Turkey is not only a tasty dietary meat, but also a record food for iron content. It contains almost 2 times more of this trace element in comparison with beef.
The turkey is a poultry of the Chicken-like order. It was domesticated by the Aztecs in America over a millennium ago. In 1519, Spanish sailors brought this bird to Europe, where it took root well. It was at this time that one more of its names arose – “Spanish chicken”. After 5 years, their mass breeding began in France, England and other European countries.
Breeding turkeys today is the second most important in the world after broiler breeding. And although adults weigh up to 35 kilograms, they eat the meat of younger birds. Most often, a turkey is grown for about 16 weeks – the mass of a carcass during this period reaches 10 kilograms, and its meat becomes very tasty. Hybrid breeds of these birds are more unpretentious, they quickly gain weight and grow intensively, and are also used for meat production.
The United States is the leader in turkey farming, which may have a direct connection with the traditional Thanksgiving Day celebrations, which have been taking place since 1621. According to average statistics, each inhabitant of this country eats about 7 kilograms of turkey meat per year. However, these birds are also successfully bred and eaten not only in America, but also in other states. Neighboring Canada is in second position in terms of consumption of turkey, but every year only 4 kg of this meat is consumed by each citizen.
The tender meat has a pinkish-creamy hue that turns to reddish. There is absolutely no fat in it. Turkey breast is also known as white meat. It is lighter in color, and after cooking it is a little dry compared to other parts, which are juicier and have a more intense color, but are the most useful for dietary and medical nutrition. It makes up about 30% of the total mass of edible parts of poultry.
Domestic turkeys are large in size and weight in comparison with their wild relatives. They are the largest poultry raised for meat production. The weight of adult turkeys is 7-9 kilograms, of turkeys – 12-16 kg, the largest ones can weigh up to 20 kg. Oviposition begins at 10-11 months, most often in January-March. Its intensity increases rapidly, and after 2,5-3 months it gradually decreases and completely stops during the molting period, which occurs at different times of the year. Egg production – 90-150 eggs per year. The mass of one egg is 80-90 grams.
The most common breeds of turkeys: Beltsville, North Caucasian, bronze broad-breasted, English mini.
Composition and useful properties
Turkey meat contains vitamins, micro- and macroelements useful for the body. You can verify this by reading the table.
The calorie content of turkey meat averages 194 kcal.
Turkey meat is tasty and healthy meat. It is perfect for dietary nutrition, due to its ability to be easily digested and absorbed by the human body, as well as its low cholesterol content.
The turkey retains its beneficial properties in baked, boiled and fried form. It contains many minerals and vitamins. According to nutritionists, only 100 grams of turkey meat provides about 60% of their daily value.
Turkey has a much higher sodium content than beef and veal. Thanks to this, it can be prepared without adding salt, which is extremely important when it is necessary to use a salt-free diet and for the nutrition of persons who suffer from hypertension.
Potassium is also an important element for the human body. He takes part in the formation of bone tissue. In turkey meat, there is the amount that is completely absorbed during digestion. This useful property makes the meat of this bird indispensable for the nutrition of patients who are recovering from fractures, as well as as a means of preventing osteochondrosis and osteoporosis. There is as much phosphorus in it as in fish.
Turkey is an excellent source of protein. With this poultry in the diet, everyone can get much more energy than any other meat.
Turkey contains all the B vitamins, including vitamin B3. Our body constantly feels its deficiency due to its low content in food. It is in turkey that this vitamin is present in sufficient quantity for the body. When it is lacking, the effect of “orange” and “shagreen” skin, cellulite, mental and nervous disorders occurs, the level of intelligence decreases, the activity of the cerebral cortex is disrupted.
With age, it is advisable to limit the consumption of turkey meat due to the presence of many purine compounds in it (2 times more than chicken meat). Turkey fat is also a dietary product that can be used, regardless of age, on a par with butter.
