Where did the turkey come from? Why is it called Turkey? and Why do we eat it on Thankksgiving?

Question

Dont try to be funny

Answer 1

Turkeys are native to the Northeastern United States and we eat them on Thanksgiving because they are a game bird, and that is what was supposedly hunted and served at the first Thanksgiving in 1620.

Answer 2

Where Did Turkeys Originate

Answer 3

A turkey is either one of two species of large birds in the genus Meleagris native to North America. Turkeys are classed in the order Galliformes. Formerly they were considered a distinct family, Meleagrididae, but more recently were reclassified as a subfamily (Meleagridinae) of the pheasants and their allies.[1] Turkeys have a distinctive fleshy carbuncle that hangs from the beak, called a snood. As with many galliform species, the female is smaller than the male, and much less colorful. With wingspans of 1.5–1.8 meters (almost 6 feet), the turkeys are by far the largest birds in the open forests in which they live, and are rarely mistaken for any other species. The fleshy protuberance attached to the underside of the beak is known as a "swag".
When Europeans first encountered turkeys in the Americas, they incorrectly identified the birds as a type of guinea fowl (Numida meleagris), also known as a turkey-cock from its importation to Central Europe through Turkey, and the name of that country stuck as the name of the bird. The confusion is also reflected in the scientific name: meleagris is Greek for guinea-fowl.

The names for M. gallopavo in other languages also frequently reflect its exotic origins, seen from an Old World viewpoint, and add to the confusion about where turkeys actually came from. The many references to India seen in common names go back to a combination of two factors: first, the genuine belief that the newly-discovered Americas were in fact a part of Asia, and second, the tendency during that time to attribute exotic animals and foods to a place that symbolized far-off, exotic lands. The latter is reflected in terms like "Muscovy Duck" (which is from South America, not Muscovy). This was a major reason why the name "turkey-cock" stuck to Meleagris rather than to the guinea fowl (Numida meleagris): the Ottoman Empire represented the exotic East much the same as did India.

Several other birds which are sometimes called "turkeys" are not particularly closely related: the Australian brush-turkey is a megapode, and the bird sometimes known as the "Australian turkey" is in fact the Australian Bustard, a gruiform. The bird sometimes called a Water Turkey is actually an Anhinga (Anhinga rufa)

Answer 4

There are wild turkeys in America. I believe the actual name turkey was coined by the British to refer to a bird they got from the country of Turkey. There is no one easy answer to this question though.

Turkey became the traditional meal on Thanksgiving from the belief (right or wrong) that the Pilgrims ate it.

Answer 5

North America. The bird was called "furkey" by the local tribes, but over time became "turkey" like the country. We eat it on Thanksgiving because it is listed as one of the many foods the pilgrims ate with their neighbors, the Natives, on the first Thanksgiving.

Answer 6

Turkeys are native Americans.
First feast by the Pilgrims with the Indians.

Answer 7

Here's an article on the origin of the turkey: