Domestic turkey 296928 225067805 2008-07-11T18:57:07Z HouseOfScandal 2336462 /* Turkey breeds */ Narragansett Turkey {{Taxobox | name = Domesticated turkey | status = DOM | image = Male north american turkey supersaturated.jpg | image_width = 225px | image_caption = A domestic male North American turkey [[Wild Turkey|M. gallopavo]] | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Aves]] | ordo = [[Galliformes]] | familia = [[Meleagrididae]] | genus = '''''Meleagris''''' | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = ''[[Wild Turkey|Meleagris gallopavo]] (modern)''<br> ''[[Ocellated Turkey|Meleagris ocellata]] (historical)'' }} The '''domesticated turkey''' is a large [[poultry]] [[bird]] raised for food. The modern domesticated turkey descends from the [[Wild Turkey|wild turkey]] (''Meleagris gallopavo''), one of the two species of [[turkey (bird)|turkey]] (genus ''Meleagris''); however, in the past the [[ocellated turkey]] (''Meleagris ocellata'') was also domesticated. <!-- The domesticated turkey is descended from the [[North America]]n [[Wild Turkey]], ''Meleagris gallopavo''. The [[Aztec]]s domesticated the southern [[Mexico|Mexican]] form, ''M. g. gallopavo'', one of six subspecies. --> Despite the name, turkeys have no relation to the country of [[Turkey]] and are native to [[North America]]. The turkey is reared throughout temperate parts of the world, and is a popular form of poultry, partially because industrialised farming has made it very cheap for the amount of meat it produces. The female domesticated turkey is referred to as a ''hen'' and the chick as a ''poult''. In the [[United States]], the male is referred to as a ''tom'', whilst in [[Europe]], the male is a ''stag''. The average lifespan for a domesticated turkey is 10 years. The great majority of domesticated turkeys have white feathers, although brown or bronze-feathered varieties are also raised. The fleshy protuberance attached to the underside of the beak is known as a "wattle". ==History== [[Image:Turkeys.jpg|thumb|left|Turkeys]] Since the modern domesticated turkey is a descendant of the Wild Turkey, it is surmised that ancient Mesoamericans had chosen to domesticate this species rather than the Ocellated Turkey which is found in far southern Mexico. The Aztecs relied on the turkey ([[Mexican Spanish]] ''guajolote'', from [[Nahuatl]] ''huexolotl'') as a major source of protein (meat and eggs), and also utilized its feathers extensively for decorative purposes, as did many other Mesoamerican cultures. The turkey was associated with their trickster god [[Tezcatlipoca]],<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.wildturkeyzone.com/wildturkey/species.htm | title = Ancient North & Central American History of the Wild Turkey | accessdate = 2007-12-21 | publisher = Wildturkeyzone.com}}</ref> perhaps because of its humorous behavior, an aspect which it has retained up to the present. In Mexico today, turkey meat with [[mole (sauce)|mole]] sauce (''mole de guajolote'') is widely regarded as the unofficial national dish.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://fiery-foods.com/dave/nancy1102.asp | title = Nancy’s Fiery Fare: A Chile Lover’s "Mexican Thanksgiving" | accessdate = 2007-12-21 | first = Nancy | last = Gerlach | publisher = Fiery-Foods.com}}</ref> Turkeys were taken to Europe by the [[Spain|Spanish]] who had found them as a favorite domesticated animal among the [[Aztecs]] and other Mesoamerican peoples. After being introduced to Europe many distinct turkey breeds were developed due to cross breeding (e.g. Spanish Black, Royal Palm). Turkey was one of the many game species hunted by early American colonists and is thought to have been served at the first [[Thanksgiving]], although there is little evidence to support this claim. Most likely, venison and/or duck was served at the first thanksgiving. In the midwestern United States in the mid to late 1800s, domestic turkeys were actually herded across the range in a manner similar to herding cattle.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} In the early 20th century, many advances were made in the breeding of turkeys resulting in varieties such as the [[Beltsville]] Small White. <!--who first domesticated, when--> Suggestions have been made that the Mexican [[Ocellated Turkey]] (''Meleagris ocellata'') might also be involved, but the plumage as well as DNA analysis of domestic turkeys does not support this theory; in particular, the chest tuft of domestic turkeys is a clear indicator of descent from the Wild Turkey (the Ocellated Turkey does not have this tuft).