How many turkeys do we eat every Thanksgiving?  Keep reading to learn this and more fun turkey trivia!

 

Thanksgiving turkey photo

America’s biggest food holiday is less than two days away and everyone if gearing up for the big day! Turkeys are soaking in brine, pies are being made, and everyone is getting in the holiday spirit!  Everyone at Gunther Toody’s in Denver and Colorado Springs would like to wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving.  Here’s some fun turkey trivia to quiz your family with at the dinner table.

  • There is no evidence that turkey was eaten at the first Thanksgiving celebration in 1621. It is likely that they feasted on venison and a variety of seafood.
  • According to the National Turkey Federation, Americans eat 46 million turkeys at Thanksgiving.
  • The fork was not was used at the first Thanksgiving. The now indispensible utensil wasn’t introduced until 1631.
  • Trytophan, the sleep-inducing amino acid that is present in turkey, really isn’t what causes us to fall asleep after the big feast. The levels of tryptophan in turkey are not that high and the food coma is more likely due the large size of the meal we eat.
  • The average weight of a turkey is 16 pounds. All the turkeys gobbled up last year tip the scales at 736 million pounds.
  • Turkeys are the only breed of poultry that is native to the Western Hemisphere.
  • Only tom (male) turkeys gobble.

Photo by Ruocaled