1 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:10,800 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Savor production of iHeartRadio. I'm Annie 2 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 1: Reese and I'm Lauren vocal Bum and today we have 3 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:18,279 Speaker 1: a classic episode for you about turkey. Yes, I do 4 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: love turkey. I me too. I'm a general poultry fan. Yeah, 5 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: I feel like turkey as much my mind. Uh, but 6 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: I love it. I don't know why we only have 7 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 1: it like two times per year and they're close to 8 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:34,639 Speaker 1: each other. It's ridiculous. And well, I mean they're they're 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,400 Speaker 1: they're very large. First of all, it's like a little 10 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 1: bit of a of a production to cook one. Um 11 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: and uh and we've all probably had like like not 12 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: great turkey past so yeah, it can be finicky, that's 13 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: for sure. Yeah. Yeah, we do go into that pretty 14 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: extensively in this episode. Actually this is from uh Thanksgiving 15 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:06,040 Speaker 1: season of twenties seventeen. Wow. Yeah, oh yeah, we've been 16 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: doing the show for a minute. My dude, we have okay, 17 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: all right, do you have any plans coming up? Yeah, 18 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:20,039 Speaker 1: I've got I've got a friend whom a former roommate 19 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 1: who moved to the West coast coming into town. And uh, 20 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:28,559 Speaker 1: he's a cook, and uh, he and his mother would 21 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:33,039 Speaker 1: always invite all the roommates to their family Thanksgiving, and 22 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,040 Speaker 1: it would always be like like like we can like 23 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: we can cook some stuff, and so it's always like 24 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: pretty fancy and um uh, I mean like certainly compared 25 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: to the family celebrations I grew up with, which were 26 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: like my dad going into work to cook forty turkeys 27 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: starting at two in the morning and then coming home 28 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: and being like I hate Thanksgiving. Yeah that's where no, no no, 29 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: I had celebraty with my cousins and it was always delightful. 30 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: But um, but but yeah, yeah, this is it's it's 31 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: a really it's a really good time. I don't know 32 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 1: what I'm making yet, which I should probably figure out. Yeah, 33 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: right around the corner. Yeah how about you. Uh yeah, 34 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: I have um friends Giving coming up, um, and then 35 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 1: I'm going home to see my mom and my family 36 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: for Thanksgiving. And then today, as we record, this is 37 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: life day. So oh life Day. Thank you you as well, 38 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 1: you as well. That's a that's a Star Wars thing. 39 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: If y'all are unfamiliar, well, if you're unfamiliar, then you 40 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 1: better brush up. You could find the holiday special online 41 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: on YouTube despite George lucas Is best efforts, or you 42 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 1: can watch the new lego on on Disney Plus. Oh 43 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: my goodness. Yeah, we still have to watch that. I know, 44 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: I know, trust me, every day, a day does not pass. 45 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: Do not think about this? Yes, soon soon, perhaps we 46 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: shall have our own celebration. There you go, there you go. 47 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 1: That can be our little safer holiday celebration for sure. 48 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:20,240 Speaker 1: Bookie cookies. Oh man, all right, yeah, And I hope 49 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:21,919 Speaker 1: because I know that there are a lot of shortages 50 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 1: around turkeys, I hope that whoever, if you want to 51 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 1: get some, you're able to get some. That's a reasonable price. Absolutely, 52 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: Oh my goodness. Um supply chains. Yeah, yeah, lessons were important. 53 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: Lessons were learned this year by many many industries. Um. 54 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: But yeah, yeah, this one goes some places. So I suppose, 55 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: without further ado, we will let former Annie and Lauren 56 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: take it away. Hello, and welcome to food Stuff. I'm 57 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: Annie and I'm Lauren Vokelbaum. Annie. Is it time for turkey? 58 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: Is it? Is it turkey time? I think it's turkey time? 59 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 1: Turkey time. As we record this here in the US, 60 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and for a lot of people 61 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: that means stuffing themselves and stuffing a turkey. I guess 62 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 1: most people do that, don't they. I'm not sure. I 63 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: prepare mind on the side now because of like salmonella concerns, 64 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: but okay, well, already have more homework to do. Perfect. 65 00:04:31,279 --> 00:04:35,559 Speaker 1: So so turkey, what is it? What it's It's a bird. 66 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: It's plain No, No, it's it's that first thing. It's 67 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: just a bird. It's just a bird. Yeah. That's one 68 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,679 Speaker 1: of the few things that's generally agreed upon about the turkey. 69 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 1: And I found that kind of surprising. There's a lot 70 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: of debate about um, Turkey facts. Lots of turkey debate, yes, 71 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: because of naming confusion. Mostly yes, yes, Um. There are 72 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:02,479 Speaker 1: two living types of turkey, Milliagras gallipavo, or the wild turkey, 73 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:08,360 Speaker 1: and the milagres assillata, also the agricarussilata or the oscillated 74 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 1: turkey oscillated turkey. I know in two thousand seven they 75 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: were reclassified as subfamily million gre today probably added an 76 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: extra syllable in there. The pheasants are the turkey's closest relatives, 77 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 1: their cousins. Oh and as for that name and confusion, 78 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:27,039 Speaker 1: I'm sure a lot of you have heard that the 79 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: turkey was named such not because it's from the country Turkey, 80 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:33,159 Speaker 1: which it is not. Nope, spoiler alert, but because it 81 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,480 Speaker 1: passed through a shipping root in Turkey and people got 82 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:38,599 Speaker 1: at all confused. Yeah. Well we'll get into that in 83 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: a minute. But yeah, just just suffice it to say, 84 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 1: lots of naming nonsense involved with Turkey here and in Turkey. 85 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:50,159 Speaker 1: Since they knew the bird wasn't native obviously, it is 86 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 1: called Hindi because they thought it was from India, which 87 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: is also not No. The French made a similar mistake, 88 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,920 Speaker 1: calling it poul din'd or chicken from India, which is 89 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 1: where the modern word dinned comes from. In some dialects 90 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:08,040 Speaker 1: in India it's called Peru. I can't imagine color anyway, 91 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:11,039 Speaker 1: I guess it's just as ridiculous as Turkey. Um, we're 92 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:14,159 Speaker 1: less less ridiculous, actually, because at least turkeys are like 93 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: sort of true. You are right that side of the 94 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:23,040 Speaker 1: planet anyway. Yea. With imperialism, things got even messier. In Cambodia, 95 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 1: the word for Turkey translates to French chicken, Malaysia to 96 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: Dutch chicken. My favorite is it's sevent official scientific name 97 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,679 Speaker 1: of Meliagras galapavo galapavo, which is a combination of Greek 98 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: and Latin roots that comes out to mean guinea fowl, chicken, peacock, chicken, peacock, 99 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:45,719 Speaker 1: not a single one correct, None of that is right, yeah, 100 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: and complicating matters. Throughout history, words for the guinea fowl 101 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:52,839 Speaker 1: and turkey were used interchangeably. So where is it actually 102 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 1: native to? Exactly where? It is native to North and 103 00:06:56,760 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 1: Central America, and along with the dscovi duck, it is 104 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: one of only two native birds domesticated in the New World. 