Turkey trivia

Before eating that turkey on America's Thanksgiving, here are some facts about your favorite dish.

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Over 45 million turkeys are prepared and eaten in the United States for Thanksgiving each year.

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Age does matter. Older male turkeys are generally considered to be tastier than young males (stringy) or females (tough).

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The five most popular ways to eat the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving includes: soups or stews, sandwiches, casseroles, stir-fries and salads.

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Young turkeys have a number of unfortunate names including “fryer” when they are less than 16 weeks old, and “roaster” when they are between 5 and 7 months old.

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The “Turkey Trot” dance was named after the short, jerky steps that turkeys make.

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The Native Americans called turkeys “firkees,” which some believe to be the origin of the word. However, when turkeys are spooked they make a “turk turk turk” sound, which is where the name likely originates.

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Only male “Tom” turkeys gobble, and they can be heard a mile away; the females only cluck or click.

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Turkeys may “gobble gobble” in English, but in Portuguese they say “Gluglu gluglu.”

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Even though they are generally seen as large and ungainly, turkeys can fly up to 55 MPH over short distances; run up to 25 MPH on the ground; have excellent hearing but have no ears; have a poor sense of smell; can see in color; have a 270 degree field of vision, making them difficult to sneak up on; and sometimes sleep in trees.

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Benjamin Franklin argued that the turkey, and not the bald eagle, should be the national symbol of America. He claimed that the “vain and silly” turkey was a far better choice than the bald eagle, which he thought was a “coward.”