Word of the Week: Turkey

Anne Slagill / The USD Vista

Nothing has the ability to enhance my feelings of gratitude like a gravy-soaked slice of Thanksgiving turkey. I cannot begin to express the disappointment I felt when my parents confessed that they intend to prepare ham for our family gathering next Thursday. The word of the week is a gesture of homage to the lucky bird that gets to live this year.

The feast-worthy food is named for a country, which is named for its people. We know them as the Ottoman Turks, but it was a different group, the Seljuk Turks, who first caught the attention of English speakers.

During the time of the Third Crusade, Richard the Lionhearted fought a Muslim hero, Saladin. Though Saladin was actually a Kurd, his name became associated with the Muslim Turks. The news of his victories brought the word Turk to England and Turkey became the established name for their land.

The rest of the story is a confusing tale of misnomers and bad geography. The English were eating Guinea fowl in the 1500s. These birds were accurately named for their country of origin, but many people were under the impression that they came from Turkey or India. When birds from the Americas appeared on the British menu, people mistakenly believed that they were of the same family as the Guinea fowl and called them turkeys.

In fact, the birds were originally from Mexico and domesticated by Native Americans. The Spanish conquistadors brought them back to Spain and from there they spread to wider Europe.

Benjamin Franklin thought that the turkey should be our national symbol. He was disappointed when the eagle was chosen. “For the truth, the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America . He is besides, though a little vain and silly, a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on,” Franklin said.

I can only imagine what Thanksgiving dinners would be like if old Ben’s wishes had been realized.