105 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 1: According to the History of Food, turkey is the only 106 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 1: domestic foul we eat today that did not appear on 107 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:17,720 Speaker 1: Roman tables. We're both giving each other suspicious looks turkeys, 108 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: and for the most part we're talking about wild turkeys 109 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: and not the oscillated variety, although they're pretty much the 110 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: same mish. They're large and fairly distinctive looking. I'd say 111 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: these birds grow up to forty five inches tall about 112 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:33,880 Speaker 1: one and fifteen centimeters, with a wingspan of about six 113 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 1: ft or one point eight meters ish and can weigh 114 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 1: anywhere from eighty eight to three hundred eighty one ounces. Oh, 115 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 1: this means they are the largest bird Jill encounter roaming 116 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: in North American forest probably never say never. Yeah, the 117 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 1: fleshy thing that hangs from their beak, it's called a snood. 118 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 1: Snood a snood. Yeah. It's typically red, but can be 119 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:00,600 Speaker 1: a variety of colors, and it might change are size 120 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:05,320 Speaker 1: depending on the turkey's emotions. Turkeys have color changing emotion snoods. 121 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: You guys like like like mood rings, like mood rings, snoods. Snoods. 122 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: That is so good. Males have bigger ones. They are 123 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 1: also larger and more colorful than females. And if you're 124 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: wondering what snoods are, what they're for and I was, 125 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: it seems like mostly indicating they're ready to have sex. Also, 126 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: it's an indicator of health. The bigger the better in 127 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:30,120 Speaker 1: the male's case. Can I say that I said it 128 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 1: due to the hazard of infection we're plowing on, some 129 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:37,400 Speaker 1: farmers have their more aggressive birds de snooted to prevent injury. 130 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 1: But anyway, speaking of sex, turkey sex, turkey sex, we're 131 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:44,560 Speaker 1: doing it. When the male turkey is ready to get some, 132 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:48,280 Speaker 1: it puffs itself up into a not at all ridiculous 133 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:53,079 Speaker 1: looking ball and it's romantic gobbles filled the air. Those 134 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:55,680 Speaker 1: gobbles can be heard by human beings from up to 135 00:08:55,720 --> 00:09:00,360 Speaker 1: a mile away. Wow, they are piercing gobbles. Well, they 136 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,119 Speaker 1: want to make sure all the ladies know this romantic 137 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:07,320 Speaker 1: turkey is around. I guess. I guess like a like 138 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,200 Speaker 1: a mile is a small distance on like tinder or 139 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: something like that. So that's true. Turkeys and tender hadn't 140 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,320 Speaker 1: thought about it. Maybe I'll think about it later, but 141 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:22,240 Speaker 1: hopefully not. As if the female turkey gets pregnant and 142 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: gives birth that male turkey, he is not sticking around 143 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 1: that The female turkey allows the baby chicks to follow 144 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:31,199 Speaker 1: around for a few days, a few days long enough 145 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 1: for them to learn how to find food themselves, and 146 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: then they're all on their own. As they grow, they 147 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: form bands that can reach up to two hundred turkeys. 148 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: In the winter, they mostly get around by walking, but 149 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,679 Speaker 1: they can fly and swim. Okay, and I can't really 150 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 1: compete with the whole snood thing, but I do want 151 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: to point out here that turkeys also have some other 152 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:56,079 Speaker 1: pretty excellently named anatomical bits. They've got curruncles, which are 153 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 1: these fleshy bumps on their heads and throats. They've got wattles, 154 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:02,800 Speaker 1: which is flap of skin under their chin, and spurs, 155 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:04,960 Speaker 1: which are spikes on the back of their lower legs 156 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 1: that males use for sparring. I have to say, if 157 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:10,320 Speaker 1: I'd never seen a turkey, this would sound like a 158 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 1: very dangerous thing to me, or like a bizarre I'm 159 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: terrified of birds, so are you really? I mean not 160 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: all birds necessarily, but but anything big enough to like, 161 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:22,959 Speaker 1: anything like larger than a dog. I don't want anything 162 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:26,640 Speaker 1: to do with. Geese are awful. Swans are nightmares. A 163 00:10:26,679 --> 00:10:28,720 Speaker 1: lot of people in the house staff works office have 164 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:31,079 Speaker 1: horror stories about birds, and I have to say, you're 165 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,719 Speaker 1: the third person I've met in like two weeks that 166 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: said they're scared of birds. So they're dinosaurs that fly. 167 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 1: When you put it that way, yes, just yes, maybe 168 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:45,720 Speaker 1: avoid avoid turkeys, don't make them mad. On the plus side, 169 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:48,599 Speaker 1: from me and anyone else afraid of turkeys, Lauren, the 170 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: average lifespan is ten years, not enough to plot excellent. Yes, 171 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:56,600 Speaker 1: and that's if they don't run into a hunter first, 172 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:00,960 Speaker 1: which um. Though it's native to North and Central America, 173 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 1: the turkey has traveled just about everywhere. It's eating on 174 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:08,560 Speaker 1: every continent. Yep, even Antarctica, Yeah, where they have a 175 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,600 Speaker 1: turkey trot on the ice, Oh my goodness. Yeah. And 176 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 1: it's now part of Europe's poultry industry and the highest 177 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 1: per capita conception is in Israel. As of the breeding 178 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:24,320 Speaker 1: population of turkeys, with seven point eight million of them 179 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:27,080 Speaker 1: living in the US, ten percent in Mexico, and two 180 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:30,160 Speaker 1: percent in Canada. And they are the second most hunted 181 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 1: game in the US behind deer. Outside or straight up 182 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:36,680 Speaker 1: turkey meat, you can get turkey bakon, turkey sausage, ground turkey, 183 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:39,800 Speaker 1: turkey burgers. You get the idea. Most of what you'll 184 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:43,240 Speaker 1: find in supermarkets is the breed, the broad breasted white, 185 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:47,079 Speaker 1: which is bred specifically to have more white meat. On average, 186 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,120 Speaker 1: they weigh almost double the weight of a turkey you'd 187 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 1: find in the wild. Yeah, and turkey production dropped very 188 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,120 Speaker 1: noticeably in several countries in two thousand eight, the thought 189 00:11:57,120 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 1: being that since it's a meat largely reserved for celebrations, 190 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:03,679 Speaker 1: it's more vulnerable to economic hardship. Some some people, actually 191 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:06,280 Speaker 1: some economists sexually use this as a metric for how 192 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:08,960 Speaker 1: well a country is doing how many turkeys they produce, 193 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: kind of like buil lipstick thing. Yeah, total turkeys. Huh. 194 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,960 Speaker 1: The diversification of products has helped a bit with this, 195 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:20,720 Speaker 1: and in her book America's First Cuisine, Sophie co describes 196 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:25,199 Speaker 1: the turkey as quote a paradoxical creature, being at the 197 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 1: same time wild and tame, weary and stupid. Is that fair? 198 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,200 Speaker 1: Is it? Yeah? I don't know. Let's let's talk about 199 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 1: some history here. Yeah, but first let's take a quick 200 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:46,760 Speaker 1: break for a word from our sponsors, and we're back. 201 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: Thank you sponsored, Yes, thank you. Since turkeys are large 202 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: and they have compact bones, they left behind a better 203 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:57,000 Speaker 1: fossil record than most birds. Thank your turkeys, with some 204 00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:00,680 Speaker 1: fossils as old as five million years but the wild 205 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 1: turkey is older than even that. It's thought to have 206 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 1: evolved around eleven million years ago. Either way, evidence of 207 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,000 Speaker 1: humans using turkeys dates back to US early as eight 208 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:15,080 Speaker 1: hundred BC. In Mesoamerica, the first known domesticated fossils are 209 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:19,839 Speaker 1: from three to seven C in that period, and they 210 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:24,200 Speaker 1: were found in teh Quon. So the ancestor of all 211 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:27,080 Speaker 1: of today's domesticated turkeys can be traced back to the 212 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 1: South Mexican wild turkey, and to this day, Mexican cuisine 213 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:32,320 Speaker 1: is one of the few in the world, if not 214 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:35,080 Speaker 1: the only, in the world, that regularly uses turkey in 215 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 1: a lot of its recipes. Yeah. Although around the same 216 00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:41,720 Speaker 1: time another turkey species was domesticated in the southwestern United States, 217 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: though they weren't really domesticated for eating, we don't think. Yeah, 218 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: they were instead used mostly for rituals and for their feathers. 219 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:54,480 Speaker 1: And we know about these turkeys things to fossilized turkey poop. 220 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 1: In case you were wondering, I'm always wondering. I know 221 00:13:57,760 --> 00:13:59,679 Speaker 1: whether or not they were used for eating. By the way, 222 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:03,520 Speaker 1: they eventually stopped being domesticated by humans of the area 223 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:07,000 Speaker 1: due to a whole bunch of reasons, mostly falling under 224 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 1: the category of European influence and some of its terrors 225 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:15,880 Speaker 1: of colonialism. Of course. Aztecs. Yeah, yeah. Twice a year 226 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:18,960 Speaker 1: the Aztecs through a festival in the wild Turkey's honor, 227 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:23,000 Speaker 1: believing it to be a physical manifestation of a trickster god. 228 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 1: Pretty cool. The feathers were used in Nicholas's head dresses 229 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:30,160 Speaker 1: and the like. The Mayans also enjoyed eating turkey, but 230 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:32,760 Speaker 1: since they were a little on the scarce side, they 231 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 1: were generally reserved for the more well off part of 232 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 1: society or for rituals. Native Americans along the east coast 233 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:42,520 Speaker 1: of North America worked to maintain populations of turkey and 234 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:46,080 Speaker 1: deer by a by setting controlled fires to clear underbrush 235 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: in forests, and by maintaining the fruit and nut trees 236 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 1: that would support those types of populations. And Columbus, Yeah, 237 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: Columbus shows up again. He may have brought them back 238 00:14:57,120 --> 00:14:59,720 Speaker 1: on his first voyage, are his fourth voyage, but and 239 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:02,240 Speaker 1: I other case. By fifteen eleven, the King of Spain 240 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:04,760 Speaker 1: ordered that ships voyaging to the New World returned to 241 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:09,200 Speaker 1: Spain with five male and five female turkeys, and when 242 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: Cortez arrived in fifteen nineteen, he found that Moktazuma levied 243 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 1: about one thousand turkeys a day, where they were often 244 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:20,720 Speaker 1: used for ritual sacrifice. Macke Zuma gifted the Spanish with 245 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 1: gold and fIF turkeys, and in return as thanks, Cortez 246 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:32,680 Speaker 1: destroyed the capitol Um. When turkeys first arrived in Spain, 247 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:35,040 Speaker 1: people weren't quite sure what to make of them. An 248 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:39,200 Speaker 1: early chronicler of the Spanish Empire identified them as peacocks, 249 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:43,800 Speaker 1: and most Europeans knew about peacocks thanks to the Bible, 250 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: but many common folk could never seen them and regarded 251 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:49,880 Speaker 1: them almost as you might a unicorn. Oh, I get that, 252 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 1: that seems I mean, peacocks are pretty incredible, and I've 253 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:58,000 Speaker 1: met them. Yeah. Um. However, by fifteen thirty, the same 254 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:02,320 Speaker 1: chronicler noted that turkeys were not merely quote peacocks of 255 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 1: sober colors. Good because they got that straightened out. Of 256 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:09,560 Speaker 1: all the New World foods, the turkey was one of 257 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:13,520 Speaker 1: the most quickly adopted in Europe, replacing the peacock as 258 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: a fancy feasting bird due to its rareness, appearance and taste. 259 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:22,720 Speaker 1: In fifteen sixty one, Italian legislators passed a measure prohibiting 260 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:26,720 Speaker 1: turkeys from banquets under the grounds that they were too luxurious. 261 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:29,920 Speaker 1: Both Venice and England had laws in the fifteen hundreds 262 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 1: prohibiting the eating of turkeys and partridges at the same meal. 263 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:34,880 Speaker 1: The laws were kind of like, you know, like, hey, 264 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:36,920 Speaker 1: save some of those rare birds for the rest of us, 265 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:40,800 Speaker 1: won't you. Yeah, don't be so greedy. Yeah. Turkeys were 266 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: in Rome by part of Spanish poultry farms by fifteen thirty, 267 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:49,920 Speaker 1: France by fifty eight, and from there they spread relatively rapidly. 268 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: Even having them in your backyard was a bit of 269 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 1: a status symbol. Louis was very fond of turkeys. A 270 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:01,600 Speaker 1: flock was apparently accommodated in luxury at Versailles, and their 271 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,280 Speaker 1: keeper was titled Captain of the Royal Turkeys. Now that's 272 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:08,679 Speaker 1: a title, that is. The turkey arrived in England in 273 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:13,040 Speaker 1: the sixteenth century via Englishman William Strickland. The Strickland family 274 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 1: incorporated a turkey into their coat of arms. I just 275 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: looked around as though, Jonathan my top. Every time you 276 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:21,879 Speaker 1: say his name, he just like you. Certainly don't say 277 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:25,280 Speaker 1: it three times, No, don't ever do that. One English 278 00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 1: chronicler noted that turkeys arrived in fifteen twenty four, which 279 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:33,439 Speaker 1: apparently led to this saying, turkeys, carps hops, piccorel and 280 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 1: beer came to England in one year. However, the first 281 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:41,200 Speaker 1: written record we have of turkeys in England is from 282 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: Archbishop Kromner in so you'll have to decide who are 283 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 1: you going to believe the rhyme are Kromner? I know 284 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:51,119 Speaker 1: it's up to you, it really is. And here we 285 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:54,920 Speaker 1: get to the name. Okay, Yeah, So oh boy. During 286 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:57,679 Speaker 1: this period, the Ottoman Empire controlled a lot of the 287 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:01,920 Speaker 1: trade in the Mediterranean Sea. Europeans often call these merchants 288 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:06,639 Speaker 1: turkey merchants, Turkish turkey turks yes yes. At the time, 289 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:09,200 Speaker 1: a wild guinea fowl from West Africa was known as 290 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,280 Speaker 1: eight turkey cock in England since it arrived to England 291 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: via turkey merchants and a cock derived from the French coke, 292 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:21,400 Speaker 1: meaning rooster. Eventually turkey coke cock was shortened to simply 293 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:25,159 Speaker 1: turkey corn. Similarly was referred to as turkey corn for 294 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:30,119 Speaker 1: a good while turkey corn. Either Colonial settlers encountering the 295 00:18:30,119 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 1: turkey and the North American wilderness saw a similarity to 296 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:34,800 Speaker 1: the guinea fowl and use the same name are This 297 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:37,679 Speaker 1: could have happened as turkey merchants throughout the turkey birds, 298 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 1: and eventually the name became just turkey. William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, 299 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:44,040 Speaker 1: by the way, he uses the word turkey. It was 300 00:18:44,119 --> 00:18:47,640 Speaker 1: written either in the sixteen o one or sixteen o two, 301 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:51,960 Speaker 1: probably so, so at that point it was common enough. Yeah. 302 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:54,680 Speaker 1: He also used the word and Henry the Fifth here 303 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:58,159 Speaker 1: he comes swelling like a turkey cock yep, and a 304 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 1: kind of silly twist. English settlers traveling to the New 305 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:06,240 Speaker 1: World brought turkeys with them, only to find just so 306 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:10,639 Speaker 1: many way bigger turkeys already there in the sixteen twenties. 