History of the Domesticated Turkey?

[Aaron]

Hi,

I read a sidebar that said turkeys are native the the Americas, but were imported back to Spain in the 1500s, and the turkey the Pilgrims ate at Thanksgiving was actually from Europe.

Anybody got a good link to domestic turkey history?

Thanks!

-Aaron

[Aaron]

Found it!

http://www.history.org/foundation/journ ... urkeys.cfm

When the Spanish arrived in the earliest years of the sixteenth century, they were at a loss what to name the strange bird ...and settled on calling it "a kind of a peacock with great hanging chins." The bird's reputation for delicious, fine-textured flesh and distinguished plumage, as well as a comical appearance, was soon talked about in the court circles of Madrid and Seville. Who sent the first birds back to Spain is unclear. Most likely, it was Columbus after his fourth transatlantic visit in 1502, when he visited Cape Honduras. Some historians say Hernando Cortes, the swashbuckling Spanish conquistador, deserves the credit. But Cortes began his Mexican adventures in 1519, eight years after King Ferdinand sent out instructions that every Spanish ship returning from the New World should bring back ten turkeys, "half males, and the other half females ...because I desire that there be bred here some cocks and hens of those which you have there and were brought from Tierra Firme."

The spread of the delectable turkey around Europe quickly followed its introduction into Spain. England gawked at its first turkey in the 1520s—introduced, it is said, by William Strickland of East Yorkshire after a visit to the New World with John Cabot. In later life, Strickland's perspicacity appears to have been honored with the award of a grant of arms—a family crest—that sported a heraldic "turkey-bird in his pride proper." As elsewhere in Europe, the bird proved a great hit in England. Hitherto, the high-end feathered diet of English aristocrats had included such tough and chewy morsels as cormorants, swans, cranes, herons, storks, and another, now critically endangered bird known as the Great Bustard. Who knows, but the arrival of the turkey probably helped save that species from extinction.

According to Thomas Tusser's 1570 Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, turkey meat was now part and parcel of England's Christmas celebrations, at least for the well off. Such was the demand, that farmers from Norfolk, eighty or more miles distant, would drive their thousand-strong turkey flocks to market in London on foot, reportedly creating the first traffic jams on the streets of the English capital. According to local legend, each turkey wore custom-made leather booties to protect its feet on the long march south to the slaughter. It sounds too cute to be true.

By 1541 eating turkey was so popular that when Thomas Cranmer, the Church of England's top archbishop, introduced a sumptuary law to restrict the consumption of meat dishes by his underlings, turkey was on the hit list. He said "of the greater fishes or fowles, there should be but one in a dish, as crane, swan, turkeycocke, haddocke, pyke, tench."

In Italy, the Venetian senate passed similar laws to curtail excessive feasting, and turkey—this time along with pigeon—was outlawed. But the Venetians did not take kindly to being told what not to eat and apparently continued to evade the law by carving the birds in secret and making enormous pies with the meat. One similar, monster English pie made in the northern cathedral city of Durham was touted as having used up 100 turkeys in the making.

The turkey's European invasion was virtually complete by 1560. The novelty of the birds made them status symbols for the rich and famous. With European nobility fond of turning their estates into zoological extravaganzas, all manner of exotic birds and beasts were sent home from the New World, and what more intriguing species to join the now passé Indian peacock than a strutting, gobbling turkey-cock? Particularly if you had not seen one before. It looked magnificent. What's more, after you tired of the male's aggressive nature and unprovoked attacks on unsuspecting visitors, particularly those dressed in red, it made for a good supper.

When the Pilgrims disembarked from the Mayflower in 1620, along with livestock that reportedly included some domesticated turkeys, it didn't take them long to realize that the wheel had turned full circle, and the native birds they admired and hunted were distant cousins of their own domestic turkeys.

Of all the hallowed stories of the Pilgrim fathers, the most venerable is that of their Thanksgiving dinner—particularly the turkey. Every American kid knows the story backwards. But sad to say there is no real evidence that turkey was on the menu that day.

Colonist Edward Winslow wrote:

Our harvest being gotten in, our governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a speciall manner rejoyce together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labours; they foure in one day killed as much fowle, as with a little helpe beside, served the Company almost a weeke, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Armes, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoyt, with some ninetie men, whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governour, and upon the Captaine and others.

