Although geese and ducks were more likely the main dish at the 1621 feast weve come to know as the first Thanksgiving, its the turkey that has long graced Americans Thanksgiving tables (however unwillingly). The choice is historically a utilitarian one, and the association is so strong that “Turkey Day” has been an informal name for the holiday since at least 1863—the year President Lincoln made the holiday official.
Rumor has it Ben Franklin even wanted it to be the national bird. But its name—turkey—calls to mind ancient and exotic locales—more Anatolia, Mount Ararat, or Istanbul than Jamestown, Plymouth Rock, or New Amsterdam. Whats such a New World bird doing with such an Old World name?
The English gave the Turks credit for any number of new imports in the 16th century. Even pumpkins were known as “Turkish cucumbers.”
Turkey, the country and turkey the big bird eaten on Thanksgiving, seem to have little in common. Yet they share the same name. How did this come about? The history behind the naming of turkey the country is quite fascinating.
The Origins of the Word “Turkey” for the Country
The country now known as Turkey has gone by various names throughout history. During the Middle Ages, the powerful Ottoman Empire controlled the area. Europeans referred to the region as “Turkey” or the “Turkish Empire.”
The word “Turkey” comes from Medieval Latin “Turchia” This was derived from “Turcus,” meaning “of the Turks” The land was seen as the home of the Turks.
The first recorded use in English dates back to the 1300s. The famous author Chaucer used the term “Turkye” in 1368 in his work “The Book of the Duchess.”
Over the centuries, the word “Turkey” solidified as the English name for the region controlled by the Ottoman Turks. Even after the empire dissolved and the Republic of Turkey formed in 1923, the old name stuck.
How the Bird Came to Share the Name
The turkey bird is indigenous to North America, not the country Turkey In fact, it may surprise you to learn that the bird is named after the country, not the other way around!
In the 1500s, the Spanish discovered turkeys in Mexico and brought them back to Europe. At the time, the Ottoman Empire was a major world power. Due to this influence, many new discoveries were seen as “Turkish.”
The English began calling the strange new bird the “turkey cock” or “turkey hen.” By 1575, turkey was being served for English Christmas dinners. Eventually the word was shortened to just “turkey.”
So this New World bird was given an Old World name because of the Turks’ powerful image. The links between Turkey the country and turkey the bird are purely coincidental.
How Turkey’s Name Differs in Other Languages
Isn’t language fascinating? In Turkish, the bird is called “hindi,” meaning “Indian.” French named it “coq d’Inde” or “rooster of India,” also linking it to the New World.
In other tongues, they associate the turkey with locations like Peru, Portugal, Malaya, and Holland. The turkey’s naming truly took a world tour before becoming the bird now ubiquitous with Thanksgiving!
Turkey Day and Beyond
The tradition of turkey for Thanksgiving was cemented in 1863 when Lincoln declared it a national holiday. And the bird’s name became synonymous with the event.
By the late 1800s, Thanksgiving was widely known as “Turkey Day.” The informal name lives on even today.
While the naming stories of Turkey the country and turkey the bird were unconnected, they are now forever linked in our American holiday traditions. And the colorful history behind how turkey got its name lives on.
Why Turkeys Are Named After Turkey
When the Spanish arrived in Mexico in the 16th century they encountered the already-domesticated common turkey, Meleagris gallopavo. They apparently liked the bird; turkeys were among the plunder they took back to Spain around 1519. By 1541, the birds had arrived in England. In those days the Turkish Ottoman Empire was at its peak, and the English had Turkey (with a capital T) on their mind. The English gave the Turks credit for any number of new imports: maize was Turkish wheat, and pumpkins were Turkish cucumbers—though both were actually New World plants. To paraphrase Cindy Ott in her 2012 book Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon, if it was exotic, chances are it got a Turkish appellation. So the new bird was soon being called a turkey-cock, a name eventually shortened to turkey.
How the Turkey Got its Name!
FAQ
Why is the country Turkey called that?
What was Turkey before it was called Turkey?
Why does Turkey have the same name as the country?
How did Turkey Run get its name?
Where did the word ‘Turkey’ come from?
The phrase land of Torke is used in the 15th-century Digby Mysteries. Later usages can be found in the Dunbar poems, the 16th century Manipulus Vocabulorum (“Turkie, Tartaria”) and Francis Bacon ‘s Sylva Sylvarum (Turky). The modern spelling “Turkey” dates back to at least 1719. [ 3]
Why did Turkey change its name?
Ulgen however said the name change was more of a rebranding strategy to boost the country’s international standing rather than a pre-election stunt. Turkey’s foreign trade deficit climbed 98.5% year-on-year to $6.11 billion in April, Reuters reported, citing the Turkish Statistical Institute.
Why are guinea pigs called turkeys?
Once imported, Europeans came to call the guinea fowl the turkey-cock or turkey-hen, because the bird came from the Turks. When settlers in the New World began to send a similar-looking fowl back to Europe, they, out of familiarity, called them turkeys. But, every language seems to have radically different names for what we call a turkey .
Did a turkey cock get a Turkish name?
To paraphrase Cindy Ott in her 2012 book Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon, if it was exotic, chances are it got a Turkish appellation. So the new bird was soon being called a turkey-cock, a name eventually shortened to turkey.