As Thanksgiving approaches, many of us are thinking about purchasing a very important part of our Thanksgiving feast – the turkey. Have you ever wondered about how the turkeys that many of us buy at the grocery store evolved from the turkeys that were being raised on family farms before commercialized turkey breeding became common? Today, I learned a little about the history of the turkey. Be forewarned though, as fascinating as this information is, it may not be great dinner table conversation on Thanksgiving because no one really wants to talk about Mr. Butterball’s genealogy and history while enjoying him sliced with gravy.
Before turkeys were commercially raised for meat, they were often found on family farms. They were a good source of meat for farming families and an alternative to the more numerous chicken dinners, but they also played a valuable role on the farm because they eat pesky bugs of all kinds. Beginning in the 1920’s, as commercial farming became more popular, turkey breeders began to realize the potential of selectively breeding their birds to be meatier. The Standard Bronze turkey became a favorite with breeders and over time they bred their biggest birds with each other until the resulting birds were different enough to be considered a new breed, the Broad Breasted Bronze turkey.
The Broad Breasted Bronze turkey was a favorite among commercial turkey farmers until they noticed that consumers preferred turkeys whose meat did not show dark streaks from the pin feathers. The meat of white feathered turkeys appeared cleaner because it did not have dark streaks. Beginning in the 1960’s the Broad Breasted Bronze turkey was bred with white feathered birds to create the Broad Breasted White. That breed continues to be a mainstay of commercial turkey farming, with birds being bred to be meatier and meatier as time goes on.
It is interesting to note that as the Broad Breasted White grew in commercial popularity it displaced other turkey breeds on small family farms as well. As a result, by the year 2000, turkeys of all other breeds were so few in numbers that those breeds were in danger of becoming extinct. Fortunately, poultry enthusiasts, grassroots activists, and some family farmers began making efforts to save the other turkey breeds – commonly referred to as heritage breeds – from extinction. While the numbers of heritage turkeys out there are still small, they are growing and the farms that raise them are proud of the role that they have played in helping those breeds avoid extinction. If eating locally raised meats is important to your family, you may be able to find a farm that offers heritage turkeys for sale. They are more expensive than grocery store turkeys, but most of them are also free range and even organic. If you choose to get one, look for information on how to prepare them correctly because they cook differently than the standard commercial turkey.
Photo by nanette on morguefile.com.