No mention of turkeys, except in an ambiguous account written years later by the governor, William Bradford, who makes no specific connection between the turkey and the 1621 festivities. He wrote:

They begane now to gather in ye small harvest they had, and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health & strenght, and had all things in good plenty; ffor as some were thus imployed in affairs abroad, others were excersised in fishing, aboute codd, & bass, & other fish, of which yey tooke good store, of which every family had their portion. All ye somer ther was no want. And now begane to come in store of foule, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besids water foule, ther was great store of wild Turkies, of which they tooke many, besids venison, &c.

[Karl Helweg]

Excellent documentation and timing!

It looks like turkeycocke is on the Yule feast menu now.

[Maeryk]

well, eagles are bony and hard to catch. Turkeys were the second runner up for national symbol...

I wonder when they actually got introduced into the "traditional" feast?

[Baron Alcyoneus]

Giambologna
Italian sculptor
born 1529- died 1608

1560, in the Bargello in Florence Italy.

[Rittmeister Frye]

I recall reading that the term "Turkey" comes from the supposed resemblance of the Turkey to a "Turkish Pheasant" or some such. From that to "Turkey-cocke" and thence to simple "Turkey".

The Spaniards in the New World, at least up through the end of the 16th Century, referred to them as "Mexican Chickens". (That's what both Coronado's men and Don Juan de Oñate's men called them when they saw them with the New Mexican Pueblo people.)

Cheers,

Gordon

[juan]

They are not native to S. America. There the only domesticated bird species were ducks, particularly one that was first domesticated by the Moche of S. America's N. Pacific coast and today called the pato mochica or Mochica duck.

Turkeys in S. America are called pavos, which is a Spanish word, whereas in Mexico, where they are native, the turkey is called by the native word guajolote, which comes from the Nahuatl word guaxolotl.

[Baron Alcyoneus]

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/turkey/history.cfm

Which came first—the Pilgrim or the turkey?

Wild turkeys were probably first domesticated by native Mexicans. Spaniards brought tame Mexican turkeys to Europe in 1519, and they reached England by 1524. The Pilgrims actually brought several turkeys to America on the voyage in 1620.

[Mike J]

So, what you are saying, is that eating turkey legs at a Renfaire is period?!?!?!?

[Primvs Pavlvs]

So, what you are saying, is that eating turkey legs at a Renfaire is period?!?!?!?

Eating turkeycock is period.

[Baron Alcyoneus]

And peacock.

[chef de chambre]

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/turkey/history.cfm

Which came first—the Pilgrim or the turkey?

Wild turkeys were probably first domesticated by native Mexicans. Spaniards brought tame Mexican turkeys to Europe in 1519, and they reached England by 1524. The Pilgrims actually brought several turkeys to America on the voyage in 1620.

If we go by Edward Winslow's account, the turkey was amongst "The stores brought in", as in wild venison and waterfowl.

If they came aboard the Mayflower, they were most likely consumed on the voyage. If not, they were most likely consumed before the first Thanksgiving celebration - why keep for breeding animals you know you have readily and in abundance at your destination?

[Godric of Castlemont]

While doing some research for the Perfectly Period Feast the wife and I ran across some interesting information. The guinea fowl was referred to as "turkey" prior to the invasion of the new world, similar to the practice of "corn" being used to describe all grain in pre-new world Europe. After the importation of the new world turkey to Spain both birds where called turkeys, leading to some confusing images from feasting manuals of the period. Eventually the new world bird claimed the title of turkey and the guinea fowl was handed its new name. So there is documentation of turkeys prior to the new world, just not the turkeys we think of now as "Turkey".

[FrauHirsch1]

I recall reading some where that one of the Elizabethan explorers (Drake?) had a turkey farm business venture that generated him some money and he did a lot to promote the eating of Turkey in England.

There are turkey recipes in at least two English cookbooks and one German cookbook from the late 16th c.

There are also fried potato recipes in a german cookbook, but they may have been sweet potatos. If I recall, while both were brought back from the new world with the Turkey, the white potatos were thought 'too bland' to people used to the flavor of turnips, but the sweet potatos became popular. The white potatoes were still grown to feed pigs, so I would assume the poor would also eat them.

(For late period Yule feasts, I usually buy extra cheap turkeys at Thanksgiving. It really makes great pies too.)

[FrauHirsch1]

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/baked ... recipe.htm
( I've also seen a recipe in one of the Good Housewife books)
Baked Turkey

To bake a Turkey or Capon
Bone the Turkey but not the Capon, parboil them, and stick Cloves on their brests, lard them and season them well with Pepper and Salt, and put them in a deep Coffin with good store of Butter, and close your Pie, and bake it, and soak it very well; when it is baked, fill it up with melted Butter, and when it is quite cold, serve it in and eat it with Mustard and Sugar: garnish it with Bay Leaves

http://feastofthecenturies.wordpress.co ... ry-recipe/
Turkeys were not only accepted in England, but also in Italy and France. Liliane Plouvier wrote a learned paper on the history of turkeys in Europe. She found accounts of Queen Margueritte of Navarre raising turkeys in 1534, while 66 turkeys were served at a feast for Catherine de Medici in 1549. In Belgium, turkey was served three different ways [boiled with oysters, roasted and served cold, and baked in a pastry] for a banquet held in Liege in 1557.

Recipes for turkey can be found in Bartolomeo Scappi’s cookbook “Opera dell’arte del Cucinare”, printed in 1570. Recipes and a drawing of a turkey can be found in Marxen Rumpolt’s cookbook “Ein Neu Kochbuch” printed in 1581.



Here is the first recipe given by Rumpolt and the only one that talks about roasting and not grinding the meat for a terrine or a pie.

I.
Warm abgebraten mit einem Pobrat/ oder trucken gegeben/ Oder
kalt lassen werden/ denn es ist ein gut Essen/ wen{n}s kalt ist.
I.
Warm roasted off with a sauce/ or served dry/ Or
let it (get) cold/ because it is a good meal/ when it is cold.

This is a good sauce recipe from Robert May’s “The Accomplished Cook”:

_Sauces for all manner of roast Land-Fowl, as Turkey, Bustard, Peacock, Pheasant, Partridge_, &c.

4. Onions slic’t and boil’d in fair water, and a little salt, a few bread crumbs beaten, pepper, nutmeg, three spoonful of white wine, and some lemon-peel finely minced, and boil’d all together: being almost boil’d put in the juyce of an orange, beaten butter, and the gravy of the fowl.

Here is a stuffing recipe from Scappi:

To make various stuffings, of those one can stuff various joints of four legged animals, and many flying animals, the which one has to boil with water and salt. Cap CXVI

Take for every pound of old cheese grated, six ounces of fat cheese that is not too salty, & three ounces of nutmeg ground in the mortar and peeled, two ounces of crumb of bread soaked in [turkey] broth, & pounded in the mortar, three ounces of … fresh butter, three ounces of currants (dried grapes) peeled, half an ounce between pepper and cinnamon & saffron enough, mix everything together with eight eggs in the way that the stuffing is neither too liquid nor too firm.

[FrauHirsch1]

Karl, There is some controversy over Rumpolt's potato recipe:

http://clem.mscd.edu/~grasse/GK_veggie1.htm
37. Earth apples. Peel and cut them small/ soak (simmer) them in water/ and
press it well out through a hair (fine) cloth/ chop them small/ and fry them in bacon/
that is cut small/ take a little milk thereunder/ and let it simmer therewith/
so it is good and welltasting.
[This is a rather controversial recipe. Modernly, Earthapples are potatoes and I have made this using potatoes and it was VERY tasty, but in recent months I have been made aware that perhaps earthapples were a type of squash, perhaps patty pan, so I will leave this to your own devisings untill I get more compelling evidence one way or the other.]


http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/potat ... recipe.htm
Potato Pie
(I think this would be pretty awesome with sweet potatos or Yams -- which are from Africa)

To make a Potato Pie
Having your Pie ready, lay in Butter, and then your Potatoes boiled very tender, then some whole Spice and Marrow, Dates and the yolks of hard Eggs blanched Almonds, and Pistacho Nuts, the Candied Pills of Citron, Orange and Limon, put in more Butter close it and bake it, then cut it open, and put in Wine, Sugar, the yolks of Eggs and Butter

[Hrolfr]

They are not native to S. America. There the only domesticated bird species were ducks, particularly one that was first domesticated by the Moche of S. America's N. Pacific coast and today called the pato mochica or Mochica duck.

