Domestic turkey
The wild turkey was domesticated by indigenous peoples of the North America, the Mayans, over 1,000 years ago, long before the New World was discovered by Christopher Columbus. The wild turkey was considered a sacred bird associated with the thunder and rains.
The turkey was thought to be able to forecast the weather due to its special behaviours, especially the anxiety that it expressed before the start of the storm. Domestic turkeys were brought to Europe by the Spanish in the 16th century. Turkeys quickly became popular on European menus thanks to their large size and rich taste from their diet of wild nuts.
Domestic turkey is very similar to the wild turkey but looks heavier and plumper because of its shorter legs. Wild turkeys are more “intelligent”; with lower weight and smaller head, they have a brain that is 35% heavier than the brain of the domestic turkey. During breeding season, male turkey stores fat reserves in the fatty area above the breastbone; in this period, the weight of the male may increase by 10% – hence the expression “to look like a bloated turkey”. In such periods, male’s plumage looks striking.
