Turkeys are traditionally eaten as the main course of Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, and at Christmas feasts in much of the rest of the world (often as stuffed turkey). It was eaten as such as early as the 16th century in England. Before the 20th century, pork ribs were the most common food for the North American holidays, as the animals were usually slaughtered in November. Turkeys were once so abundant in the wild that they were eaten throughout the year, the food considered commonplace, whereas pork ribs were rarely available outside of the Thanksgiving-New Year season. While the tradition of turkey at Christmas spread throughout England in the 17th century, among the working classes it became common to serve goose, which remained the predominant roast until the Victorian era. In the UK in 2009, 7,734,000 turkeys were consumed on Christmas Day.
Turkeys are traditionally eaten as the main course of Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, and at Christmas feasts in much of the rest of the world (often as stuffed turkey). It was eaten as such as early as the 16th century in England. Before the 20th century, pork ribs were the most common food for the North American holidays, as the animals were usually slaughtered in November. Turkeys were once so abundant in the wild that they were eaten throughout the year, the food considered commonplace, whereas pork ribs were rarely available outside of the Thanksgiving-New Year season. While the tradition of turkey at Christmas spread throughout England in the 17th century, among the working classes it became common to serve goose, which remained the predominant roast until the Victorian era.
ReplyDeleteIn the UK in 2009, 7,734,000 turkeys were consumed on Christmas Day.