How did turkey become the favorite bird for festive seasons?

So back in the day, folk used to serve geese, swans, and even peacocks on special occasions. Of course, there were other choices of meats as well; one may wonder, like beef, pork, mutton.

Turkeys are not known to be tender birds, so why was it the preferred menu item for many, correction, almost everyone.

Let’s spin earth back to mid-1500’s and have a look at what exactly is being celebrated. 

Thanksgiving was not always a public holiday, however, it was an occasion to celebrate a fruitful harvest, thus, one was expected to serve something to fit the occasion. 

The options were cows (but they had more value for their milk), sheep (for wool), horse (for transport), pig (not considered feast worthy), chicken (for they eggs) geese & swans are good options but were difficult to raise. 

If you were rolling on gold coin, you can roast a buffalo and all is good. But for the average Joe, one, needed an affordable option to feed the celebrants.

When turkey was discovered, it quickly rose the ranks and became the champion bird of choice for festive seasons.