2006-12-15 05:20:42 · 23 answers · asked by paul g 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
Although juicy and tender butterball turkeys are the main cuisine of today's Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, these birds were NOT the most popular centerpieces on the first Christmas tables.
In 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians celebrated their first Christmas, they were gobbling up many more foods than just turkey. Since lobster, goose, duck, seal, eel, and cod were plentiful during this time, these foods were most likely the main courses of this first feast. Deer meat and wild fowl are the only two items that historians know for sure were menu of this autumn celebration.
So how did the turkey become the main mascot of modern-day Thanksgiving and Christmas if we don't know for certain that turkeys were at this first feast?
One story tells of how Queen Elizabeth of 16th century England was chowing down on roast goose during a harvest festival. When news was delivered to her that the Spanish Armada had sunk on it way to attack her beloved England, the queen was so pleased that she order a second goose to celebrate the great news. Thus, the goose became the favorite bird at harvest time in England. When the Pilgrims arrived in America from England, roasted turkey replaced roasted goose as the main cuisine because wild turkeys were more abundant and easier to find than geese
2006-12-15 05:31:43 · answer #1 · answered by dawicca 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since the big bird, the turkey, is a traditional meal on Christmas, it is quite understandable that we will be eating the turkey's white meat. And this my friend, is the reason why people eat white meat at Christmas.
2006-12-15 05:27:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
White Christmas, white meat?
2006-12-15 05:24:03 · answer #3 · answered by Draco Paladin 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As opposed to what??? Green meat?? Some people like the white meat of a turkey, some like the dark meat. Its a matter of preference.
2006-12-15 05:35:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Up until relatively recently, poultry and game birds were a luxury, which is why they became traditional Christmas fare. They also look good, roasted and delivered to the table whole.
However, even though the majority of people may eat turkey ... quite a few eat beef, fish and vegetarian meals.
2006-12-15 05:56:19 · answer #5 · answered by Bev H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well Paul, we like to keep with tradition; its a white christmas, white snow, white clouds in the sky, white ornaments, the snow flock is white too, white milk to go with those white potatoes, white bread to sop up that white gravy...it all goes well with Santa's white beard, the white snowman that we named Frosty...white meat just matches so well with our color scheme... :)
2006-12-15 14:32:16 · answer #6 · answered by terryoulboub 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Im not sure what you mean,even turkey has white and dark meat?
2006-12-15 05:25:15 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
because it is traditional to eat a bird at christmas.
in the oldendays they used to eat 12 diffrwent types of bird all stuffed in side each other so like a parce the parcle with cooked bird
2006-12-15 05:23:52 · answer #8 · answered by tmswainyboy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well if it was PInk meat everyone would be down A&E by boxing day and I for one would be pissed off at not being able to be down my local
2006-12-15 05:25:01 · answer #9 · answered by snikleback 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you count cheese on toast as white meat then i don't know?
2006-12-15 05:23:27 · answer #10 · answered by taxed till i die,and then some. 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