The turkey : an American story / Andrew F. Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Andrew F., 1946-

Series:

Food series.

The food series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Turkeys--United States--History.

Cooking (Turkey).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (265 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Illinois Press, c2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Fondly remembered as the centerpiece of family Thanksgiving reunions, the turkey is a cultural symbol as well as a multi-billion dollar industry. As a bird, dinner, commodity, and national icon, the turkey has become as American as the bald eagle (with which it actually competed for supremacy on national insignias)._x000B__x000B_Food historian Andrew F. Smith's sweeping and multifaceted history of Meleagris gallopavo separates fact from fiction, serving as both a solid historical reference and a fascinating general read. With his characteristic wit and insatiable curiosity, Smith presents the turkey in ten courses, beginning with the bird itself (actually several different species of turkey) flying through the wild. The Turkey subsequently includes discussions of practically every aspect of the iconic bird, including the wild turkey in early America, how it came to be called turkey, domestication, turkey mating habits, expansion into Europe, stuffing, conditions in modern industrial turkey factories, its surprising commercial history of boom and bust, and its eventual ascension to holiday mainstay. The second half of the book collects an amazing array of over one hundred historical and modern turkey recipes from across America and Europe. Historians will enjoy a look back at the varied appetites of their ancestors, and seasoned cooks will have an opportunity to reintroduce a familiar food in forgotten ways._x000B_

Contents:

""front cover""; ""Title Page""; ""Copyright Page""; ""Table of Contents""; ""List of Recipes""; ""Preface""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""PART 1: THE HISTORY OF THE TURKEY""; ""1. The Prehistoric Turkey; or, How the Turkey Conquered North America""; ""2. The Globe-trotting Turkey; or, How the Turkey Conquered Europe""; ""3. The English Turkey; or, How the Turkey Cooked the Christmas Goose""; ""4. The Call of the Wild Turkey; or, How the Wild Turkey Came to a Fowl Ending""; ""5. The Well-dressed Turkey; or, How the Turkey Trotted onto America's Table""; ""Illustrations follow page 66.""

""6. Hale's Turkey Tale or, The Invention of Turkey Day""; ""7. The Well-bred Turkey; or, How the Turkey Lost its Flavor""; ""8. The Industrialized Turkey; or, How the Turkey Became a Profit Center""; ""9. The Social Turkey; or, How the Turkey Became a Cultural Icon""; ""10. The American Turkey; or, How the Turkey Came Home to Roost""; ""PART 2: HISTORICAL RECIPES""; ""Notes""; ""Selected Bibliography and Resources""; ""Index""; ""back cover""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [205]-217) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-283-58336-4

9786613895813

0-252-09242-2

OCLC:

811409101