Turkeys in S. America are called pavos, which is a Spanish word, whereas in Mexico, where they are native, the turkey is called by the native word guajolote, which comes from the Nahuatl word guaxolotl.

These the same thing, Juan?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscovy_Duck

They are a tasty breed

[juan]

Yeah, that looks like them.

[Karl Helweg]

http://blogs.plimoth.org/pilgrimseasonings/?p=3379

This thread should have been bumped a couple days ago but it is still in time for Yule feasts.

[Ziad]

I have heard (unsupported, here) that the name actually started as "turkey-carpet bird" from the plumage. Sounds a little too simple, though.

Any clues?



Z

[Konstantin the Red]

What I heard about the environs of Sinop, Turkey, was that the Turkish word for them is "hindi," and that the Turks happened to be introduced to the domestic turkey by way of India, and call it the Indian bird. Maybe take that, I suppose, with a grain of paradise.

In latter-period times, the Turks were already pretty busy introducing coffee to Europe, first with itinirant tradesmen, then supplying coffeehouses, though competition from New World planting quickly altered the market.

[Mother of Heroes]

In hunting for 16c European depictions o turkeys, I ran across this piece of Mimbres pottery, from what is now the Southwestern US, circa 1000-1200. I was amused to notice little footballs in the border. (Well, it does look like football stitching, doesn't it?)

[Baron Alcyoneus]

Here's one from 1627
http://albertis-window.com/wp-content/u ... e-1627.jpg

Same artist:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... sz_004.jpg


I recall there being one in a 16thC tapestry as well.

[Karen Larsdatter]

Just did a couple of posts on 16th/17th century turkey recipes and depictions of turkeys at http://larsdatter.tumblr.com/tagged/turkey actually

Pretty good article at http://www.medievalcookery.com/notes/turkey.pdf too, if you haven't seen that yet.

[Mother of Heroes]

William Strickland (d. 1598) is credited with introducing the turkey to England. His arms (1550) include a crest of "a turkey-cock in his pride proper".

[boris_]

Random fact related to this thread.
The way Orthodox Jews determine which birds are kosher is based on a Jewish community having a tradition (mesorah) of eating it (There is a list in the bible, but we have no idea what any of the words refering to breeds mean anymore, so after some talmud-ing, we got to the current method). Which makes the case of the Turkey and Moscovy Duck interesting.
The Turkey is kosher, in fact Israel is the largest consumer of the Bird (per capita). For some unknown reason, no one seemed to raised the question about it being kosher until 100 years of Jews eating it had passed.
The duck actually has a controversy behind it. You will not find Kosher certified MD in the US, however in Israel you will

If anyone is curious here is an article on the topic with more detail.


http://www.kashrut.com/articles/ThreeBirds/

[Karl Helweg]

Random fact related to this thread.
The way Orthodox Jews determine which birds are kosher is based on a Jewish community having a tradition (mesorah) of eating it (There is a list in the bible, but we have no idea what any of the words refering to breeds mean anymore, so after some talmud-ing, we got to the current method). Which makes the case of the Turkey and Moscovy Duck interesting.
The Turkey is kosher, in fact Israel is the largest consumer of the Bird (per capita). For some unknown reason, no one seemed to raised the question about it being kosher until 100 years of Jews eating it had passed.
The duck actually has a controversy behind it. You will not find Kosher certified MD in the US, however in Israel you will

If anyone is curious here is an article on the topic with more detail.


http://www.kashrut.com/articles/ThreeBirds/

The religious aspect is interesting. Has anyone seen a reference to when turkeys made it to the Islamic countries? Also, just to be sure, was turkey prohibited during Lent?

[Karl Helweg]

http://siftingthepast.files.wordpress.c ... entury.jpg

http://siftingthepast.com/category/16th-century/