Cooking and eating turkey is associated with festivities like Thanksgiving and Christmas especially in America and many parts of Europe. Elsewhere, in India, while the fowl finds its way into restaurant menus, households continue to prefer the good old chicken. SHALINI SAKSENA speaks with chefs to tell you why
Did you know that turkey was originally thought to be from India? Did you know that this bird has nothing to Turkey, the country? Did you know that since the Turks knew that this fowl was not theirs, they made a completely different mistake and called it hindi. They thought the bird was probably Indian. The French, too, to begin with, called this bird poulet d’Inde literal translation — chicken from India. The Dutch called it the word kalkoen — Calicut-hoen — hen from Calicut or modern-day Kolkata. It is thought that all this stems from the mistaken belief that turkey trade passed through India.
Yet, this bird, has nothing to do with India and everything to do with America. Stranger yet, fowl’s scientific name doesn’t make much sense either — Meleagris gallopthe, name of wild turkey that was domesticated, which found its way from the forests of Mexico, where they were first domesticated by the Mayans.
The ancient Aztec and Mayan civilisations revered the bird. The Aztecs honored wild turkey, and believed it to be a manifestation of Tezcatlipoca, the trickster God. The Mayans revered and honoured turkeys in similar ways.
When Europeans saw wildlife of the New World, wild turkeys caught their eye which was similar to their game birds. Turkey was then transported in 1519 to Europe where it was highly prized for its unique flavour.
So why is that India, which tends to follow trends of what is happening globally, has yet to adopt this bird as part of the regular food chain? Chef Tarun Dacha, corporate chef, The Claridges Hotel has a simple answer.
“Turkey is a gaming bird and traditionally it was hunted to be served on the table for Christmas and Thanksgiving festivities in the West. Even in Europe turkey is not the first choice of meat to be served on these occasions. In America Thanksgiving and Christmas are mostly celebrated between family and the entire bird is cooked whole and served with vegetables and sauces. Turkey is a big bird and now it is also reared on farms rather than only being hunted,” Dacha explains.
He tells you that the bird was easy to hunt since it is a big bird and finds it difficult to fly. The total weight of the bird is eight to 10 kg. After dressing it is 4-5 kg.
“Christmas is a family festival where everyone comes together. It is a tradition to eat a meal together on this day. Unlike in India, traditionally and it is still followed by many, the mothers and the daughters are cooking and will eat food only once the men of the house have eaten. In the West, all the family member sit down together and share a meal. You roast the turkey, put it on the table, add the accompaniments and enjoy the feast. If it is a small bird, the whole sense of sharing goes away. That’s the reason why the fowl is popular in America. However, the same is not true for some European countries. Like in Germany, the turkey is replaced by goose or pork; for Nordic countries, it is all about fasting and associated with eating fish; in the UK it is duck or a roast suckling pig. But due to marketing, turkey has found its way here as well, he tells you.
As a meat, turkey is not popular in India for many reasons. First, it is a gaming bird and hunting of these birds is now allowed in the country. Second, India is a Hindu country originally and Christianity is mostly an adopted religion. As such the eating habits of the Indians are very regional and are different from the eating habits of America and the European nations.
“Turkey as a meat is not very juicy. It is dry and also a hot meat. We like our meat juicy and mostly enjoy it with curries. Even our tandoori meats are soft, moist and juicy. In India Turkey is found on the menu of the 5-star hotels and properties which cater to the expats clientele for Christmas. Also, we don’t have the tradition of cooking or eating big joints. Even a tandoori chicken is cut into pieces before it is served. One doesn’t carve out a tandoori chicken,” Dacha says.
One is told that traditionally, in Indian homes, roasting is not huge even though baking is. The homes are equipped to deal with oven where one can roast meat. “Indian food is all about gravies and masala. Homes are not well-equipped where one can roast a big bird. However, we love to eat roasts when we go out; doing the same at home is not high on the cards in our kitchens,” Dacha tells you.
In India, 5-star hotels cater to a wide range of guests, they ensure that they have everything to offer to their guest. Guests who come here want to experience the cuisines of the world and the celebrations from across the world. Even chefs want to showcase their culinary talent. The chefs like to showcase what they know best. They serve turkey, suckling pig and cold cuts like salami and ham.
