The history of the Christmas turkey

It may not have been on the Christmas table for long, but the birds themselves have been around for ages - 10 million years to be precise. Originating in the Americas, wild turkeys were hunted for meat as early as 1,000 AD.

The bird first landed on European shores in the 1520s and soon graced the tables of nobility including Henry the VIII, replacing swans, cranes and peacock as a popular feasting bird. By 1557 there are literary references to it being a Christmas meat. Indeed, whole flocks of turkeys are reported to have been herded down to London from East Anglia in the run up to Christmas to be sold in the food markets there. Apparently they wore little leather booties on the journey to protect their feet. Turkeys were notoriously hard birds to rear though, compared to the likes of chickens and ducks, so the prices stayed high.

So, as far back as the 16th century, the turkey was associated with Christmas, but as with so many current British Christmas traditions such as trees, crackers and cards, they were popularised in the Victorian era. A brief look at Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol is enough to tell us that it was still a luxury product though. The Cratchits opt for goose just as many poor families would have done – if they could afford any meat at all – and the prize turkey remains in the butcher shop window until rich Scrooge chooses to buy it. In this period the turkey was very much the food of the borgeoisie who aspired to do as the queen did.

Finally, in the 1950s due to modern intensive farming methods, turkey prices dropped considerably making them affordable to all. Cheap and plump was the ideal combination for a Christmas feast and so their popularity grew.

What will you be cooking this Christmas? Turkey or not, let us know.










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