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Why do we eat turkey in Christmas?
It is said that in the Christmas of 1620, many immigrants from the United Kingdom arrived in the impoverished American continent Park Lane Plymouth Hill, and so they could only use wild turkey as the main course for the festival. Some people thought that the appearance of wild turkey looked like Turkish costume, with red head and black body, and so giving it a name "turkey".
Americans have been eating turkey for 400 years during the Thanksgiving Day, celebrating good harvest and happy union. As the Christmas is near to the Thanksgiving Day and it is also a joyful celebration for the birth of Jesus Christ, turkey is also used in Christmas meal.
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How to choose a good turkey?
Whole turkey or turkey meat can be found in supermarket around Christmas times. We can choose which to buy according to serving size. For small dish we may choose breast or drumstick for frying, stir-frying, grilling or baking. On the other hand, we may consider using whole turkey for making a big party meal.
We should consider the size, packing and expiry date during purchase and in general, a 12 lb. turkey is sufficient for 16-24 people. There is no big difference in juiciness or proportion of white meat (breast) and red meat (drumstick) between male and female turkey; but female turkey is usually smaller and the weight of male turkey can be more than 15 lb.
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Among a variety of Christmas dishes, is turkey a healthy choice?
Most of us think turkey is tough and stiff, and it is just because of its low fat value (see the list below). Even turkey is a healthy choice, though we should also pay attention to the cooking method in order not to turn it into a high fat dish. Besides, we may use baked turkey breast which contains relatively less fat. Therefore, eating turkey instead of steak and pork chop in Christmas may in fact help us to keep fit.
Comparison of the energy value between turkey and other meats
| Meat (per 100g) |
Energy Value |
Fat |
Turkey breast |
104 Cal |
1.66g |
Chicken wing |
194 Cal |
11.8g |
Steak |
232 Cal |
17.2g |
Pork chop |
268 Cal |
21.0g |
* Reference¡GCentre for Food Safety, the HKSAR
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Why Americans love to eat turkey served in whole?
In tradition, Americans cook turkey in whole. Firstly, fill the bacon, cabbage, onion, celery and carrot into the turkey stomach and tie the drumsticks in place with cotton string. Next, put back the turkey skin onto the body and sew the stomach opening with a needle. Lastly bake the turkey in an oven and served in whole. During the meal the whole turkey is cut into pieces for sharing.
Americans like to serve turkey in whole, just like Chinese do to steam fish at the reunion dinner. We serve steam fish in whole instead of fillets because it does not only give a better appearance but also represents a big dish for a big family reunion.
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What are the cooking tips for baking turkey?
Frozen turkey is usually found in supermarket, so we should reserve some time for defrosting. It takes about 5 hours to defrost 1lb turkey, thus cooking a 12lb turkey may take 60 hours for defrosting and preparation. Defrosting may be done in a refrigerator or a microwave oven and after defrosting, it should be cooked within 24 hours to avoid deterioration.
When filling up the turkey, about 1/2~3/4 cup of fillings should be used for every 1 lb. of turkey without filling too much or too tight. When baking, a thermometer should be inserted deeply into the drumstick without touching its bone. The turkey is ready to serve when the meat temperature is about 180-185 degree, or the filling is about 160-165 degree.
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Chinese must have "chicken" during Chinese festivals while Westerners also have "turkey" in Western celebrations. Usually a turkey cannot be finished at a time and what dishes can be made with the turkey meat remained?
With creativity, we can make simple and delicious variations for Christmas party! For example, we may cut turkey meat into threads to make asparagus soup, or mince it as filling for spring roll or pumpkin pie. Besides, it can be matched with simple ingredients to make appetizers such as turkey salad, chilled turkey or turkey sandwich, or simply baked with mushroom white sauce and cheese for serving with spaghetti or rice.
If you are interested in learning more about cooking turkey, don't miss the turkey receipt Lee Kum Kee delicately prepared for you. Simply use different LKK sauces such as Premium Oyster Sauce, Hoisin Sauce and Sesame Flavored Dressing to make a wonderful and festive turkey meal!
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