Big Bird

     

     There's a 99.9% chance that the turkey you will eat at Thanksgiving this year is a Broad-Breasted White.  That's the industry name for the turkeys that are given away free in markets when you spend a certain amount of cash for groceries.  They have been specially bred to grow quickly (at a weight of 32 pounds in just 18 weeks) with an enlarged breast for plenty of meat.  Three multinational corporations, located in Ontario, West Virginia and Sonoma, California are responsible for almost all of the production of these genetic anomalies that are prone to catastrophic disease and cannot strut or even walk very well.  But they are plump and meaty, even if the meat may be dry and lacking in flavor.


     Far fewer Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving with a heritage turkey.  Those are fowl that retain the historical characteristics of the birds of a century ago, traits that are no longer present in the commodity turkeys mass-produced today.  Heritage turkeys are still being raised on small family farms and are distinctive with a rich flavor and beautiful plumage.

 

     But what exactly constitutes a heritage turkey?  The term does not mean organic, all natural, or free range, but they are probably all of the above.  And to further complicate things there is no existing governmental regulation to define it.  The Heritage Turkey Foundation considers certain breeds like Bourbon Red, Narragansett, and Jersey Buff to be true heritage birds.  They further state that heritage turkeys take longer to mature, more like 24-30 weeks to reach 32 pounds.  They also have a longer productive life span, up to 15 years.  And another significant criteria: heritage turkeys are able to mate naturally, not needing to be artificially inseminated because they can't stand up.   About 25,000 are raised annually as compared to two hundred million industrial birds and another seven million in the wild.

     
     So how do you know if you're getting the real deal, a true heritage turkey?  Well, to put it simply, you don't.  The lines are blurry.  You have to read the fine print and use some critical discernment.  Some turkeys are labeled with misleading names like "American Heirloom Collection."  And while that sounds authentic it may be some sort of hybrid combination of a heritage and non-heritage breed that attempts to achieve the best of both worlds.  It may take some investigation to determine what is really being sold to the public.

     But better yet, call the farmer.  And ask how their turkeys have sex.  Then you'll know for sure.