The Turkey And Christmas
The Turkey And Christmas - Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a turkey sat upon the table, with all the stuffing and dressings making the table groan with the weight of it. But what do we know about the traditional Christmas bird, the favorite food of the masses, and the wonderful bird of Britain's Christmas time?
Turkey's presence in Turkey has been around since 10 million years ago, it is known from a number of fossils found there. That means that they have been around with us since pretty much the beginning of time. But it wasn't until King Edward VII made them the in thing to eat at Christmas, that we truly took the turkey by storm.
10 million units of turkey were sold last Christmas in the United Kingdom alone. That means 10 million homes across the United Kingdom enjoyed the same meal as Edward VII made famous and longed after.
The turkey, however, despite being such a favored Christmas meal in Britain, actually originated in Mexico- and not, as the name would suggest, in Turkey. Despite this, 87% of people in the United Kingdom feel like Christmas wouldn't be a real Christmas without the traditional roast turkey on their tables and in their bellies.
Whilst turkey is available all year round, many people choose it as their favorite Christmas dish. The turkeys we are presented with at Christmas are often a lot larger than those we are given throughout the rest of the day. The average weight of a Christmas turkey is 5.5kg/12lb, and that is without all of the trimmings, the stuffing, the parsnips alongside, and the herbs added on top.
Giving turkey as a meal for Christmas might be traditional, but the turkey has seen some untraditional things happen to it. For example, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin - the first men on the moon - ate a meal of cold roast turkey as their first moon meal.
Not every Christmas like, but amazing none the less. Now, this traditional bird has visited the moon, it is a wonder its Christmas popularity has not taken a soar. However, it was pretty popular before Buzz and Neil ever decided to take a chomp of the Christmas bird on the big cheese wheel in the sky.
There are so many ways a turkey can be prepared for Christmas meals and so many ways in which people choose to cook them. The Christmas turkey has been a popular choice for many people, but it wasn't until the 1950's that turkey stopped being a luxury and became a more affordable and popular dish.
So this means for the past almost-70 years, turkey has been a firm favorite up and down the United Kingdom, and before that, it was still a favorite among those who could afford it.
For some people, the tradition of a turkey is incredibly special. It may be that their mother or father is always the one who curves the turkey. This can be a sign of being grown up, the father or mother passing the tradition down to a son or daughter when they reach a certain age.
Whatever the case may be, there is something incredibly traditional about the turkey and seeing its wonderfully browned body resting upon your table, ready for the family to feast.
Preparing a Christmas turkey can take a very long time, and require a lot of patience. This is another reason the Christmas turkey is so revered, because of all the preparation that goes into creating part of the Christmas feast.
The traditions of Christmas, although the religious roots may be gone and diminished in some households, still hold fast, and as such, the Christmas turkey will continue to be a family favorite across the United Kingdom for many years to come.
