Do you celebratewith turkey during this holiday? If so, this page will help answer many of your questions about turkey!
Let's Learn some fun food facts about turkey:
- "Turkeys are traditionally eaten as the main course of large feasts at Christmas in much of the world, as well as Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, though this tradition has its origins in modern times, rather than colonial as is often supposed."
- "Before the 20th century, pork ribs were the most commonly consumed food on the holiday, as the animals were usually slaughtered in November. Turkeys were once so abundant in the wild that they were eaten throughout the year, the food considered commonplace, whereas pork ribs were rarely available outside of the Thanksgiving-New Year holiday season. It has also displaced, to a certain extent, the traditional Christmas roast goose or beef of the United Kingdom and Europe. While eating turkey was once mainly restricted to special occasions such as these, turkey is now eaten year-round and forms a regular part of many diets."
- "In countries where turkey is popular, it is available commonly in supermarkets. Turkeys are sold sliced and ground, as well as "whole" in a manner similar to chicken with the head, feet, and feathers removed. Frozen whole turkeys remain popular. Sliced turkey is frequently used as a sandwich meat or served as cold cuts; in some cases where recipes call for chicken it can and is used as a substitute. Ground turkey is sold just as ground beef, and is frequently marketed as a healthy beef substitute.
- "Without careful preparation, cooked turkey is usually considered to end up less moist than other poultry meats such as chicken or duck.
- "Leftovers from roast turkey are generally served as cold cuts on Boxing Day in Canada.
- "Wild turkeys, while technically the same species as domesticated turkeys, have a very different taste from farm-raised turkeys. Almost all of the meat is "dark" (even the breast) with a more intense flavor. The flavor can also vary seasonally with changes in available forage, often leaving wild turkey meat with a more significant game flavor in late summer due to the greater number of insects in the diet over the preceding months. Wild turkey that has fed predominantly on grass and grain has a far milder flavor. Older heritage breeds also differ in flavor."
- "Turkey is often found as a processed meat. It can be smoked and as such is sometimes sold as turkey ham. Twisted helices of deep fried turkey meat sold as "turkey twizzlers" came to prominence in the UK in 2004 when chef Jamie Oliver campaigned to have them and similar foods removed from school dinners."
- "Both fresh and frozen turkeys are used for cooking; as with most foods, fresh turkeys are generally preferred, although they cost more. Around holiday seasons, high demand for fresh turkeys often makes them difficult to purchase without ordering in advance."
- "For the frozen variety, the large size of the turkeys typically used for consumption makes defrosting them a major endeavor: a typically-sized turkey will take several days to properly defrost."
- "Turkeys are usually baked or roasted in an oven for several hours, often while the cook prepares the rest of the meal. Sometimes, a turkey is brined before roasting to enhance flavor and moisture content. This is necessary because the dark meat requires a higher temperature to denature all of the myoglobin pigment than the white meat(very low in myoglobin), so that fully cooking the dark meat tends to dry out the breast. Brining makes it possible to fully cook the dark meat without drying the breast meat."
- "Turkeys are sometimes decorated with turkey frills prior to serving. Turkey Frills are paper frills or 'booties' that are placed on the end of turkey or other poultry drumsticks. The products are called "paper frills" or turkey frills. They are available at supermarkets or through stores and/or their respective web sites. The size varies to fit different types of bird." (you can also make your own) see photo at top of page :)
- "In some areas, particularly the American South, turkeys may also be deep fried in hot oil (often peanut oil) for 30 to 45 minutes by using a turkey fryer. Deep frying turkey has become something of a fad, with hazardous consequences for those unprepared to safely handle the large quantities of hot oil required."
- "The white meat of turkey is generally considered healthier and less fattening than the dark meat, but the nutritional differences are small."
Other Meat Holidays To Remember!
• National Meat Week: Last week in January
• Meatloaf Appreciation Day: October 18
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