307 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 1: This also means by the time of the Pilgrims one 308 00:19:14,359 --> 00:19:18,800 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving feast, Europeans had known about turkeys for a hundred 309 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,959 Speaker 1: years at least. Yeah. Yeah, and these European turkeys were 310 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,520 Speaker 1: bred with the North American ones to get a more 311 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 1: appealing turkey, decreasing the genetic diversity of the bird. Study 312 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:34,120 Speaker 1: found their DNA is less di first than chickens are pigs. Oh, 313 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,879 Speaker 1: and also they were parmarily bred for their feathers until 314 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:40,439 Speaker 1: somewhere around when the focus shifted to meet m HM. 315 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 1: And that lack of diversity is problematic for a couple 316 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,840 Speaker 1: of reasons, the main one being increased susceptibility to being 317 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:51,479 Speaker 1: wiped out by something like avian flu. Scientists are pushing 318 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:54,399 Speaker 1: to take the sperm and eggs of rare turkey lineages 319 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:56,280 Speaker 1: and cry o preserve them. I really just wanted to 320 00:19:56,320 --> 00:20:01,159 Speaker 1: say cry or preserve no us in. Genetic diversity is 321 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:04,639 Speaker 1: very important. Um. Also very important is that time in 322 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 1: every episode when we mentioned Benjamin Franklin. I know these 323 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: people come up so much. And by these people, I 324 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:15,600 Speaker 1: mean Benjamin Franklin. H oh yeah uh. In seventeen seventy six, 325 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:19,040 Speaker 1: Benjamin Franklin suggested the wild turkey as the American national 326 00:20:19,119 --> 00:20:20,920 Speaker 1: bird as opposed to the bald eagle. He believed the 327 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:23,359 Speaker 1: turkey to be more proud and noble than that brash 328 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:31,320 Speaker 1: thief the bald eagle, or did he to twist? According 329 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:34,920 Speaker 1: to the United States Diplomacy Center, this is false because 330 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,399 Speaker 1: Benjamin Franklin put forth a national seal that didn't have 331 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 1: any birds, and the main reason this myth exists is 332 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:43,280 Speaker 1: courtesy of a nineteen sixty two New Yorker cover without 333 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:46,720 Speaker 1: imagining of what the Great Seal would look like if 334 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:50,600 Speaker 1: the turkey was the national bird. It wasn't until the 335 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:53,920 Speaker 1: seal had been designed that Franklin sent his daughter a 336 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:58,120 Speaker 1: letter pontificating about birds. Although pontificate he did, yes, he 337 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,280 Speaker 1: did for my own I wish the bald eagle had 338 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:04,919 Speaker 1: not been chosen as the representative of our country. He 339 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:08,720 Speaker 1: is a bird of bad moral character. He does not 340 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:12,840 Speaker 1: get his living honestly, for in truth, the turkey is, 341 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:17,600 Speaker 1: in comparison a much more respectable bird, and with all 342 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:21,879 Speaker 1: a true original native of America. Eagles have been found 343 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:26,200 Speaker 1: in all countries, but the turkey was peculiar to ours. He's, 344 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: besides tho, a little vain and silly, a bird of 345 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:31,840 Speaker 1: courage and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of 346 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 1: the British guards who should presume to invade his farmyard 347 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:39,280 Speaker 1: with a red katon. This is those a strong thoughts 348 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:43,000 Speaker 1: about turkeys. Um, so yeah, I'm probably not true, or 349 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:45,480 Speaker 1: at least he wasn't fighting for it on the committee 350 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:50,159 Speaker 1: or anything. No, the first recipe calling for Americans to 351 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:54,440 Speaker 1: stuff their turkeys is from two Why do you hesitate? 352 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,720 Speaker 1: Saying that it has so much less grand than than 353 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:02,800 Speaker 1: turkeys fighting the red coats that I can't well, it's 354 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:08,159 Speaker 1: that's difficult to top. Yes, well known French gastronome Jean 355 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:14,119 Speaker 1: am wrote about the wild North American turkey's superior taste 356 00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:17,919 Speaker 1: to its European counterpart in seventeen ninety four. He called 357 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,919 Speaker 1: turkeys quote the best gift of the New world to 358 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: the old. He also advised readers to at least find 359 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: a place to let the birds have some space, sort 360 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: of like the modern day equivalent to cage free. But 361 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:34,120 Speaker 1: the eight hundreds were not a good century for turkeys 362 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:39,359 Speaker 1: in the US. Deforestation, with industrialization and over hunting massively 363 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:43,120 Speaker 1: reduced their numbers. Turkeys were totally gone from Connecticut, Vermont, 364 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:47,200 Speaker 1: New York, and Massachusetts by around eighteen forty seven, when 365 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 1: one of the last wild New England turkey's known to 366 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:54,560 Speaker 1: science was shot taxidermide and put on display at Yale. 367 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:59,399 Speaker 1: Though locals reported hearing turkeys calling each other from the 368 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:05,240 Speaker 1: wintry hills, Mount Tom very actually named local geographical feature. 369 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:08,680 Speaker 1: Male turkeys are called Tom's into the early eighteen fifties. 370 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 1: It sounds like a horror story you tell around the campfire. 371 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:16,160 Speaker 1: I agree. A local still say that you can hear 372 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:21,880 Speaker 1: the turkey gobble. It should be one. If it's not already, 373 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go write it right now. As a result, 374 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 1: conservation efforts such as chapping and relocating were implemented, and 375 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:32,320 Speaker 1: we're generally successful, though it would take about a hundred years, 376 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:37,720 Speaker 1: but yes, really successful. There were other wild animal conservation 377 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:41,360 Speaker 1: and reintroduction programs around the time. By the way, Boston 378 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:46,360 Speaker 1: and Philadelphia both released squirrels as curiosities, and people freaked 379 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: out with utter joy. Oh, very very interesting. Squirrel aside, Yeah, 380 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:57,439 Speaker 1: squirrel aside. Around this time, in eighteen forty three, Charles 381 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:00,760 Speaker 1: Dickens's A Christmas Carol published, where in the poor Crotchet 382 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:05,440 Speaker 1: family were about to dine on a Christmas goose. Sad Christmas. Yeah, 383 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:08,200 Speaker 1: that's right, that's an important fact, until a newly nice 384 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:14,200 Speaker 1: scrooge showed up with an enormous turkey. The association with 385 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,080 Speaker 1: Christmas has been around pretty much since the turkey arrived 386 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:21,200 Speaker 1: in Europe, though in fifteen seventy Englishman Thomas Tusser wrote 387 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:27,919 Speaker 1: that the domesticated turkey made up Christmas husbandly fair for commoners. However, 388 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,560 Speaker 1: it was around the nineteenth century when it really cubmented 389 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 1: its place as a Christmas food. Lots of regional varieties 390 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,520 Speaker 1: of cooking turkey arose in this time from stuffing and roasting. 