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Topic: Why is the American bird called Turkey? Posted: 05-Jan-2005 at 15:02 |
Why is the American bird called Turkey?
When Europeans first encountered the turkey in the Americas, they incorrectly identified it with the African Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris), also known as the turkey-cock from its importation to Europe through Turkey, and the name stuck. It remains also in the scientific name: meleagris is Greek for guinea-fowl.
source: Wikipedia
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Jalisco Lancer
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Posted: 25-Dec-2004 at 20:01 |
Originally posted by Hellinas
<DT =highlight>[COLOR=#800020">turkey[/COLOR"> <A class=dictionary title="Look up turkey at Dictionary.com" href="http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=turkey">[IMG]title="Look up turkey at Dictionary.com" height=16 alt="Look up turkey at Dictionary.com" src="http://www.etymonline.com/graphics/dictionary.gif" width=16/A>
<DD =highlight>1541, "guinea fowl" (<SPAN =foreign>Numida meleagris</SPAN>, imported from Madagascar via Turkey, by Near East traders known as <SPAN =foreign>turkey merchants</SPAN>. The larger North American bird (<SPAN =foreign>Meleagris gallopavo</SPAN> was domesticated by the Aztecs, introduced to Spain by conquistadors (1523) and thence to wider Europe, by way of North Africa (then under Ottoman rule) and Turkey (Indian corn was originally <SPAN =foreign>turkey corn</SPAN> or <SPAN =foreign>turkey wheat</SPAN> in Eng. for the same reason). The word <SPAN =foreign>turkey</SPAN> was first applied to it in Eng. 1555 because it was identified with or treated as a species of the guinea fowl. The Turkish name for it is <SPAN =foreign>hindi</SPAN>, lit. "Indian," probably via Fr. <SPAN =foreign>dinde</SPAN> "turkey hen," based on the common misconception that the New World was eastern Asia. The New World bird itself reputedly reached England by 1524 (when Henry VIII dined on it at court). Turkeys raised by the Pilgrims were probably stock brought from England. By 1575, turkey was becoming the usual main course at an English Christmas. Meaning "inferior show, failure," is 1927 in show business slang, probably from the image of the turkey as a stupid bird. </DD>
<P =highlight>http://www.etymonline.com |
The Turkey was imported from Mexico to Europe by the spaniards and its called Guaxolotl in nahuatl.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_turkey
The domesticated turkey is descended from the North American Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo. The Aztecs domesticated the southern Mexican form, M. g. gallopavo, one of six subspecies.
Suggestions have been made that the Mexican Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata) might also be involved, but the plumage of domestic turkeys does not support this theory; in particular, the chest tuft of domestic turkeys is a clear indicator of descent from the Wild Turkey (the Ocellated Turkey does not have this tuft).
The turkey is reared throughout temperate parts of the World, and is a popular form of poultry because industrialised farming has made it very cheap for the amount of meat, and it is considered healthier and less fattening than red meat.
Eating turkey was once mainly restricted to special occasions like Christmas in Europe, and Thanksgiving in North America, in both cases having displaced the traditional goose, but it is now available year-round in supermarkets.
In the USA, the female domesticated turkey is referred to as a hen, a male as a tom, a chick as a poult and a castrated turkey as a hokie. In Europe, the male is a stag.
Modern breeds of turkey are too large to breed naturally, so they are usually bred using artificial insemination. However, turkey hens are often able to produce young from unfertilized eggs in a process called parthenogenesis.
The great majority of domesticated turkeys have white feathers, although brown or bronze-feathered varieties are also raised.
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Infidel
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Posted: 25-Dec-2004 at 19:45 |
Or just plain simple Turkey. English is the lingua franca of our times.
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An nescite quantilla sapientia mundus regatur?
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Cywr
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Posted: 25-Dec-2004 at 11:15 |
Would be cooler if they used the Latin Turchia IMHO.
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Arrrgh!!"
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Posted: 25-Dec-2004 at 09:18 |
Originally posted by Jagatai Khan
I heard that Turkey's name changed into Turkei in formal correspondances,is it true? |
Indeed Trkei is the German word for Turkey. German is the most widely
spoken language in the EU union. So it's possible that the German names
of countries are used in formal EU conferences.
