why is turkey always eaten at christmas?

Answer 1

"turkey has not always been the traditional Christmas roast. It first found its way onto English tables in the 1540s, it being a native of Mexico and Central America. From the middle of the 16th century the turkey was one of the great fowls to have for feasts.
.....Another old favourite was roast goose or gosling"

http://www.harveysofhalifax.co.uk/The_Origin_of_Christmas_Traditions/

Answer 2

It is a matter of size. A large turkey would feed a family and all their guests, with left overs, but goose was and is still eaten. Turkey originally came from America and was considered a delicacy until Mr Bernard Matthews made it everyday fare. Traditionally the English also have ham, but on the continent, different countries serve a variety of meats and also smaller poultry like Guinea fowl or pheasant.

Answer 3

It is a new addition to the table.

Records suggest that the first roast turkey was eaten in Europe on 27 June 1570 at the wedding feast of Charles XI of France and Elizabeth of Austria. The King was so impressed with the birds that he began to breed them in the forest of St Germain. The turkey subsequently became a popular dish at banquets held by the French nobility. It is thought that turkeys were imported into Britain from South America, via Spain. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the majority of turkeys were raised for Christmas in the counties of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. These counties are traditionally cereal growing areas and the drier climate probably lowered the incidence of turkey diseases, such as blackhead and gape worms.

However, the Wild American Turkey was called the Indie Bird, and it was the Turkish who exported it to the Ottoman empire to domesticate. The Austrians, who were at war with the Turks, captured the domesticated birds, and as part of the Holy Roman Empire, exported the birds back to America, with their new name, Turkish birds....

Turkeys were eaten as part of the Thanksgiving feast, in North America, and replaced the traditional Christmas goose when we got a new Dutch Monarchy in 1680. William of Orange was the stadholder of the Netherlands, and they were a former Spanish colony. But it took until Edwardian times, 1907, until they started to appear on everyday English tables.

Answer 4

Turkey isn't always the only thing eaten at Christmas. My family ends up changing it up most of the time. We may have chicken, turkey, or ham.

Answer 5

Obviously because someone likes it. There is no set rule that says you must eat Turkey at any time of the yr. Eat what you like. In my family, Ham was always traditional. I make both because some like Ham or Turkey better.

Answer 6

I always had ham for Christmas and Turkey for thanksgiving. This year I'll be eating spam. Yeah Spam!

Answer 7

My family eats lasagna on Christmas, but then again, we're Italian.

I've always seen other families eat turkey or ham. I'm not sure why.

Answer 8

I don't eat turkey at Christmas. Sometimes I have ham, most times we have a standing rib roast! Yum!

Answer 9

Not always. We've sometimes had ham. And an old tradition is to have a Christmas goose.

Answer 10

my family eats turkey on thanksgiving and ham on christmas, always has