Some facts you might not have known about Thanksgiving...
- In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to move the official Thanksgiving date to earlier in November in order encourage a longer Christmas shopping season as a Depression recovery strategy.
*His idea was shut down by Congress and the official date was declared
permanently as the fourth Thursday in November via Public Law #379.
- Turkey is naturally low in fat without the skin, containing only 1 gram of fat per ounce of flesh. A 5-ounce serving provides almost half of the recommended daily allowance of folic acid, and is a good source of vitamins B, B1,B6, zinc and potassium.
- Wild turkeys are covered with dark feathers that help them blend in with their woodland homes. The bare skin on the throat and head of a turkey can change color from flat gray to striking shades of red, white, and blue when the bird becomes distressed or excited.
Turkey Terms:
- Caruncle is the brightly colored growths on the throat region. It turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.
- Gizzard is a part of a bird's stomach that contains tiny stones. It helps them grind up food for digestion.
- Hen is a female turkey
- Poult is a baby turkey; a chick
- Snood is the flap of skin that hangs over the turkey's beak. It turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.
- Tom is a male turkey; aka a gobbler.
- Wattle is the flap of skin under the turkey's chin. It turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.
Sources:
http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/tgivinghistory.htm
http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/turkey.htm
I had no idea turkeys had stone in the stomach to help them digest food....
ReplyDeleteyeah me either. that fact about the stones is so interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think its funny that a bird that represents so much to our country around that time has the ability to turn its neck red, white, and blue...kind of ironic.
Very Interesting! I had no idea there were so many different names and terms used for turkeys. It is also interesting how their necks can change colors over there moods,
ReplyDeleteI also found it funny how their necks could change either red, white, or blue. I just learned more about turkeys than I ever thought I would.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is a most interesting post! I knew a few things about turkeys, but I didn't know about their gizzard. That's really cool that they have stones in their stomach to help them eat! I also think it's pretty sweet that the skin on their heads and throats can turn different colors.
ReplyDeleteI knew some of this before, but I had know knowledge of all of the terms. It is pretty interesting that we as Americans give so much prestige to a turkey.
ReplyDeleteThis was very interesting. I learned a lot of things about a turkey that i never knew. Its weird that they have stones in their stomach to help them eat. I thinks its funny how important a bird is to our country.
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting. There's a lot about turkeys I never knew. I think it's cool how their skin changes color depending on their mood.
ReplyDeleteThis was very interesting to read :) I had no idea how many different colors a turkey can turn and how it depends on their mood.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that one day is solely based around a eating a turkey is a funny thought. I didn't know there was so many interesting facts about turkeys that I did not know. The fact that they can change the color of their skin based on thie mood is different.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting i never knew that a baby turkey was called a poult and i know alot about turkeys.
ReplyDeleteI think this is quite fascinating i never knew any of this. I cant believe they change colors depending on their moods. Also that is strange that congress tried to change the date of thanksgiving for greedy purposes to receive economic gain from christmas shoppers.
ReplyDeleteThat's crazy! That turkey's were so complex or that Thanksgiving was almost changed. That's bizarre, but awesome to know.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting and unique post! I would never have known a baby turkey was called a poult or changed colors depending on their moods until reading this. Very cute:)
ReplyDeleteGlad everyone enjoyed my post... Happy Holidays!
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ReplyDeleteIt was an awesome blog post. i found very cool info i could of used for thanksgiving, just some fun facts.
ReplyDeleteADAM CLEMENTS
I thought this was a great post. I don't know a lot about turkeys and this was very informational on how they live and survive in this world. I also thought that was interesting how their mood changes the color of their skin.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool post. It's weird thinking FDR tried to push Thanksgiving up to the beginning of the month. Having the bigger gap between Turkey day and Christmas seems more reasonable and I understand his reasoning with trying to get out of the depression.
ReplyDeleteI am really annoyed at the fact that a monumental holiday like Thanksgiving, a holiday in which is the least stress-free, was almost pushed forward to give more time to holiday shopping. Is this how materialized the holidays has become? As time goes on, we will continue to forget the important meaning behind this holiday time of the year. Not to mention why everybody always skips over Thanksgiving and worries about Halloween and then Christmas instead.
ReplyDeleteThose were some interesting facts especially the one about moving it earlier in the month to expand the shopping season
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