Discover how and why this humble bird became the centerpiece of the traditional Thanksgiving meal.
That works out to a whopping 46 million turkeys for Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation.
Still, Thanksgiving is the most popular day for consuming the bird.
Credit: Brie Passano
So when and why did turkeys become the main event onThanksgiving menus?
Colonists would spend the day praying in church and then share a big meal.
“We know very little what early colonists ate on these days, but it would have been seasonal.
Our National Bird
Forrest also notes the influence that Benjamin Franklin had on our relationship with turkeys.
The myth, nonetheless created an indelible association between our national identity and turkeys.
Simmons' cookbook included several recipes for indigenous turkey, including boiling it.
The use of turkey as aThanksgiving table centerpieceis also practical.
It is a ritual meal rather than a banal one,” Forrest says.
“Not many of us have several hours to attend to roasting our dinner,” Forrest says.
“It can really represent not only an American identity but other identities,” Forrest says.
It wasn’t until 1989, with President George H.W.
Bush, that the official turkey pardoning ceremony became an annual tradition.
The change went into effect in 1942.
2013, January.American Myths: Benjamin Franklins Turkey and the Presidential Seal.