391 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:42,119 Speaker 1: In North America and France, Lavorne suggested stuffing turkeys with 392 00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:46,679 Speaker 1: truffles or raspberries, and in Spain turkeys got soaked in brandy, 393 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:49,400 Speaker 1: and there was even a practice of giving turkeys brandy 394 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 1: while they were still alive. John turkeys, no, thank you, No, 395 00:24:56,200 --> 00:25:01,280 Speaker 1: they're scary enough. In eighteen sixty three, President Lincoln, who 396 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 1: was the president to proclaim Thanksgiving an official holiday, may 397 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,160 Speaker 1: have started the tradition of pardoning a turkey and this 398 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:11,680 Speaker 1: dispatch quote alive turkey had been brought home for the 399 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:16,040 Speaker 1: Christmas dinner, but Lincoln's son Tad interceded in behalf of 400 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:19,880 Speaker 1: its life. Tad's plea was admitted, and the turkey's life 401 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:24,560 Speaker 1: was spared. Oh yeah. However, it wasn't until President George H. W. 402 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:28,280 Speaker 1: Bush in nine nine that the tradition really became a tradition. 403 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:34,679 Speaker 1: Before that, some presidents were given turkeys, but pardoning it 404 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:39,600 Speaker 1: was pretty I had no idea Whether or not the 405 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,240 Speaker 1: turkey was eaten at that first Thanksgiving feast is not 406 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:44,959 Speaker 1: known for certain, but since it was associated with feast, 407 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,240 Speaker 1: and it's also pretty American, it was kind of the 408 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:51,720 Speaker 1: obvious choice for the Thanksgiving meal. Today of American households 409 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:57,719 Speaker 1: eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Yeah. And then innovations and poultry 410 00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:01,280 Speaker 1: production after World Wars one and two and an increased 411 00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:04,840 Speaker 1: breeding by farmers meant that US farms were producing millions 412 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:09,439 Speaker 1: of turkeys a year by ninety forties. Basically, a few 413 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:12,600 Speaker 1: things happened to kind of sort of all at once here. First, 414 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:20,280 Speaker 1: you had widespread creation and dissemination of electric farming technology. Previously, 415 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:22,680 Speaker 1: the size of your flocks was limited by your your 416 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 1: local climate and your ability to create climate controlled living 417 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:29,919 Speaker 1: areas for turkeys. And having a bunch of of coal 418 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 1: or gas burning generators sitting on your farm is an 419 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,560 Speaker 1: ideal because of all that you know air and noise pollution. 420 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,960 Speaker 1: With power provided from the electric grid and heaters from 421 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:43,679 Speaker 1: the gas grid, farms could more easily and cheaply provide 422 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: ventilation and temperature and humidity control for their birds. They 423 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,919 Speaker 1: could also offset the time consuming labor of feeding and 424 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:55,919 Speaker 1: watering birds to mechanical devices. Second, you had medical technologies 425 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:58,879 Speaker 1: providing new ways to house a large number of birds 426 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:03,920 Speaker 1: without fear of disease antibiotics. Who this is a whole 427 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:06,440 Speaker 1: other issue that we're going to talk about later. Yeah, 428 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:09,159 Speaker 1: and throw back to our frozen food episode and the 429 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:12,080 Speaker 1: tale that Swanson Turkey TV Dinners was due to egglet 430 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:18,840 Speaker 1: in turkey production. Meanwhile, wild turkey conservation efforts had not 431 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:22,960 Speaker 1: been forgotten. In nineteen thirty seven, wild turkeys from the 432 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:26,320 Speaker 1: forest of New York States were relocated to the Forest 433 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:30,919 Speaker 1: of Massachusetts and upon this we all found out some 434 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 1: stuff about turkeys. Okay, they've got like a rep for 435 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:37,320 Speaker 1: being sillier dumb, but turkeys know what's up. These relocated 436 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:41,320 Speaker 1: turkeys looked around their new Massachusetts forests, you know, full 437 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:44,000 Speaker 1: of more scrub than grub, and looked at the nearby 438 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,080 Speaker 1: farmlands which humans had just gone on and planted full 439 00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:50,200 Speaker 1: of stuff. And so the turkeys basically moved into the farmlands, 440 00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:54,320 Speaker 1: but they weren't done. The turkeys then migrated east towards 441 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,439 Speaker 1: the coast and into the Boston metro area. Humans had 442 00:27:57,440 --> 00:27:59,679 Speaker 1: filled these areas with all of these well kept lawns, 443 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:03,840 Speaker 1: full seeds and insects. This sounds hilarious maybe, but wild 444 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:08,040 Speaker 1: turkeys and human habitats can be a problem. They're aggressive. 445 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:11,560 Speaker 1: In their native flux, turkeys practice pecking order, yes, the 446 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:14,199 Speaker 1: real thing in which they showed dominance by pecking at 447 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:17,439 Speaker 1: lower status birds. So if they want to establish themselves 448 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:19,880 Speaker 1: in a human neighborhood, they may attack people that they 449 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:24,560 Speaker 1: consider subordinate. Oh yeah, there's turkeys in my old neighborhood. 450 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:27,119 Speaker 1: And then when I would run, they'd go at me, 451 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:29,920 Speaker 1: they would chase me. Yeah that I would run faster though, 452 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:34,840 Speaker 1: so a turkey terrorized suburban school children in the Boston 453 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: area to the point that the authorities euthanized in Wow. 454 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:42,040 Speaker 1: Harvard students have created a Facebook page for their local turkeys. 455 00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 1: Personal interests listed on this Facebook page include reading, waddling, 456 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:51,160 Speaker 1: not using crosswalks, and not giving it. That sounds about right. 457 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:55,000 Speaker 1: It's currently estimated that the turkey population in Massachusetts is 458 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:58,440 Speaker 1: about twenty five thousand birds, though, and they're officially classified 459 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:01,360 Speaker 1: as a game bird. Again, so if we come, come 460 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:05,080 Speaker 1: along way. Yeah. The turduck in makes its debut in 461 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:10,080 Speaker 1: nineteen six, trademarked by celebrity chef Paul Prudom. For those 462 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:13,440 Speaker 1: that don't know, this is a chicken stuffed inside a 463 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:17,360 Speaker 1: duck stuffed inside a turkey. M hm. The late eighties 464 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:20,680 Speaker 1: saw another turkey trend, deep fried turkeys. A little bit 465 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:23,680 Speaker 1: more about that in a bit. In the nineteen nineties 466 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:26,680 Speaker 1: we start to see turkey bacon. The copyright for for 467 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:31,800 Speaker 1: to furky was granted in and that just about brings 468 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:35,480 Speaker 1: us to today. Oh yeah, so let's talk about some science. 469 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:38,600 Speaker 1: But first let's take a quick break for a word 470 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 1: from our sponsor. So, does turkey make you sleepy? M 471 00:29:54,920 --> 00:30:00,720 Speaker 1: sorta sorta. Okay, let's talk tripp to fan, the chemical 472 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 1: that people cite for making you sleepy post Thanksgiving dinner, 473 00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:07,880 Speaker 1: although that's actually a combination of things, maybe including trip 474 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:10,920 Speaker 1: to fan. Okay, okay, trip to fan. It's an amino 475 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:13,680 Speaker 1: acid that's found in lots of foods, which is good 476 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:16,040 Speaker 1: because our bodies can't manufacture it. It's one of the 477 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 1: components that cells in our brains used to make niacin, 478 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,360 Speaker 1: which in turn gets used to make serotonin. Trip to 479 00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 1: fans also a precursor to melatonin, and serotonin and melatonin 480 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:31,360 Speaker 1: are neurotransmitters that can help relax us and encourage sleep. 