“If one were to look at homes, what is eaten during this time varies from region to region. In coastal Andhra Pradesh, dominated by Christianity, it is biryanis and mutton curry or fish curry with rice as a special of the day. In Kerala, Alappuzha region where there are Christians, it is be duck curry and appams. They will also make Rose cookies which is made from a batter of rice flour and sugar and then deep fried. In the North-east they will do a whole pork The basic idea is less about feasting and more on community feeling, charity and donations. Foods are centred around what is available in that region. For example in Alappuzha duck farming is huge and hence it finds its way into the homes. These are Indian ducks; more bony and less meaty. They make curry and even duck eggs are popular,” Dacha tells you.
The Indian turkey is more bony. It is stringy. The imported turkey that most hotels buy is far more juicy in comparison. Despite the fact that local turkey is reared in some regions of North-east and Assam, it is not the preferred meat since it is chewy.
Eating this is not a great experience for people. The high quality fowl is on the expensive side. One full bird can cost up to Rs 5,000. “If one were to cook such a large bird, one needs a huge gathering as well. Mutton is a preferred meat for festivals; it is preferred even over chicken,” Dacha says.
Chef Sanjay Dasari, Executive Chef, The Ashok has a similar take. He tells you that turkey has yet to find popularity in the country. According to him, what has gained popularity is duck. This preference of duck over turkey is because duck is leaner. Of course it depends on the variety of duck. “Peking duck is gaining popularity. Turkey on the other hand is a meat that is only eaten during festivities like Christmas and New Year’s. This bird is still confined to festivals. We, at our hotel, serve the bird during these festivals. It is not the supply but the demand where the issue lies,” Dasari says. Interestingly, while the duck has since then been Indianised and one find a hotel doing a duck curry or even a tandoori duck, the turkey continues to be roasted full and has yet to be moulded to Indian taste.
The reason Chef Dasari tells you why turkey is yet to be experimented with is because the guests who come in are not asking for this fowl.However, there is a market for the same. “If there was a demand, like there is for ducks, we, as chefs, would like to serve the same and experiment and change it so suit Indian palate. But this is not the case. For now, it is a bird that people want to eat only during Christmas. Also, not many people know that this bird can be eaten. If we promote it, people will see it as an option. Many hotels shy away from doing the same due to lack of demand, unlike duck. Since people are asking for duck, we are Indianising the same,” Dasari explains.
This year, The Ashok instead of doing a buffet as was being traditionally done on New Year’s eve, they are going to serve per plate which is visually more appealing. The change in serving style is due to the present pandemic and fall in footfall. “We are going to serve turkey; we will serve the bird with foods that boost immunity like fresh orange juice and ginger. We will use fresh herbs to roast it, rather than using dry herbs. This will be served with walnut jaggery chutney,” Dasari says and tells you that turkey meat can be Indianised.
Chef Rubal Pupneja, junior sous chef at the Samrat opines is that despite this bird being a popular dish at Christmas and Thanksgiving, the fact that it is not easily available and is on the expensive side means that there are fewer takers.
“Then there is the whole process of cooking this bird. Since it is much larger than chicken, it takes a longer time to cook. If the full roast chicken gets cooked in 30-35 minutes at 300 degrees, this bird takes over an hour to cook. Also, one has to cook it slowly so that it gets cooked from inside out. There is a misconception around this bird as well. People think that it has more carbs; itis just the opposite. If one were to eat the same amount of chicken and turkey, the latter would have more protein.
“This means turkey is a healthier option. Since it is a large bird, it has moe bones and one can make soup with it. One can cook its meat, shred it and make taco. Like one makes chicken tikka, one can make turkey tikka. One has to however, keep a few things in mind. It has to be marinated longer and cooked slowly,” Pupneja explains.
Another factor why turkey doesn’t find its way into our homes is because of its shelf life. At best it will keep for two-three days in the refrigerator. But with hotels doing roasts, salads, soups and continuing to serve the bird right from Christmas up to New Year’s night, turkey may soon find its way into our homes as well.