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Infidel
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Posted: 25-Dec-2004 at 07:02 |
I think that Trkei is the german word. Turkey in english, and Trkiye (correct me if I'm wrong) in turkish...
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An nescite quantilla sapientia mundus regatur?
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Jagatai Khan
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Posted: 25-Dec-2004 at 01:58 |
I heard that Turkey's name changed into Turkei in formal correspondances,is it true?
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Fizzil
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Posted: 24-Dec-2004 at 14:24 |
Deek Rumi - Roman bird or something... also Deek Habashi (abyssinian
bird). I don't know the reasoning behind calling them these names, but
most probably they came from italy or somalia/ethiopia via trade.
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Hellinas
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Posted: 21-Dec-2004 at 18:41 |
turkey
1541, "guinea fowl" (Numida meleagris), imported from Madagascar via Turkey, by Near East traders known as turkey merchants. The larger North American bird (Meleagris gallopavo) was domesticated by the Aztecs, introduced to Spain by conquistadors (1523) and thence to wider Europe, by way of North Africa (then under Ottoman rule) and Turkey (Indian corn was originally turkey corn or turkey wheat in Eng. for the same reason). The word turkey was first applied to it in Eng. 1555 because it was identified with or treated as a species of the guinea fowl. The Turkish name for it is hindi, lit. "Indian," probably via Fr. dinde "turkey hen," based on the common misconception that the New World was eastern Asia. The New World bird itself reputedly reached England by 1524 (when Henry VIII dined on it at court). Turkeys raised by the Pilgrims were probably stock brought from England. By 1575, turkey was becoming the usual main course at an English Christmas. Meaning "inferior show, failure," is 1927 in show business slang, probably from the image of the turkey as a stupid bird.
http://www.etymonline.com
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Evildoer
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Posted: 07-Oct-2004 at 17:40 |
It's that accursed date-mess up. I deleted some of my posts because of that.
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Cywr
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Posted: 07-Oct-2004 at 15:58 |
How did Demon's post wind up in here?
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cattus
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Posted: 07-Oct-2004 at 15:16 |
oooh, nothing as i thought.Thank you.
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ihsan
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Posted: 07-Oct-2004 at 14:46 |
Originally posted by Catt
How is ulluk pronounced.. |
Tchoullouck
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Guests
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Posted: 30-Sep-2004 at 18:06 |
Originally posted by Cywr
Hmm didn't the Spanish first bring it to Europe very early? (early 1500s)
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The first European to eat a Turkey was Obelix
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Cywr
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Posted: 30-Sep-2004 at 18:03 |
Hmm didn't the Spanish first bring it to Europe very early? (early 1500s)
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Jalisco Lancer
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Posted: 30-Sep-2004 at 17:49 |
Cut the discussion
The turkey bird is in reality the Mexican Guaxolotl ( Guajolote ).
Imported from Mexico to Europe and brought back from Europe North America by the pilgrims.
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cattus
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Posted: 30-Sep-2004 at 17:43 |
How is ulluk pronounced.. it is extinct?
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ihsan
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Posted: 30-Sep-2004 at 17:13 |
Oh, that Prof. Tekin died some two weeks ago
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Cywr
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Posted: 30-Sep-2004 at 16:13 |
AH, the mystery is solved (i've always wondered where the name came from)
And now i really want to taste a ulluk, to think that Britian used to import them, and now make do with the overfed and tasteless American varient.
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Styrbiorn
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Posted: 30-Sep-2004 at 16:00 |
Originally posted by Cywr
And why do the Dutch call it a Kalkoen?
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We call it that too (but don't have the notoriously weird Dutch spelling - in Swedish it's kalkon). The etymology is quite intresting, the reason is about the same as why the American natives are called 'Indians'. The bird came from this continent, which we all know was believed to be India in the very beginning, and what was the Indian port most known in Europe? Exactly. Thus, the bird was called "Calicut-bird".
The Germans have the same name as the English - Turkey (Trkei).
Edited by Styrbiorn
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