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FOOD
making carbs count
Talking Turkey
A game bird for a festive feast
For many people, Christmas
isn't Christmas without a big
bird at the centre of a table
decked out with festive fare
and all the trimmings. Despite the
rise in plant-based substitutes and
the availability of a host of meaty
alternatives, the mighty turkey
(Meleagris gallopavo), still takes the
crown when it comes to Christmas
lunch or dinner. According to a
YouGov survey, turkey remains
the go-to meat for 54% of Brits on
Christmas Day.
Turkey has become such an
important part of the festive season
that nobody questions where it came
from or why we eat it at Christmas.
For the answer to this, you need to
go back to 1526 when an enterprising
Yorkshireman named William
Strickland brought a brace of the
birds back to Bristol from his travels
to the New World. The turkeys which
Strickland had bought from some
native American traders, took the
market by storm. They were then
regularly imported into London on
Turkish merchant ships which is how
they got their name. Confusingly,
in Turkey the country, the birds are
called 'Hindi' as they were thought to
come from India.
The distinctive fowls are native to
North America, which fits well with
their central role in US Thanksgiving
celebrations. Their natural habitat is
scrubby woodland where they can
roost in trees and forage for food.
Since the average male bird provides
around 10kg of meat, it's easy to see
why they were soon domesticated
and raised for consumption.
Crowning glory
King Henry VIII is thought to have
popularised the bird as a celebratory
dish for the rich and powerful
following their arrival in the 1500s
and he is often depicted feasting on
the leg of a large bird. In Britain their
popularity grew and by the 1720s,
around 250,000 turkeys annually
were being trotted from Norfolk to
London in small flocks. The birds
would set off from farms in August
and make their way to London, being
fed, and watered along the route,
arriving in the capital in time for
the Christmas markets. By Victorian
times, the bird had become popular
as a Christmas centre piece for the
wealthy. Turkey is featured in Charles
Dickens' novel of the era, A Christmas
Carol, when a reformed Ebeneezer
Scrooge sends one as a gift to
Bob Cratchit.
Back in modern times, this is how
to avoid a paltry poultry experience
at your Christmas dinner table! The
bird is usually served roasted for
Christmas dinner, either whole or as
a partial 'crown' which is basically the
breast of the turkey with the legs and
wings removed. Choosing a Turkey
that fits your budget, oven and table
needs a bit of thought but if you're
not keen on eating endless leftovers
into the New Year and beyond, you
might want to opt for a crown or a
breast joint. If you want to avoid a
paltry poultry experience at your
festive meal, consider investing in a
higher welfare, high quality Bronze
turkey (the name comes from their
distinctive feather colouring). If they
seem expensive consider getting a
smaller bird or a joint which you can
supplement with plenty of trimmings.
According to Jamie Oliver. cooking
a turkey is fairly straightforward but
it's important to get your timings
right and not let the bird dry out.
To avoid stringy, dry meat he
recommends basting the skin with
the juices every 30 minutes and
covering the top of the bird with
silver foil until the last half hour in
the oven. He always leaves his turkey
to rest for up to two hours (covered)
after taking it from the oven to
improve flavour and texture. Some
people swear by 'brining' as a way to
improve succulence. This involves
rubbing salt into the skin and inside