481 00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:35,440 Speaker 1: That is an extreme simplification of what's going on. Neuroscientists 482 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:38,320 Speaker 1: are entirely sure what's going on there. Roll with me 483 00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:40,800 Speaker 1: on this one, um. But so it's no easy thing 484 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:45,000 Speaker 1: for chemicals to make it into our brains. Like tripp 485 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:47,120 Speaker 1: to fin. The blood brain barrier is is one of 486 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:50,320 Speaker 1: those things that chemists really struggle with because, like a 487 00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:53,640 Speaker 1: not everything can just pass straight from the blood into 488 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:56,479 Speaker 1: the brain and be the things that can pass in 489 00:30:56,600 --> 00:30:59,320 Speaker 1: are basically in competition with each other. It's like a 490 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:01,520 Speaker 1: like a crowd of people who all want a new iPhone, 491 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:03,680 Speaker 1: you know, so it's first come, first served, and there 492 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:06,840 Speaker 1: tends to be like a bottleneck at the doors. Usually, 493 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:09,720 Speaker 1: eating foods rich and tripped fan won't have much of 494 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 1: an effect on you because they contain other amino acids 495 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:16,560 Speaker 1: that are competing for access to your brain a butt. 496 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:20,200 Speaker 1: During Thanksgiving dinners, we also tend to eat a lot 497 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:23,640 Speaker 1: of carbohydrate rich foods, all those breads and stuffings and 498 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:27,240 Speaker 1: potatoes and corn and tubers that you've candied and covered 499 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:30,040 Speaker 1: in marshmallow before you even get to dessert, plus actual dessert. 500 00:31:30,520 --> 00:31:32,960 Speaker 1: All of this triggers our guts to release insulin to 501 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:36,760 Speaker 1: uptake and process all of those sugars and a whole 502 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:40,640 Speaker 1: bunch of amino acids as well. But insulin doesn't tend 503 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:43,680 Speaker 1: to affect tripp de fin. Tripp de fin hitches a 504 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:47,600 Speaker 1: ride on the protein albumin, thus making it unavailable to insulin. 505 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:51,360 Speaker 1: So with most of the competition out of the way, 506 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:54,160 Speaker 1: thanks to all that insulin, it is easier for tripp 507 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:56,160 Speaker 1: de fin to get into our brain and start the 508 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:59,520 Speaker 1: process that leads to the production of more serotonin and 509 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:06,440 Speaker 1: therefore more relaxation slash sleepiness. Melatonin, however, is produced outside 510 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:09,000 Speaker 1: of the brain blood barrier, and its production isn't necessarily 511 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:12,400 Speaker 1: affected by the trip to fin plus carbs scenario. A 512 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:14,120 Speaker 1: bunch of other stuff has to be floated around too, 513 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:19,520 Speaker 1: And like I said a minute ago, lots of foods 514 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:23,640 Speaker 1: are rich and tripped de fin. Soy, spinach, crab, lobster, goat, 515 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:26,400 Speaker 1: and egg whites are all higher in tripp to fin 516 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:30,400 Speaker 1: and then turkey and basically all meat, like whether it 517 00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:33,880 Speaker 1: comes from something that flies, walks, or swims, probably contains 518 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 1: a pretty good amount of it. What maybe contributing here 519 00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:38,920 Speaker 1: as well is that part of your nervous system is 520 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 1: set up to prime your body for maximum nutrient absorption 521 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:45,160 Speaker 1: every time we eat. Part of this is called our 522 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:47,920 Speaker 1: rest and digest response. Oh, when we eat, we we 523 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:50,720 Speaker 1: excrete more sliva and gastric juices, and our heart rate 524 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 1: and blood pressure lower. Plus our bodies are sending more 525 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:57,640 Speaker 1: blood to the guts to to to help out with 526 00:32:57,640 --> 00:33:00,160 Speaker 1: all that process, meaning that less is available for the 527 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:02,720 Speaker 1: brain and skeletal system, all of which can make you 528 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:06,680 Speaker 1: feel lethargic, kind of limb heavy and relaxed. This kind 529 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:09,520 Speaker 1: of sounds like food coma. Yeah, yeah totally, but you know, 530 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:13,440 Speaker 1: it's just not entirely chip defends fault, right, It's more 531 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:17,840 Speaker 1: that it's more a whole bunch that makes sense of anything. Right. Yeah. 532 00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 1: And ps, if you drink booze during Thanksgiving, yes, that 533 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,480 Speaker 1: can make you sleepy too. There's a lot of things 534 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:27,160 Speaker 1: happening that could be the cause of your sleeping. It's 535 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: multi factored. Yes. Well, what about this question, our turkey 536 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:35,840 Speaker 1: products better for you than be for pork? Well, this 537 00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:40,280 Speaker 1: is an extremely short killjoy corner in which I tell 538 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:43,440 Speaker 1: you to read food labels. Okay, okay, okay. If you're 539 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:46,400 Speaker 1: eating turkey as a substitute for mammals because you don't 540 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:50,360 Speaker 1: want to eat mammals, then well, still read food labels 541 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:52,920 Speaker 1: because it's a good practice. But if you're going for 542 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:56,240 Speaker 1: the health benefits of turkey, then do yourself a little 543 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:59,280 Speaker 1: bit of research. Compare the nutrition labels of processed foods 544 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:01,920 Speaker 1: like turkey bay can or turkey based frozen meats or 545 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:05,040 Speaker 1: soups or whatnot with the labels of similar beef and 546 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:08,880 Speaker 1: or pork products chicken too, for that matter. It can 547 00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:12,319 Speaker 1: be trickier with fresh meat, but most large grocers should 548 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:16,200 Speaker 1: label the protein to fat content of their ground meats UH. 549 00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:20,160 Speaker 1: Large packaged meat producers now use nutrition labels and local 550 00:34:20,160 --> 00:34:22,560 Speaker 1: butchers should be able to talk you through fat content, 551 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:27,400 Speaker 1: UM and salt content for stuff like sausages. But basically, UH, 552 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:30,440 Speaker 1: Turkey on the whole is a leaner meat than most others, 553 00:34:31,160 --> 00:34:34,200 Speaker 1: but processing changes that turkey bacon tends to be a 554 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:37,160 Speaker 1: little less fatty, but equally as salty as pork bacon. 555 00:34:37,680 --> 00:34:40,640 Speaker 1: Ground turkey tends to be just as fatty as ground beef. 556 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:43,080 Speaker 1: And here's the part where we get back to those 557 00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:49,520 Speaker 1: antibiotics that we mentioned earlier. Okay, so, as we discussed 558 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:54,400 Speaker 1: briefly in our industrialized turkey technology section, a few factors 559 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:56,960 Speaker 1: have allowed turkey farms to go from like a thousand 560 00:34:57,040 --> 00:35:01,560 Speaker 1: birds maximum to maybe four hundred and birds maximum over 561 00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:05,279 Speaker 1: the past like hundred years. This has led to a 562 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:08,279 Speaker 1: much cheaper poultry, but also a couple of problems, um 563 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:11,080 Speaker 1: the quality of life of the birds and the potentially 564 00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:16,640 Speaker 1: dangerous use or overuse rather of antibiotics. Generally, free range 565 00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:19,760 Speaker 1: or pastured bird farming is more humane to the animals 566 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:24,360 Speaker 1: than the practice of of more cloistered cage farming, and 567 00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:31,120 Speaker 1: a common but unfortunately unreported practice and agriculture is keeping animals, 568 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:34,000 Speaker 1: especially the closer that you kind of crowd them in, 569 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:39,720 Speaker 1: on low doses of continual antibiotics, usually through their food supply. 