The English turkey man is William Strickland. He travelled on some of the earliest British voyages to the New World in the early 1500s and brought back turkeys. The lucrative import business made Strickland rich and allowed him to buy several sizeable estates in Yorkshire. Strickland was aware what brought about his fortune and included the turkey in his coat of arms. The application form for his newly designed coat of arm, in fact, included the first European picture of a turkey.
Turkey demand in England was strong from the very start. In 1541 eating turkey was so popular that Thomas Cranmer warned fellow clergyman of overconsumption by including turkeys in a list of food items to avoid in excess. His efforts, however, to restrain the turkey eating public were futile. Contemporary literature described a dozen turkeys as a suitable present for a king. Negative side effects of the 16th century turkey craze also included the world’s first traffic jam, caused by thousands of turkeys being driven into London by turkey farmers.
But what is more interesting today is that the “first Thanksgiving” was held in Wampanoag 1621. The pilgrims’ menu included pumpkin and also wild turkey. The idea of Thanksgiving accompanied by turkey took time to catch on. Curiously enough, perhaps it was Charles Dickens who popularized the dish, by including the bird in the description of his classic dinner scene in A Christmas Carol.
Did you like the article? Then please like and share it on Facebook, tweet it on Twitter or add it in Google+.
