Turkey massacre

November 5, 2009 3:36 PM

Turkeys. Which festival consumes the most?

In my country we eat them for Christmas. In the USA, I gather, they get eaten at Thanksgiving.

So what's the deal? Do Americans eat turkey for Christmas too? Are there other celebrations in other cultures which feature a whole roast turkey? Is turkey for Christmas a global tradition?

Which festival sees the death of the most turkeys worldwide? Christmas, Thanksgiving, or other?

posted by popcassady to food & drink (14 comments total)

I feel like in a lot of US families, ham or duck is pretty common at Christmas time instead of turkey.
posted by muddgirl at 3:40 PM on November 5

I eat turkey at Christmas AND Thanksgiving, but I'm guessing you're looking for an actual study and not just individual data points
posted by Think_Long at 3:45 PM on November 5

Turkey is de rigeur in the U.S. for Thanksgiving. Christmas is much more wide-open. My mother would make Crown roast of pork some years. Italian families I know go for a multicourse menu that includes pasta, seafood, lots of other stuff.
posted by stargell at 3:52 PM on November 5

The population of the UK is 60,943,912.

The population of the US is 304,059,724.

The complicating factor here is how many people in the US (and in CN, AU, NZ, etc.) eat turkey on Christmas as well as on US Thanksgiving (CN Thanksgiving is in October).


I would ask the folks at the Butterball Turkey Talk Line about the latter.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:53 PM on November 5

My family generally has two turkeys on Thanksgiving and one turkey and a ham on Christmas (and very little leftover, big family). From my friends I've gathered that the christmas ham is pretty common.
posted by magnetsphere at 4:27 PM on November 5

My family generally has two turkeys on Thanksgiving and one turkey and a ham on Christmas (and very little leftover, big family). From my friends I've gathered that the christmas ham is pretty common.

Ditto, cept for one turkey on Thanksgiving.
posted by Atreides at 4:33 PM on November 5

LOL, we go out for prime rib on Thanksgiving.

I LOVE cooking turkey, but with only 2 people in my house, a whole one would be a waste. Contemplating just getting a breast or half breast so I can have leftovers and sandwiches, and maybe some white meat with cranberry jelly sauce!

Spiral cut Honey Baked hams are popular for Christmas and New Years as well. November and December are DEFINITELY the "turkey eating months" in America!
posted by Jinx of the 2nd Law at 4:42 PM on November 5

We had turkey for Christmas, probably because Dad was given one from his employer (at Thanksgiving, too).

In adulthood, I've had beef several times and like that.

Ham at Christmas I just don't get, but that's me.
posted by jgirl at 4:52 PM on November 5

For a couple of years when it was just two of us we would have Cornish Game Hens for both Christmas and Thanksgiving but before that and now we have/had lots of people we have turkey for both holidays.
posted by CollegeNelson at 4:54 PM on November 5

My family eats Turkey at Thanksgiving.

At Christmas, we eat Chinese food.

Because we're Jews.
posted by charmcityblues at 5:01 PM on November 5 [3 favorites]

Ham at Christmas I just don't get

It's a Yule thing (i.e., pre-Xian).

And so I'm not totally off-topic, another American for Thanksgiving turkey, Yule pork roast.
posted by bricoleur at 5:06 PM on November 5

We have turkey on thanksgiving and Christmas, although there have been some years where we have Chinese food for Christmas.
posted by gt2 at 8:45 PM on November 5

Turkey for Thanksgiving, ham for Christmas. For New Year's, sometimes Hoppin' John, sometimes prime rib.
posted by Lynsey at 9:08 PM on November 5

I thought it was supposed to be Xmas goose?
(I wonder if the Queen exercises her exclusive right to eat swan?)

But in USA, it's generally turkey for Thanksgiving and some other large cut of meat for Xmas - a ham, roast, couple of ducks, etc. But some don't mind the repetition and just get another turkey.

One thing to note that in the US, it's not uncommon for families to be spread across the entire continent. So it's not always the case that the whole family will gather together for both Thanksgiving and Xmas.

It's more common for Thanksgiving to be an occasion to gather the entire extended family together, but for Xmas to be something for the nuclear family to do in their own homes - thus, it's a smaller meal. I've had Xmas pizza when no one could be bothered; this would be sacrilege on Thanksgiving.
posted by bartleby at 1:41 PM on November 6