{{Fact|date=July 2007}} ==Availability and commercial production== Prior to [[World War II]], turkey was something of a luxury in [[United Kingdom|Britain]], with [[goose]] or [[beef]] a more common [[Christmas]] dinner (In [[Charles Dickens]]' ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'', [[Bob Cratchit]] had a goose before [[Ebenezer Scrooge|Scrooge]] bought him a turkey). Turkey production in Britain was centred on [[East Anglia]] with two breeds, the [[Norfolk]] Black and the Norfolk Bronze (also known as Cambridge Bronze). These would be driven as flocks, after shoeing, down to markets in [[London]] from the 17th century onwards - the breeds arriving in the early 16th century via Spain (1500).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.turkeyclub.org.uk/ | title = The Turkey Club UK | accessdate = 2007-12-21 | date = 2007-03-19}} </ref> [[Intensive farming]] of turkeys from the late 1940s, however, dramatically cut the price and it became far and away the most common Christmas dinner meat. With the availability of refrigeration, whole turkeys could be shipped frozen to distant markets. Later advances in control of disease increased production even more. Advances in shipping, changing consumer preferences and the proliferation of commercial poultry plants for butchering animals has made fresh turkey available to the consumer. In the UK [[Bernard Matthews]] is a name synonymous with turkey production and the largest single producer in the world. The dominant commercial breed is the White (also known as "White Holland") which are large birds with lots of meat but too large to achieve natural fertilization. ==Waste products== Approximately two to four billion pounds of poultry feathers are produced every year by the poultry producing industry. Most of the feathers are usually ground up and used as filler for animal feed. Researchers at the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] (USDA) have patented a method of removing the stiff [[quill]] from the fibers which make up the feather. As this is a potential untapped supply of natural fibers, research has been conducted at Philadelphia University to determine textile applications for feather fibers. To date, turkey feather fibers have been blended with nylon and spun into [[yarn]] which was then used for [[knitting]]. The yarns were tested for strength while the fabrics were evaluated as potential insulation materials. In the case of the yarns, as the percentage of turkey feather fibers increased the strength decreased. In fabric form, as the percentage of turkey feather fibers increased the heat retention capability of the fabric increased. ==Intelligence== Turkeys are popularly believed to be unintelligent birds with claims made that during a rain storm a turkey will look up into the sky until they drown. Despite this image, the turkey is no more or less intelligent than a comparable animal,<ref name = Rost>{{cite web | url = http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=92&storyType=news | title = OSU animal scientist debunks dumb turkey myth | date = 2003-11-19 | accessdate = 2007-12-21 | publisher = Oregon State University Extension News Service |last = Rost | first = Bob }}</ref> and while the birds will look at the sky for up to a minute during a rain storm, this is due to a genetic nervous disorder known as [[tetanic torticollar spasms]].<ref name = Rost/> Other criticisms include the bird being 'too dumb' to realize it can't fly, and perceptions about the bird being awkward, both traits being due to the breeding of modern turkeys to be much heavier than their wild relatives to provide more meat for human meals.<ref name = Rost/> Benjamin Franklin regarded the turkey as a noble bird and preferred it to the eagle as the proposed symbol for the new United States, describing it as a "Bird of Courage."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.greatseal.com/symbols/turkey.html | title = The Eagle, Ben Franklin, and the Turkey | accessdate = 2007-12-21| author = John D. MacArthur }}</ref> ==Turkey breeds== * The [[Arctic Bronze]] is the turkey most frequntly bred on small-scale turkey farms in Canada and Alaska. A crossbreed developed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Arctic Bronze has thicker feathers and a longer brooding period, enabling it to survive chilly spring nights. * The [[Broad-breasted White]] is the commercial turkey of choice for large scale industrial turkey farms, and consequently is the most consumed variety of the bird. Usually the turkey to receive a [[National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation|"presidential pardon"]], a US custom, is a Broad breasted White. * The [[Broad-breasted Bronze]] is another commercially developed strain of table bird. * The [[Standard Bronze]] looks much like the broad-breasted, except that it is single breasted, and can naturally breed. * The [[Bourbon Red]] turkey is a smaller non-commercial breed with dark reddish feathers with white markings. * [[Blue slate]] turkeys are a very rare breed with beautiful