570 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:43,560 Speaker 1: This can help keep whole flocks or or herds healthier 571 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 1: and can promote faster or better growth. But the levels 572 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:51,000 Speaker 1: of use of antibiotics in both humans and animals has 573 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:54,839 Speaker 1: led to some bacteria developing what you've probably heard of 574 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:59,000 Speaker 1: h called and antibiotic resistance, which is this very scary 575 00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:02,799 Speaker 1: thing wherein the bacteria cannot be killed with antibiotics, so 576 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:05,279 Speaker 1: there's no way to treat certain diseases that are either 577 00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:08,719 Speaker 1: a pain in the proverbial rear, like say chlamydia, or 578 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:14,160 Speaker 1: even fatal like a staph infection produced pneumonia. However, um 579 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:16,480 Speaker 1: most of the antibiotics that are used in turkeys are 580 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:19,760 Speaker 1: of a class called ionophores, which are not used in humans. 581 00:36:20,360 --> 00:36:24,120 Speaker 1: But some other antibiotics that are used in turkeys are 582 00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:27,160 Speaker 1: used in humans, and there is some concern about having 583 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:30,239 Speaker 1: residual amounts of those drugs left over in the meat 584 00:36:30,600 --> 00:36:33,480 Speaker 1: or being washed out into the water system and getting 585 00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:39,239 Speaker 1: into various other stuff, so that's bad. A few big 586 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:43,520 Speaker 1: brands have stopped using this preventative dosing, but in the 587 00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:47,000 Speaker 1: United States at any rate, doing so is completely voluntary. 588 00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:53,160 Speaker 1: M hmmm. So recommendation if you care about these things 589 00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:57,200 Speaker 1: and can afford a more expensive bird, I would say 590 00:36:57,239 --> 00:37:00,319 Speaker 1: to look for labels like free range or pasture armed 591 00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:04,560 Speaker 1: plus no antibiotics. Lots of local farmers, markets and butchers 592 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:07,280 Speaker 1: can help hook you up. Even your big grocery butcher 593 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:09,120 Speaker 1: counter should be able to talk you through some choices 594 00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:13,960 Speaker 1: and uh. Further recommendation, if you're looking for something to 595 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:17,680 Speaker 1: kind of crack you up, I would look up the 596 00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:21,120 Speaker 1: early ads for turkey bacon or they were trying so 597 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:24,960 Speaker 1: hard to tell you how much healthier it was than 598 00:37:25,080 --> 00:37:29,160 Speaker 1: poor gar beef. You poor poor soul who doesn't know. 599 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:34,200 Speaker 1: I mean, I thought they were pretty. They were. They 600 00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:37,120 Speaker 1: were a little heavy handed, I'll say. I see, I 601 00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:41,400 Speaker 1: can't believe that any commercial whatever mean no, no, Yeah, 602 00:37:41,480 --> 00:37:44,680 Speaker 1: So that brings us to ye that that ends my 603 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:51,680 Speaker 1: killjoy corner. So we're gonna insert a little bit more joy. Um. Okay. 604 00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:56,640 Speaker 1: So since Ben Franklin's sturing words about the turkey, the 605 00:37:56,680 --> 00:37:59,200 Speaker 1: turkey has kind of become the butt of many jokes. 606 00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:05,200 Speaker 1: Turkey shoot. The saying refers to something that is easy 607 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:07,920 Speaker 1: and one sided, since turkeys aren't the best flyers, and 608 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:11,759 Speaker 1: I have a somewhat ungainly gate which makes them easier targets. 609 00:38:12,160 --> 00:38:15,160 Speaker 1: You've got gobbling cook referring to the turkey's gobbling. I 610 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:17,840 Speaker 1: don't understand. I thought it was romantic, but it means 611 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:22,280 Speaker 1: ridiculous or nonsense. Even the word turkey itself has become 612 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:25,400 Speaker 1: something of an insult in the US, and this seems 613 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:27,759 Speaker 1: to date back to the nineteen twenties as a show 614 00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:30,719 Speaker 1: business term for a show or movie that didn't do well, 615 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:34,640 Speaker 1: but yeah, what a turkey. I lost so much money 616 00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:37,920 Speaker 1: on that turkey. By the nineteen fifties, it became a 617 00:38:37,960 --> 00:38:42,440 Speaker 1: more widespread and generalized insult, meaning someone inept or stupid, 618 00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:47,440 Speaker 1: and the phrase talk turkey, meaning to speak frankly about something, 619 00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:51,520 Speaker 1: comes from an old joke about how this white dude, 620 00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:54,840 Speaker 1: counting out his game with his Native American partner, was 621 00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:58,480 Speaker 1: divving up all the turkeys for himself, promptings hunting Pele 622 00:38:58,560 --> 00:39:00,879 Speaker 1: to say, you only talk close to me. You never 623 00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:04,160 Speaker 1: talked turkey that but more racist kind of cleaned it 624 00:39:04,239 --> 00:39:06,840 Speaker 1: up a bit um. This is probably where cold turkey 625 00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:10,800 Speaker 1: originates from. Too. Yeah. I was just kind of curious 626 00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:14,960 Speaker 1: about all these turkey sayings and how how they occurred. Yeah. Absolutely, 627 00:39:15,239 --> 00:39:17,360 Speaker 1: this brings us to a little bit of a turkey 628 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:22,279 Speaker 1: cooking Oh yeah, conceptualization. Yeah and okay, all right, so 629 00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:26,239 Speaker 1: this is the kind of thing turkey cooking technique that 630 00:39:26,360 --> 00:39:31,440 Speaker 1: causes some some strife in group cooking situations around the holidays. 631 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:33,560 Speaker 1: It's already tense. You've got your aunt or uncle there 632 00:39:33,600 --> 00:39:35,360 Speaker 1: who you really don't like, may or may not be 633 00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:39,880 Speaker 1: drinking anyway, Um turkey brining and basting our turkey brining 634 00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:43,279 Speaker 1: versus basting. I suppose I should say we're going there. 635 00:39:43,560 --> 00:39:47,440 Speaker 1: We're going there, all right. I don't want to offend 636 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:49,960 Speaker 1: that aunt her uncle. I'm sure they're really nice. I 637 00:39:49,960 --> 00:39:52,239 Speaker 1: just want to give you some turkey science, that's all 638 00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:54,400 Speaker 1: we want. Take it and keep the peace however you 639 00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:58,120 Speaker 1: need to. As I mentioned in my turkey nutrition segment, 640 00:39:58,200 --> 00:40:01,440 Speaker 1: turkey is a leaner meat than since fats are part 641 00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:04,080 Speaker 1: of what keep meats juicy as you cook them. Turkey can, 642 00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:06,960 Speaker 1: as we have all found, wind up dryer than you 643 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:09,040 Speaker 1: really want from something that you're going to like eat 644 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:13,440 Speaker 1: and not say use as a coaster. One of The 645 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:16,960 Speaker 1: old school recommendations for keeping turkey moist is basting it 646 00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:20,520 Speaker 1: frequently as it roasts. But yeah, like, one of the 647 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:23,000 Speaker 1: most delightful parts of a whole roast bird can be 648 00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:25,880 Speaker 1: the skin. You just have to keep it crispy and 649 00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:28,720 Speaker 1: continually drenching it and juices will not let that happen, 650 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:34,320 Speaker 1: So basting is out. I know, Wow, it's yeph. Sorry, 651 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:38,120 Speaker 1: that's it done. One of the newer recommendations is to 652 00:40:38,280 --> 00:40:41,840 Speaker 1: brine the turkey overnight or for a couple days before cooking. 653 00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:45,399 Speaker 1: That is, to submerge it in a salted water bath. 654 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:48,560 Speaker 1: And the idea here is that the salt will help 655 00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:51,799 Speaker 1: loosen up the protein fibers and the meat, allowing them 656 00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:55,480 Speaker 1: to absorb water. When you cook it, those loosened fibers 657 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:59,760 Speaker 1: won't contract as much as untreated muscle fibers would. That 658 00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:05,239 Speaker 1: that contraction in untreated meat squeezes out juice, drying out 659 00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:09,239 Speaker 1: the final product. So the brined meat therefore retains a 660 00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:18,000 Speaker 1: bunch of that added water moisture, making it juicier. No no, no, well, okay, 661 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:20,799 Speaker 1: I mean it certainly works, but unfortunately it leads to 662 00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:25,000 Speaker 1: a rather bland bird. The moisture is just lightly salted 663 00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:27,920 Speaker 1: water after all, and seasoning the water doesn't really make 664 00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:31,120 Speaker 1: a difference because most flavor compounds are too big to 665 00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:34,959 Speaker 1: make it past the cell walls into the meat. Also, 666 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:37,400 Speaker 1: brining is like a serious pain. Have you ever done this? Like, 667 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:39,680 Speaker 1: turkeys are big, you have to like get a bucket. 