why is turkey the main course of thanksgiving

After a hearty Thanksgiving meal, people can feel suddenly tired and want nothing more than to sleep off the food and fullness. This phenomenon, colloquially called a ‘food coma,’ is usually attributed to the main course of the dinner: the turkey. Popular myth says that an amino acid in the turkey, tryptophan, can lull a person to sleep.

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Why do we actually eat turkey on Thanksgiving?

Throughout America’s colonial era, communities held their own unofficial Thanksgiving celebrations, and few people associated them with the Plymouth settlers. By the turn of the 19th century, however, turkey had become a popular dish to serve on such occasions. There were a few reasons for this. First, the bird was rather plentiful. One expert estimated that there were at …

Why not to eat turkey on Thanksgiving?

Oct 15, 2021 · According to the National Turkey Federation (an organization made up of humans, not turkeys), 88 percent of Americans eat turkey in one form or another on Thanksgiving. And the very reason that we...

Why was a Turkey was use to represent Thanksgiving?

According to accounts by Plymouth governor William Bradford, that first feast included waterfowl (think: ducks), fish, and of course, plenty of turkeys. From that night on, the Thanksgiving dinner tradition continued, but technology and time changed the menu a bit. We don't have to tell you that many new traditions (like green bean casserole ...

Why is Turkey a traditional food for Thanksgiving?

Nov 24, 2020 · A portrait of Sarah Josepha Hale. In the second half of the 19th century and into the 20th, the sight of a “turkey drover” prodding his flock from farm to slaughterhouse across country roads in the weeks prior to Thanksgiving became common. But as the nation industrialized and its population expanded, food production and processing moved ...

Is Thanksgiving celebrated in Turkey?

Every year, there are people newly introduced to the concept of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Because of the rich history of the holiday, it can be pretty confusing to children and newcomers to American culture. Here are some answers to some common questions and some fun facts about the celebration:

Why does the president pardon a turkey?

As far as historians can tell, there was never an official decision to make the pardoning of a turkey a White House tradition. Some people believe that Abraham Lincoln might have kicked off the tradition back in 1863, when his son successfully pleaded for a turkey’s life.

When was the first Thanksgiving?

It's one thing that historians don't seem to be able to agree on, even though there's considerable evidence for turkeys being a popular dinnertime menu item for centuries. When it comes to the very first Thanksgiving, you're talking about a harvest celebration that happened in 1621. There are only two eyewitness accounts of what happened during that three-day feast: a letter written by Edward Winslow and sent back to England and a written record from Plymouth's governor, William Bradford. While Winslow doesn't mention turkeys at all, Bradford writes, "And besides waterfowl, there was a great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc."

When was Thanksgiving declared a national holiday?

The actual celebration of Thanksgiving dates back ( officially, at least) to 1777 when an act of the Continental Congress declared it a real holiday. It was during Abraham Lincoln's presidency, though, that Thanksgiving was declared a nationwide holiday again. That was in 1863, and really, the timing was perfect. The nation had never suffered such a divide as it did with the Civil War, and this was a way to remind everyone of all that they had to be grateful for.

Why are turkeys so popular?

When it comes to food sources, you're probably a big fan of convenience. Our ancestors were no different, and part of the reason for the popularity of the turkey is that it's a bird native to North America. The fossil record shows that they've been around for about five million years. They were first domesticated in Mexico centuries before any European set foot on the continent, and it was in the 16th century that settlers brought the big birds northward into what's now America. They also took them to Europe, where they were a huge, exotic hit, and when the first settlements were established along the Atlantic coast, turkeys were right there, too.

Is Thanksgiving a holiday?

Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season, and it's common to have turkey at Christmas, too. Some historians think that the two most special dinners of the year are linked, and that it might have something to do with the popularity of Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol. When the book was published in the 1840s, it introduced an American audience to the idea of a turkey being something extra special. It's what the Cratchit family wants to share most in the world, after all, and not long after the book, turkeys started gaining popularity in the upper levels of society. When turkeys took a dip in price, they were later associated more with the working class and a reminder of how much meat they had, how many family members they could feed, and how money-efficient they were. By then, though, they were firmly entrenched in our holiday traditions.

Can you think of Thanksgiving without thinking about turkey?

You can't think about Thanksgiving without thinking about turkey. It's not just the centerpiece of countless dinner tables, it's the stuff of leftover turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, and turkey pot pies. But just why (and when) did the turkey become the Thanksgiving Day staple that it is today? It turns out that there are a few good reasons this giant bird ends up on tables across the country.