gray-blue feathers. * The Black turkey ("Spanish Black", "[[Norfolk]] Black") has very dark plumage with a green sheen. * The [[Narragansett Turkey]] is a popular heritage breed named after Narraganset Bay in New England. * The [[Chocolate Turkey]] is a rarer heritage breed with markings similar to a Black Spanish, but light brown instead of black in color. Common in the Southern U.S. and France before the Civil War. * The [[Beltsville Small White]] is a small heritage breed, which development started in 1934. She was introduced in 1941 and was admitted to the APA Standard in 1951. She is slightly bigger and broader than the Midget White but both are often mislabel. * The [[Midget White Turkey]] is a smaller heritage breed, developed in Massachusetts in the 1950s, sometimes called Beltsville Whites. ==Turkeys as food== [[Image:Oven roasted brine-soaked turkey.jpg|thumb|right|250px|An oven-roasted [[brine]]-soaked 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. In fact, 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.<ref>{{ cite book | last = Parris | first = John | title = Mountain Cooking | publisher = Asheville Citizen-Times | year = 1982 | asin = B000UIRZVE }}</ref> It has also displaced, to a certain extent, the traditional Christmas roast [[goose]] or [[beef]] of Britain 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 [[supermarket]]s. 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]]. 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 cut]]s on [[Boxing Day]]. In [[Israel]], turkey, rather than lamb is typically used to make [[shawarma]]. [[Image:Thanksgiving Turkey.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A roast turkey as part of a traditional [[U.S.]] [[Thanksgiving]] meal.]] 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 breasts) with a more intense flavor. The flavour can also vary seasonally with changes in available forage, often leaving wild turkey meat with a more significant game flavour 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 flavour. Older heritage breeds also differ in flavor.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} Turkey is often found as a processed meat. It can be smoked and as such is sometimes sold as turkey ham. Twisted [[helix|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 dinner]]s. ===Cooking===<!-- This section is linked from [[Deep-frying]] --> {{Cookbook|Turkey}} 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 endeavour: a typically-sized turkey will take several days to properly defrost. Turkeys are usually [[baking|baked]] or [[roasting|roasted]] in an oven for several hours, often while the cook prepares the rest of the meal. Sometimes, a turkey is [[brining|brined]] before roasting to enhance flavor and moisture content. This is necessary because the dark meat cooks more slowly than the white meat, 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. In some areas, particularly the [[U.S. Southern States|American South]], they may also be [[deep frying|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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ul.com/consumers/turkeys.html | title = Product Safety Tips: Turkey Fryers | accessdate = 2007-12-21 | publisher = Underwriter Laboratories }}</ref> ===Nutritional value=== {{nutritionalvalue | name=Turkey breast meat | kJ=436 | protein=17.07 g | fat=1.66 g | carbs=4.21 g | fiber=0.5 g | | sugars=3.51 g | iron_mg=1.44 | calcium_mg=8 | magnesium_mg=21 | phosphorus_mg=162 | potassium_mg=302 | zinc_mg=1.33 | vitC_mg=5.7 | pantothenic_mg=0.166 | vitB6_mg=0.128 | folate_ug=4 | thiamin_mg=0.130 | riboflavin_mg=0.320 | niacin_mg=0.110 | right=1 | source_usda=1 }} Turkey is generally considered healthier and less fattening than red meat.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} Turkey is high in [[tryptophan]], and is commonly credited with causing sleepiness after a meal; however, this is largely a misconception. Turkey dinners are commonly large meals served with carbohydrates, fats, and alcohol in a relaxed atmosphere, all of which are bigger contributors to post-meal sleepiness than the tryptophan in turkey.