Celebrating Family Traditions With Thanksgiving Turkey

Cooking a Thanksgiving turkey is one of the traditions that many people observe when they serve dinner on this holiday. In the United States, there are a few different reasons as to why the tradition of turkey has endured.

Some believe it was because Americans preferred using large birds when they had a crowd to feed, and because turkeys were fresh and affordable. Of course, another reason was that they could be slaughtered without the farmer having to endure a big economical setback.

Both ham and brined pork were available but many felt that pork was not fitting for such a feast and Thanksgiving Day prayers. Feasting on a Thanksgiving turkey was a better choice, and it was in keeping with the British custom that was introduced to the new world by the early settlers.

The turkey seemed to be the best bet also because the chicks born in the spring would have several months to grow and fatten up before taking the place of honor at the traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner.

By the time Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, the Thanksgiving turkey was already at center stage, and for most it was already a family tradition.

There are even some who believe that due to the popularity of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens", showing a newly transformed Scrooge giving the gift of the holiday turkey to the Cratchit family, the bird's status as the center of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday feasts was forever cemented.

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