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Text丨Popular science 10 grams
Edit丨Popular science 10 grams
preface
Every year by Thanksgiving and Christmas, millions of turkeys are consumed in the United States.
However, it is strange why turkey, which is so popular in the United States, is not popular in the mainland. There are very few people who even breed turkeys.
What's going on here?
Popular abroad
In the 17th century, the North American continent was a new home full of hardships and challenges for the British colonists who crossed the ocean in search of religious freedom.
Cold and hunger put them in a desperate situation and threatened with death, and the generosity of the Indians saved the lives of these outsiders with food and household utensils.
Turkeys are large wild birds endemic to North America, with a large size, an adult turkey can weigh up to 11 kilograms, and its wings are fully spread up to 1.5 meters, far more than common chickens in Europe.
Even more rare, they are adaptable, fast-growing, and provide a reliable source of food even in poor farming conditions, which was a huge surprise to the British colonists who had just arrived in the middle of nowhere.
With the help of turkey, the British colonists survived the most difficult period, and a year later, during the harvest season, turkey was the main course, and a banquet was held to entertain the Indian lifesavers and express their gratitude.
Today, turkey has become an indispensable symbol of Thanksgiving, and on Thanksgiving alone, the United States consumes about 300 million kilograms of turkey meat, which is equivalent to two kilograms per person, a staggering amount.
Turkey meat is rich in protein, even more than beef and lamb, the fat is dominated by healthy unsaturated fatty acids, and the cholesterol content is also low, so it can be said that turkey meat is a relatively healthy meat choice in terms of nutritional structure.
In the United States, turkey-based dishes such as the classic roast turkey, as well as innovative dishes such as turkey burgers and turkey pâté, have become part of America's unique food culture.
Presidential pardon ceremonies have also become an important cultural tradition in the run-up to Thanksgiving every year, with schoolchildren calling for the "national fire" to be saved outside the White House, and the pardoned lucky turkeys enjoying retirement at the zoo.
It can be said that the reason why the turkey occupies an important place in American culture is inseparable from its historical origin on Thanksgiving, and it is closely related to the growth and nutritional characteristics of the bird itself.
Its combination with Thanksgiving became a unique cultural imprint of the nation of immigrants.
So, why is turkey, so popular in the United States, unpopular in China?
Turkey is not popular in China
Turkey is a large chicken that originated in the Americas, loved in many countries in Europe and the United States, and is a special ingredient for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but in China, turkey is little known and rarely appears on the table.
From the perspective of the growth cycle of turkeys, a turkey needs to be raised for a whole year from birth to slaughter, while ordinary commercial broilers only need 2-3 months to be slaughtered.
As a result, turkeys consume 5-6 times more feed than broilers, and turkeys also require far more space than broilers, requiring 6-9 times as much space for turkeys to move, otherwise they will attack each other.
All of this has greatly increased the cost of raising a turkey, which is about 5 times more expensive than raising a broiler. The high cost of raising has discouraged domestic farmers from investing in the cultivation of this thankless bird.
And turkeys are so tall that an adult turkey can weigh more than 10 kilograms and require a large professional oven to cook, which is not equipped in Chinese home kitchens.
Even restaurants don't have that big griddles and pots to hold a whole turkey.
There was a Chinese restaurant that tried to introduce turkey dishes, but it was very cumbersome to handle such a large chicken, and the labor and equipment required were very high, so they finally chose to give up.
In addition, the amount of a turkey is too large, and a family can't eat it for more than ten days, which is not realistic.
The most important thing is the taste of turkey, Chinese eat chicken is tender and smooth, and turkey meat is old and hard, it tastes dry and woody, and most Chinese do not like this taste after trying it.
A Chinese basketball star once tried to eat turkey meat in the United States, but gave up directly, saying that it was really hard to swallow.
In contrast, the special chicken breeds and commercial white-feathered chicken meat from all over China are tender and delicious, and are more popular among Chinese people.
The Chinese have a wide choice of chicken, from farmhouse chickens to commercial white-feathered chickens, all of which are delicious, in stark contrast to dry wood turkeys.
No matter in terms of breeding costs, size, taste preferences, etc., turkeys do not fit well with the situation in China.
The high cost of breeding, the size of the turkey and the poor taste have led to the lack of turkey on the table of Chinese, although the meat is nutritious, but it does not match the Chinese eating habits, so it is difficult to promote in the Chinese market.