<ref name="sleepyturkey">{{cite web | title=Does eating turkey make you sleepy? | work=About.com | url=http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa110402a.htm | accessmonthday=May 11 | accessyear=2005}}</ref><ref name="sleepyturkey2">{{cite web | title=Researcher talks turkey on Thanksgiving dinner droop | work=Massachusetts Institute of Technology News Office | url=http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/thanksgiving.html | accessmonthday=November 21 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> ===Accompaniments=== [[Image:turkeyset.JPG|thumb|left|250px|Roast turkey served with salad, sauces and sparkling juice. On the left is a [[yule log|log cake]].]] When eaten at [[Christmas]] in Britain, turkey is traditionally served with winter vegetables including roast [[potato]]es, [[Brussels sprout]]s, and [[parsnip]]s. [[Cranberry]] sauce is the traditional condiment in the northern rural areas of Britain where wild cranberries grow. In the south and in urban areas, where cranberries until recently were difficult to obtain, [[bread sauce]] was used in its place, but the availability of commercial [[cranberry]] sauce has seen a rise in its popularity in these areas too. Sometimes sausagemeat, [[sausages|cocktail sausages]] or [[liver]] wrapped in bacon is also served (known as bacon rolls or "[[pigs in blankets]]"). Especially during holiday seasons, [[stuffing]] is traditionally served with turkey. There are many varieties: [[oatmeal]], [[chestnut]], [[Common sage|sage]] and [[onion]] (flavoured bread), and [[sausage]] (possibly with [[mashed potato]]) are the most traditional. Stuffing may either be used to stuff the turkey (as the name implies), or may be cooked separately and served as a side dish. For [[Thanksgiving]] in the United States and Canada, turkey is traditionally served with [[cranberry]] sauce and [[gravy]]. Other items vary, but common complementary dishes include mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, various vegetables (such as corn, green beans, [[squash (vegetable)|squash]], and [[sweet potato]]es), and various types of pie for dessert (such as [[pumpkin pie|pumpkin]], [[apple pie|apple]] and [[pecan pie|pecan]]). One humorous decades-old Thanksgiving tradition in the United States is the [[National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation|annual Presidential "pardon"]] of a selected turkey, which meets the [[President of the United States|President]] and then is taken to a [[petting zoo]] instead of a slaughterhouse. ==Turkeys in culture== [[Norman Rockwell]] featured a roast turkey as a symbol of prosperity in his painting "[[Freedom from want|Freedom from Want]]", one of his [[Four Freedom Series]]. A "hand turkey" is an image of a [[turkey]] created by tracing the hand. The four fingers represent feathers, and an eye and beak are added to the thumb. They can also be made by covering the hand in paint and pressing it on the paper to create the print.<ref>http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/turkeycrafts/a/blturkhpr.htm</ref> They have been extensively used as a means of occupying the minds of [[Elementary School]]-age American children for a few hours every year around the [[Thanksgiving]] [[holiday]]{{Fact|date=June 2008}}. ==Turkeys as pets== [[Animal welfare]] groups such as [[Farm Sanctuary]] claim that turkeys are bright and social animals that can make suitable [[companion animal]]s.<ref>[http://www.farmsanctuary.org/mediacenter/2007/pr_turkey_express_CA.html Rescued Turkeys Seek "Good Life" In Santa Cruz Mountains]</ref> US President [[George W. Bush]] noted the long tradition of keeping turkeys as pets in his 2001 [[National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation]] speech. Bush noted that [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s son Tad kept a turkey as a [[White House]] pet.<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/11/20011119-5.html President Pardons Thanksgiving Turkey]</ref> ==Turkey dung for fuel== Turkey droppings are being used as a fuel source in electric power plants. One such plant in western Minnesota provides 55 megawatts of power using 700,000 tons of dung per year. The plant began operating in 2007.<ref name="HeraldTribune">{{cite web | title=Turkey-Manure Power Plant Raises Stink with Environmentalists | work=International Herald Tribune iht.com | url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/06/europe/manure.php?page=1 | accessmonthday=November 15 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> Three such plants are in operation in England. ==See also== * [[List of names for the Wild Turkey]] * [[National Turkey Federation]] * [[American Poultry Association]] * [[Turducken]] * [[Tofurkey]] ==Footnotes== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{commons|Turkey (bird)}} * [http://birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Wild_Turkey.html More information on turkeys] from Cornell * [http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Turkeys/BRKTurkey.html Breeds of turkey] from Feathersite.com * [http://www.poultryyouth.com/articles/article-1/ Heritage Turkeys - Why the Trend Change?] - Article published by the Poultry Youth Association [[Category:Poultry]] [[Category:Christmas food]] [[Category:Domesticated birds]] [[Category:Turkey breeds|*]] [[Category:Meleagrididae]] [[Category:Heraldic birds]] [[cs:Krůta domácí]] [[de:Haustruthuhn]] [[io:Dindo]] [[hu:Pulyka]] [[ru:Домашняя индейка]] [[sv:Tamkalkon]] [[yi:אינדיק]]