In 2014, how many turkeys were estimated to be eaten on Thanksgiving in the United States?

At the “first Thanksgiving” in 1621 at Plymouth Colony, wild turkey may have been served to the 53 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans. But the main meat was likely venison, as Wampanoag tribesmen—who taught the immigrants to grow corn and catch eel—brought five deer to the celebration. Ducks, geese, maybe turkeys, and other wild birds were also eaten, but the principle protein was likely seafood.

Pilgrims brought “Harvest Home,” an ancient, multiple-day celebration, with them from England. They celebrated “days of thanksgiving” as often as the occasion demanded, such as after winning a battle. President George Washington proclaimed the first United States Day of Thanksgiving on October 3, 1789.

For about two millennia, turkeys were raised in south-central Mexico primarily for their feathers. The bird was domesticated in the American Southwest for the same reason. Spanish explorers took domesticated turkeys back to Europe. An English trader is said to have purchased wild turkeys from Native Americas to take home and domesticate. Later, domesticated turkeys were reintroduced from Europe to North America.

Since the 1960s, the most common turkey sold commercially in America is the “Large White” or “Broad-breasted White, which has been bred for meaty drumsticks and large breasts. Most are raised to have white feathers, which do not discolor the skin, and are sold to processors at 20 to 24 weeks of age.