The Turkey

by Smith, Andrew F.

• ISBN13: 9780252076879
• ISBN10: 0252076877
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-07-31
• Publisher: Univ of Illinois Pr

Summary

Food historian Andrew F. Smith's sweeping and multifaceted history ofMeleagris gallopavoseparates fact from fiction, serving as both a solid historical reference and a fascinating general read. With his characteristic wit and insatiable curiosity, Smith presents the turkey in ten courses, beginning with the bird itself (actually several different species of turkey) flying through the wild.The Turkeysubsequently includes discussions of practically every aspect of the iconic bird, including the wild turkey in early America, how it came to be called "turkey," domestication, turkey mating habits, expansion into Europe, stuffing, conditions in modern industrial turkey factories, its surprising commercial history of boom and bust, and its eventual ascension to holiday mainstay. The second half of the book collects an amazing array of over one hundred historical and modern turkey recipes from across America and Europe. Historians will enjoy a look back at the varied appetites of their ancestors, and seasoned cooks will have an opportunity to reintroduce a familiar food in forgotten ways.

Author Biography

Andrew F. Smith is a freelance writer who teaches culinary history and professional food writing at the New School in Manhattan. He is the author of many books, including The Tomato in America: Early History, Culture, and Cookery and Peanuts: The Illustrious History of the Goober Pea. He is the editor-in-chief of the Oxford Encyclopedia on Food and Drink in America.

Table of Contents

List of Recipes	p. xi
Preface	p. xv
Acknowledgments	p. xxi
The History Of The Turkey	p. 1
The Prehistoric Turkey; or, How the Turkey Conquered North America	p. 3
The Globe-trotting Turkey, or, How the Turkey Conquered Europe	p. 14
The English Turkey; or, How the Turkey Cooked the Christmas Goose	p. 26
The Call of the Wild Turkey; or, How the Wild Turkey Came to a Fowl Ending	p. 39
The Well-dressed Turkey; or, How the Turkey Trotted onto America's Table	p. 54
Hale's Turkey Tale; or, The Invention of Turkey Day	p. 67
The Well-bred Turkey; or, How the Turkey Lost Its Flavor	p. 83
The Industrialized Turkey; or, How the Turkey Became a Profit Center	p. 93
The Social Turkey; or, How the Turkey Became a Cultural Icon	p. 110
The American Turkey; or, How the Turkey Came Home to Roost	p. 130
Historical Recipes	p. 137
Notes	p. 169
Selected Bibliography and Resources	p. 205
Index	p. 219
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