Turkey: the green meat?

[RoJoHen]

Green with envy, that is!

I don't really understand the whole trend of making turkey taste like other things. Turkey bacon. Turkey burgers.

Why can't I just have regular bacon? Or, ya know, a burger made from beef? What is the point?

I ate a turkey ham a few months ago. It tasted just like ham. What the hell did they do to that turkey to make it taste, look, and have the texture of ham? It makes me nervous, especially when I could have just eaten a regular ham.

 

[STR]

Because Turkey tastes like nothing...kind of like how no one would buy a soy burger that looks, tastes and feels like soy goo.

 

[RoJoHen]

Is it because turkey only really gets one big day during the year where it gets to go all out and be awesome? The rest of the year it just gets sliced and stuck inside boring sandwiches.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I LOVE turkey. And so does this guy:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-OFXUaMIv8[/yt]

 

[RoJoHen]

I disagree. I LOVE turkey. Especially on Thanksgiving.

I love turkey, too, but I love it when it's BEING TURKEY. I'm tired of it trying to be other meat.

 

[STR]

Is it because turkey only really gets one big day during the year where it gets to go all out and be awesome? The rest of the year it just gets sliced and stuck inside boring sandwiches.

Well...given that it's a boring meat...I find the sandwich an appropriate sentence. Anything and everything turkey has going for it, chicken has it better, for less money, and with greater flavor.

If you disagree, go figure out some recipes and prove it to the world. Maybe you'll get a show on the Food Network to boot.

 

[RoJoHen]

I dunno. I would take a Thanksgiving turkey over chicken any day. But that's turkey's problem. Thanksgiving is the only thing it has going for it!

 

[STR]

Well, I hear Ben Franklin was a Turkey fan, so at least you're in good company.

At least, I think BF would be good company. That guy partied into his 70's.

 

[RobertVA]

I suspect two reasons behind turkey and chicken use to imitate other meats (burgers, bacon, frankfurters, deli meats etc):

Cheaper per pound to produce than beef or pork/bacon

Turkey and chicken have a reputations of being healthier, with lower or less unhealthy fat. However, I suspect many of the additives for the "imitations" bring the fat content back up to levels comparable to the other meats and/or involve high sodium levels.

 

[Kestra]

I just had a turkey burger tonight. It's not as good as beef and doesn't taste like beef, but it's good in it's own right and a healthier option for me. I love turkey bacon more than regular bacon. I don't think turkey tastes like ham at all ... I can't stand ham!

 

[RoJoHen]

I had a turkey ham that tasted like ham! It was bizarre! I don't understand what they do to the turkey that makes that happen.

Also, turkey bacon is terrible for you. People who claim it's healthier than regular bacon are fooling themselves.

 

[scotpens]

Well, I hear Ben Franklin was a Turkey fan, so at least you're in good company.

Franklin said he wished the turkey, rather than the eagle, had been chosen as the national symbol of the United States. Don't know if he ever actually ate the stuff. Particularly since the wild turkeys that were around in the 18th century were rather scrawny, tough little birds compared to today's plump, meaty domesticated fowl.

As for the gastronomic pleasures of turkey qua turkey, I say it's overrated. It's heavy and bland, and even when properly cooked, the white meat can be a bit on the dry side. Generations of Americans have been raised to think of whole roast turkey as a special holiday treat. It's okay, but not that good. The traditional trimmings -- stuffing, cranberry sauce, candied yams, what-have-you -- are far tastier.

BTW, I've never eaten goose, the traditional British Christmas bird. Is it any good?

 

[RoJoHen]

As for the gastronomic pleasures of turkey qua turkey, I say it's overrated. It's heavy and bland, and even when properly cooked, the white meat can be a bit on the dry side.

Um, that's what gravy is for!

 

[Colonel Green]

BTW, I've never eaten goose, the traditional British Christmas bird. Is it any good?

I've only had it once, but I enjoyed it. It's more like duck than turkey and it's all dark meat

 

[TheBrew]

Green with envy, that is!

I don't really understand the whole trend of making turkey taste like other things. Turkey bacon. Turkey burgers.

Why can't I just have regular bacon? Or, ya know, a burger made from beef? What is the point?

I ate a turkey ham a few months ago. It tasted just like ham. What the hell did they do to that turkey to make it taste, look, and have the texture of ham? It makes me nervous, especially when I could have just eaten a regular ham.

One of the reasons is that it is because Turkey is Kosher.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I was wondering what you had against Turkey...

 

[greenguy]

Green with envy, that is!

I don't really understand the whole trend of making turkey taste like other things. Turkey bacon. Turkey burgers.

Why can't I just have regular bacon? Or, ya know, a burger made from beef? What is the point?

I ate a turkey ham a few months ago. It tasted just like ham. What the hell did they do to that turkey to make it taste, look, and have the texture of ham? It makes me nervous, especially when I could have just eaten a regular ham.

There are many reasons for this, all of which make perfect sense. Ignore it and don't buy it if it bothers you this much.

1. Why make or buy stuff from red meat when you don't have to? It's a salt, calorie, cholesterol, and fat fest. Poultry is so much leaner than the red meats used to make the dishes mentioned, so turkey is bar none a healthier option.

2. As TheBrew touched on, using turkey enables those types of food to be enjoyed by a wider demographic. Jews, Muslims, and Hindus may enjoy the "variations" on the dishes mentioned. Most Buddhists will also avoid red meat as well if they are not totally vegetarian already.

3. Turkey has the depth of flavor and flesh that can handle being turned into different shapes and spiced in different fashions. Chicken is usually unable to hold up to these conditions, but the goal is lean protein first.

/

 

[scotpens]

I was wondering what you had against Turkey...

Turkey is a great country. I love their taffy. And they really know how to have a bath.