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Ironically, despite being native to North America, the domesticated turkeys that graced the tables of the Pilgrim Father's first Thanksgiving dinner in 1620 had travelled out with them on the Mayflower from England. Turkeys first reached Europe in the 1520s, brought back from their native Mexico to Spain and distributed throughout the Mediterranean by Turkish merchants. They were a hit, and quickly became a favourite food for the richer classes. As early as 1585, turkey had become a Christmas tradition in England. Then, as now, the flat, fertile plains of Norfolk, grew the best birds and breeders set to work to produce a heavier breasted, more docile version of the wild bird. The Norfolk Black and the White Holland were both English breeds re-introduced to America, and most domestic turkey now consumed in the USA derives from these two breeds.. Origins of the word 'turkey' Turkeys have nothing to do with Turkey. They were called 'Turkie cocks' in England because the traders who supplied them were Turkish. (Maize, also originally from Mexico, was once called 'turkie corn' for the same reason). There is something odd about how turkeys tend to be named after other countries, particularly India. No one knows why the turkey was thought to be Indian but it might be because the Spanish returned with it from the 'Indies' (as America was called).

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14y ago

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