the world, and virtually all of them are edible. Fowl were an important part of early human diets. Their eggs were easily gathered, but the fowl themselves were more difficult to procure. Because it is not easy to hit birds on the wing, hunters devised methods of capturing them with traps, nets, and snares. ...

2. The Globe-trotting Turkey; or, How the Turkey Conquered Europe

Download PDF (150.3 KB)
pp. 14-25

Fifteenth-century Europe consisted of a patchwork of small kingdoms, duchies, and nominal empires. Spain was on its way to unification after the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella and the resulting union of Aragon and Castile. The re-conquest of Moorish areas of the Iberian Peninsula was a costly venture, ...

3. The English Turkey; or, How the Turkey Cooked the Christmas Goose

Download PDF (158.8 KB)
pp. 26-38

nly English-speaking countries use the word turkey to refer to the Meleagris gallopavo. Many explanations, most of them fanciful, have been offered for its origin. Some have proposed an onomatopoetic derivation, claiming that the turkey named itself because it makes a “turk, turk” sound, but neither wild nor domesticated bird does that.¹ ...

4. The Call of the Wild Turkey; or, How the Wild Turkey Came to a Fowl Ending

Download PDF (171.5 KB)
pp. 39-53

Many European expeditions explored what is today the United States during the sixteenth century. Some charted the coastline of eastern North America, others established settlements in the New World. In 1562 Jean Ribault, a French captain, explored the coast of southeastern North America. ...

5. The Well-dressed Turkey; or, How the Turkey Trotted onto America's Table

Download PDF (162.8 KB)
pp. 54-66

The disappearance of wildfowl did not present a problem for European colonists, who had imported domesticated poultry— particularly chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and guinea fowl— shortly after colonization. Domesticated fowl generally foraged for themselves in the barnyard, and their diet was supplemented with kitchen scraps and grain. ...

Illustrations follow page 66.

Download PDF (5.0 MB)
 

6. Hale's Turkey Tale; or, The Invention of Turkey Day

Download PDF (184.0 KB)
pp. 67-82

The Separatists, a small splinter group of Puritanism, followed John Calvin’s teachings. Separatists believed that Scripture was the only guide to all matters of faith and that individuals had the right to interpret the meaning of Scripture. Each Separatist congregation selected its own pastor, whose responsibilities were limited to the jurisdiction of that single church. ...

7. The Well-bred Turkey; or, How the Turkey Lost its Flavor

Download PDF (133.7 KB)
pp. 83-92

Of the six major subspecies of wild turkeys, only two contributed genetically to the modern commercial turkey. The Mexican turkey (M. g. gallopavo) is believed to be the progenitor of domesticated turkeys that the Spanish found in Central America.¹ These birds were exported to Europe, where they were bred in different countries. ...

8. The Industrialized Turkey; or, How the Turkey Became a Profit Center

Download PDF (185.5 KB)
pp. 93-109

In the midst of the Civil War the U.S. Congress boldly launched two major efforts unrelated to the war: creation of what became the Department of Agriculture and passage of the Land Grant College Act. The latter established agricultural colleges throughout the nation. ...

9. The Social Turkey; or, How the Turkey Became a Cultural Icon

Download PDF (208.7 KB)
pp. 110-129

The turkey was just a big bird to raise, hunt, and consume until the American War for Independence, when it began to acquire symbolic value. The new nation needed to differentiate itself from its English roots, and “American” foods began to take on nationalistic values. ...

10. The American Turkey; or, How the Turkey Came Home to Roost

Download PDF (121.0 KB)
pp. 130-136

When wild turkeys were fast disappearing from the American landscape many states passed laws restricting hunting seasons and regulating the number of birds a hunter could kill.¹ These laws, however, were generally unenforced or ineffective. As many species became threatened, Congress enacted legislation intended to protect America’s remaining wildlife. ...