668 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:41,600 Speaker 1: You have to put a whole bucket of turkey in 669 00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:44,560 Speaker 1: your fridge for like days when you're trying to throw 670 00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:47,280 Speaker 1: a Thanksgiving dinner. Yeah, there's a lot of things competing 671 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:51,640 Speaker 1: for that space there is. Okay, So the current best 672 00:41:51,640 --> 00:41:54,080 Speaker 1: recommendation that I've seen, and thanks by the way to 673 00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:56,360 Speaker 1: serious eats for breaking all of this down for the 674 00:41:56,360 --> 00:41:58,600 Speaker 1: good of all of us, is to do a dry 675 00:41:58,719 --> 00:42:02,279 Speaker 1: brine or a kind of hearing. In this method, you 676 00:42:02,480 --> 00:42:04,400 Speaker 1: salt the turkey and then let it rest in the 677 00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:07,799 Speaker 1: fridge for like twelve to twenty four hours. And in 678 00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:11,160 Speaker 1: this case, what's happening is is that the salt draws 679 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:14,320 Speaker 1: out some of the turkey's juices. The salt then dissolves 680 00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:17,560 Speaker 1: in those juices, and as the meat rests, the salty 681 00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:20,920 Speaker 1: juice gets reabsorbed into the meat. Where where the salt 682 00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:23,759 Speaker 1: does that work of loosening those proteins so that they 683 00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:27,560 Speaker 1: won't contract so much during cooking. Thus the meat stays juicy, 684 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:30,560 Speaker 1: if a little less juicy than a wet brined bird, 685 00:42:30,760 --> 00:42:34,080 Speaker 1: and the juice tastes like turkey because it's turkey juice, 686 00:42:34,360 --> 00:42:40,120 Speaker 1: not water juice or just waters. Most people would say, so, yeah, 687 00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:43,719 Speaker 1: actual has that this time? Yeah, maybe I'll give this 688 00:42:43,760 --> 00:42:46,000 Speaker 1: a try. It's some of those things where if I 689 00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:49,520 Speaker 1: suggest it and I'm wrong, it'll be Oh, it'll be 690 00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:52,759 Speaker 1: a big deal. Okay, I won't live it down. Maybe 691 00:42:52,800 --> 00:42:55,480 Speaker 1: I'll maybe I'll try it first and then let me 692 00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:57,680 Speaker 1: know and let you know. I'll just be like, hey, 693 00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:02,600 Speaker 1: roommates for having an early turkey for science, please please 694 00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:10,239 Speaker 1: do meanwhile fried turkey, of course. Of course someone was 695 00:43:10,320 --> 00:43:13,279 Speaker 1: like every deep fried to turkey, Anny, No, and I've 696 00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:18,399 Speaker 1: heard horror stories. Um, I really want to try the meat. 697 00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:21,200 Speaker 1: I don't want to try it doing it, Yeah, yeah, 698 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:23,920 Speaker 1: but I want to eat to the final product. It 699 00:43:24,040 --> 00:43:28,399 Speaker 1: sounds like it can be delicious. Well, okay. The guy 700 00:43:28,400 --> 00:43:32,080 Speaker 1: who popularized the deep fried turkey is this a Cajun 701 00:43:32,320 --> 00:43:35,680 Speaker 1: chef personality by the name of Justin Wilson. The practice 702 00:43:35,719 --> 00:43:39,160 Speaker 1: may in fact have come from Creole Louisiana. The practice 703 00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:42,520 Speaker 1: of course being hanging an entire daying turkey from like 704 00:43:42,560 --> 00:43:46,279 Speaker 1: the spiky metal apparatus and lowering it into a vat 705 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:51,479 Speaker 1: of four hundred degree boiling oil for like four minutes, which, 706 00:43:51,600 --> 00:43:54,040 Speaker 1: if you ever cooked a turkey, is so significantly less 707 00:43:54,239 --> 00:43:57,120 Speaker 1: oh yeah time then you would normally cook at turkey 708 00:43:57,520 --> 00:43:59,440 Speaker 1: like by a factor of like a hundred. Like it's 709 00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:01,359 Speaker 1: it's just huge. Sure, that's the wrong way to use factor, 710 00:44:01,400 --> 00:44:03,720 Speaker 1: you guys know what I mean. Um, it's a lot shorter. 711 00:44:04,239 --> 00:44:06,640 Speaker 1: He claims that he first witnessed someone doing this in 712 00:44:06,640 --> 00:44:09,080 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties, he made it a delicacy in the 713 00:44:09,160 --> 00:44:11,759 Speaker 1: nineteen seventies, and by the late nineteen eighties it was 714 00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:15,080 Speaker 1: such a trend the National Turkey Federation put out a 715 00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:19,280 Speaker 1: press release about it that sounds like some serious business. 716 00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:23,520 Speaker 1: They wanted to warn folks that consuming homemade deep fried 717 00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:27,600 Speaker 1: turkeys was like and I quote, staring into a loaded 718 00:44:27,600 --> 00:44:31,600 Speaker 1: double barrel shotgun. One barrel is a cardiologist's nightmare, the 719 00:44:31,680 --> 00:44:36,200 Speaker 1: other is a microbiologist's worst dreams come true. So yes, 720 00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:40,239 Speaker 1: very serious. It's what they were saying was that, you know, 721 00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:44,279 Speaker 1: because it's it's fried and so that's you know, not 722 00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:47,200 Speaker 1: really heart healthy. And and then there's the potential for 723 00:44:47,280 --> 00:44:53,960 Speaker 1: undercooked poultry meat disease written maybe so, yeah, well that 724 00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:57,040 Speaker 1: didn't stop people from doing it. It certainly didn't, and 725 00:44:57,080 --> 00:45:01,240 Speaker 1: there are all of the terrifying YouTube videos to prove it. Yes, 726 00:45:01,360 --> 00:45:06,320 Speaker 1: there certainly are. Let's let's close here on a different 727 00:45:06,360 --> 00:45:10,440 Speaker 1: type of turkey advice advice for if a turkey is 728 00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:15,239 Speaker 1: attacking you or something you own. Very practical turkeys will 729 00:45:15,320 --> 00:45:18,880 Speaker 1: charge repeatedly at reflective things, perhaps thinking it's another turkey 730 00:45:18,920 --> 00:45:23,000 Speaker 1: one who is not backing down. So cover any reflective objects, 731 00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:28,040 Speaker 1: hub caps, anything like that. And most important, according to 732 00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:33,279 Speaker 1: officials of the Massachusetts government, don't let turkeys intimidate you. 733 00:45:34,080 --> 00:45:37,560 Speaker 1: It's a quote they said, to not be afraid to 734 00:45:38,040 --> 00:45:41,440 Speaker 1: scare or threaten a bold, aggressive turkey with loud noises, 735 00:45:41,719 --> 00:45:44,560 Speaker 1: swatting with a broom, or water sprayed from a hose. 736 00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:48,319 Speaker 1: Once negative behavior is established, they warn, it can be 737 00:45:48,400 --> 00:45:52,120 Speaker 1: difficult to change. And like, these are five to twenty 738 00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:57,799 Speaker 1: five pound dinosaurs. So you know, heed, I can't teach 739 00:45:57,800 --> 00:46:01,840 Speaker 1: an old turkey new tricks. You can't take caution, really, 740 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:07,520 Speaker 1: don't let that turkey possy around, no stand up for yourself. Okay, 741 00:46:07,640 --> 00:46:12,239 Speaker 1: so that's the turkey. Um, if you are listening to 742 00:46:12,280 --> 00:46:16,480 Speaker 1: this around Thanksgiving in either Canada or the US, have 743 00:46:16,560 --> 00:46:18,920 Speaker 1: a nice Thanksgiving. And I hope this didn't put you 744 00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:24,000 Speaker 1: to sleep. It was the food was not us, definitely 745 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:30,759 Speaker 1: not us. Not much interesting facts in here, and that 746 00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:33,960 Speaker 1: brings us to the end of this classic episode. We 747 00:46:34,000 --> 00:46:39,120 Speaker 1: hope you enjoyed it as much as we Clearly, Yes, 748 00:46:39,239 --> 00:46:45,080 Speaker 1: turkeys are weird. It can be quite strange. Yeah, I'm 749 00:46:45,200 --> 00:46:47,719 Speaker 1: less scared of birds now than I was then, but 750 00:46:47,960 --> 00:46:52,160 Speaker 1: oh wow, some strides have been made. Yeah, yeah, I 751 00:46:52,160 --> 00:46:56,879 Speaker 1: mean turkeys are still I mean intimidating compared to many 752 00:46:56,880 --> 00:47:01,680 Speaker 1: other birds. Yes, it's true. It's true. As I said, 753 00:47:01,920 --> 00:47:05,160 Speaker 1: I back when I was running in Delonaga, they would 754 00:47:05,160 --> 00:47:08,160 Speaker 1: be just a flock of turkeys and they would just 755 00:47:08,239 --> 00:47:11,400 Speaker 1: stare you down, like not moving, You're gonna have to 756 00:47:11,440 --> 00:47:18,400 Speaker 1: go around me. Well well, um, as as as we 757 00:47:18,440 --> 00:47:20,759 Speaker 1: said in the classic, you know, the official advice is 758 00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:23,400 Speaker 1: to not let a turkey intimidate you. Just you have to. 759 00:47:24,200 --> 00:47:27,600 Speaker 1: You have to show it whose boss. I feel like 760 00:47:28,520 --> 00:47:32,319 Speaker 1: that is advice that could go so right, But all right, 761 00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:35,840 Speaker 1: all right, never be intimidated by a turkey, and we 762 00:47:35,920 --> 00:47:39,640 Speaker 1: really hope listeners whatever celebration you're doing in the coming 763 00:47:39,920 --> 00:47:44,160 Speaker 1: weeks months Vias, Life Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas um that you 764 00:47:44,239 --> 00:47:47,160 Speaker 1: enjoy it, oh and Firstgiving and if you have any recipes, 765 00:47:47,280 --> 00:47:49,400 Speaker 1: because you are you all are so great about sending 766 00:47:49,400 --> 00:47:53,160 Speaker 1: in pictures of your celebrations and food and rest. Let 767 00:47:53,239 --> 00:47:56,960 Speaker 1: us know send them all away. Absolutely yes, and you 768 00:47:57,000 --> 00:47:59,160 Speaker 1: can do that at our email, which is hello at 769 00:47:59,160 --> 00:48:01,800 Speaker 1: saber pod dot com. We are also on social media. 770 00:48:01,880 --> 00:48:04,919 Speaker 1: You can find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 771 00:48:05,080 --> 00:48:06,960 Speaker 1: saver pod and we do hope to hear from you. 772 00:48:07,480 --> 00:48:10,040 Speaker 1: Saver is production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts 773 00:48:10,120 --> 00:48:12,399 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, you can visit the i heart Radio app, 774 00:48:12,480 --> 00:48:15,759 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 775 00:48:15,760 --> 00:48:18,359 Speaker 1: Thanks as always to our super producers Dylan Fagin and 776 00:48:18,360 --> 00:48:20,680 Speaker 1: Andrew Howard. Thanks to you for listening, and we hope 777 00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:29,799 Speaker 1: that lots more good things are coming your way