So, what exactly is the environment in which turkeys are raised?
The environment in which the turkey is raised
Turkeys are more demanding and less adaptable, which is not quite compatible with the climate in most parts of the continent.
Turkeys are more sensitive to temperature, especially turkey chicks, and the newly hatched chicks are very susceptible to cold, so they must provide a constant temperature nurturing environment, and each chick needs a special warm lamp to maintain the temperature.
The temperature of chicks needs to be controlled at 36-38 degrees Celsius for the first week after hatching, 34-36 degrees Celsius for the second week, and then 2-3 degrees Celsius per week, until about 6 weeks of age.
In the cold winter in the north, it is more necessary to pay attention to cold protection and warmth, and use geothermal pipes or electric blankets to provide sufficient heat, otherwise the chicks are easy to die due to low temperatures.
Although the chickens can be stocked and fed after becoming adults, they still need to be returned to the cage overnight in rainy days or winters, and use warm lamps, hot fans and other equipment to maintain the temperature of the chicken coop to prevent the turkey from getting sick or dying due to hypothermia.
As a result, turkeys require more space and habitat, which is unaffordable for many small-scale farmers.
In the past, the simple chicken coop that was common in rural areas, with small area and simple facilities, could not meet the growth needs of turkeys.
Each adult turkey needs to provide at least 2-4 square feet of activity space, otherwise it is easy to peck at it, but the financial strength of many farmers is not small to renovate a large poultry house.
In addition, turkeys have an eccentric temperament and are prone to pecking each other to cause death and injury, which is not as easy to manage as ordinary broilers.
Turkeys are very territorial, and during the breeding season, roosters are prone to attack each other, using their blade-like beaks to peck at or kill competitors.
Female turkeys can also be aggressive when competing for food or nest space, which poses a hidden danger to breeding safety, and the death match of the rooster can also cause economic losses.
Turkeys are extremely sensitive to changes in their environment, and a change of guard in the feeding staff, changes in decoration, and even a change in the color of the walls of the coop can cause panic in the turkey.
Turkey breeding in the mainland has multiple difficulties such as poor climate and environmental adaptability, high cost, difficult management and narrow market sales, which has formed a major constraint on the development of turkey breeding industry.
In addition to this, turkey is not very nutritious...
Nutritional value of turkey
Although both chickens and turkeys have the word "chicken", they actually belong to different families and are not close relatives, with chickens belonging to the family Pheasantidae, while turkeys belonging to the family Pheasantidae, which is closer to quails.
As poultry ingredients, chicken and turkey meat are both considered excellent sources of protein, but there are certain differences in the nutritional content between the two.
In terms of protein, chicken has a higher content of 20.2 grams per 100 grams of chicken thighs, and chicken breasts contain a whopping 24.6 grams, slightly better than turkey.
But considering the fat aspect, whether it is the legs or the breast, the fat content of turkey is much lower than that of chicken, which is 6-9.5 times less.
In terms of trace elements, the iron content of turkey meat is significantly higher than that of chicken, especially turkey thigh, which can meet 26% of a woman's daily needs per 100 grams, which is more than 3 times that of chicken.
For female friends, proper consumption of turkey thigh meat can help replenish iron and prevent anemia, whether it is the legs or breasts, the cholesterol content of turkey meat is also lower than that of chicken, which is more conducive to the regulation of blood lipids.
However, if you want to be tender and juicy in taste, chicken may be better, especially the chicken thigh, which is evenly fatted and tender, but you can also choose a female turkey, which is smaller and more tender than a male turkey.
In addition, when cooking turkey, because it is relatively shriveled, it is recommended to use methods such as stewing to make it easier to absorb the flavor, and the cooking method of chicken is relatively more flexible.
Chicken and turkey have their own advantages, and different groups of people can choose a more suitable way to eat according to their actual needs and get adequate and comprehensive nutrition.
epilogue
If turkey is to become popular in China, it may also need a certain amount of cultural introduction and market cultivation, and of course, the most important thing is to adapt its taste to the tip of the Chinese tongue.
In the future, there may be agricultural experts who will breed a new breed of turkey that suits China's eating habits through crossbreeding, and at that time, this exotic ingredient may be truly popular with Chinese diners because of its "makeover".
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