KOMPAS.com – Thanksgiving day or Thanksgiving celebrated by the citizens of the United States every November 26. Usually, thanksgiving is done by gathering with family.
One of the things that cannot be missed in this family gathering is eating turkey. Turkey a must-eat snack when thanksgiving.
Quoted from CNBC, Ashley Rose Young, historian at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, said that Thanksgiving celebrated by eating the same foods including turkey.
Also read: 5 Interesting Thanksgiving Facts, Been Around Since the 1600’s
This is also to distinguish the celebrations carried out by the United States of America with other countries.
Even the Founding Father of the United States, Alexander Hamilton, has stated that no US citizen should refrain from turkey onThanksgiving.
Hamilton’s statement came true, and according to the National Turkey Federation, between 45 million and 46 million turkeys are consumed each Thanksgiving.
Another reason why turkey is eaten at times Thanksgiving because it has been done for decades. And in regions of New England, turkey is consumed during traditional harvest festivals.
Meanwhile, The Smithsonian Historian adds that the bird’s popularity is spreading for more pragmatic reasons.
First, the turkey is native to North America. Second, unlike chickens, turkeys weigh 15 to 20 pounds so they can feed a large number of people.
Why is turkey called turkey?
The turkey is referred to as turkey in the United States. The same name as the country of Turkey or Turkey. This naming has its own history.
Quoted from American Heritage, in 1519 there were Spaniards who came to Mexico. Then their ship returned with some turkeys to Spain.
The Spaniards breed turkeys as domestic poultry. Within a few years, breeders brought turkeys north and east.
In France, the birds are called by the name Indian chicken or chicken d’Inde. In Turkey too, turkey is called hindi.
However, when poultry farmers took them further north, the origin of the birds became less clear.
When the turkey arrived in England in 1541, the English thought that the turkey came from Turkey.
Actually the British were wrong, because there are birds from Africa that are similar to turkeys, so they think they are the same.
Another theory states that the birds were captured during a series of naval battles between Turkey and Spain in the 16th century.
It was then brought back to Turkey where it was found by the English who started calling them “turkish birds”.
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