Due to its rich vitamin and mineral composition, turkey meat is useful for such groups of the population:
- persons who are engaged in heavy physical work, since the protein of this meat makes it easy to restore strength;
- expectant mothers, since it contains a high content of folic acid, which is so necessary during pregnancy;
- small children and lactating women (due to its easy digestibility, it can be used as one of the products for the first feeding of babies);
- people who suffer from insomnia, depression and stress – due to the presence of a substance such as tryptophan in the turkey, the human body produces serotonin – the “hormone of happiness”;
- with severe chronic diseases, AIDS, tuberculosis;
- during the period of acute illnesses;
- persons suffering from cancer.
Selection and storage
When buying a turkey, take a good look at the carcass first. Its surface should be light and uniform, without smudges, dents and other damage. The fresh turkey is smooth, firm, but not slippery to the touch. The bird should have a characteristic specific odor without third-party aromas (mustiness, rot, etc.) and skin stickiness.
If a turkey is sold with its head, be sure to pay attention to the eyes: if they are cloudy and failed, this indicates that the goods are expired. Glossy and dry beak is evidence that the bird was healthy on the eve of slaughter. Be sure to use the classic method of checking the freshness of meat: after pressing with your finger, it should restore its shape.
The best turkey meat has a light pink color. The darker and more intense the color of the meat and fat, the older the bird. The optimal weight of a turkey is from 5,5 to 10 kilograms. If it is larger, then the bird may well be old. Gray smooth paws and a light crest also speak of youth. The age of a bird can also be determined by its bones: in a young individual, the tip of the brisket bone looks like a cartilage, while in older ones it is already ossified.
It is better not to buy goods from a seller who, for whatever reason, did not like you in spontaneous markets, especially if they are located near the road.
Be sure to check the storage time when purchasing. Store fresh packaged turkey in the coldest part of the refrigerator. And if the meat has not been used for 2 days, it is better to freeze it. In a slightly frozen form, turkey meat can be stored for up to 7 days, and with deep freeze (from -18 degrees) – no more than 1 year.
Application
Turkey meat is quick and easy to cook. It is used for the preparation of many dishes. Due to its tenderness and low fat content, turkey meat does not require long cooking. There are several cooking methods – boiling, frying, stewing, baking, grilling and others. Any of these are great options for those on a diet.
On summer days, you can grill turkey meat. On the eve of consumption, it must be marinated with olive oil, mustard, honey and garlic. The next day, the meat is ready to cook. A more delicious and healthy dish is simply difficult to find.
In the home oven, turkey can be cooked in a roasting sleeve. All the aroma is retained inside it, the meat remains full of flavor and juicy. Baked turkey meat is perfectly complemented by cranberries – it looks great on a plate and goes well in taste. You can use other summer fruit sauces – gooseberry, currant.
In a deep frying pan, cook a sweet turkey with honey and dried fruits. This recipe also includes spices, shallots and sesame tahini paste. Other options are flambéed turkey or with champagne.
You can cook turkey meat in rolls. To do this, beat off its slices with a hammer, but not very thinly. Each slice is a little greased with mayonnaise and mustard, a little cheese and chicken are added on top. All this is rolled into a roll, tied with a thread and pierced with a toothpick, and then fried in a pan until the meat is slightly browned.
A very practical dietary dish is turkey cutlets, which are made from poultry breast. You can make various canned food from turkey meat (cereals or vegetables are often added to them), sausages, sausages, pates and other meat products.
Turkey goes well with vegetables. Its delicate taste is perfectly set off by the liver and mushrooms. In addition, poultry meat is used for filling dumplings, pies, ravioli. In France, it is stuffed with mushrooms, rosemary, truffles and served with white wine and creamy sauce. In England, turkey is stuffed with juniper berries, mushrooms, chestnuts, red currant or gooseberry jelly. Italians cook turkey with orange.
Harm and contraindications
Turkey meat has almost no contraindications. But remember that it should not be abused by people with gout and kidney failure due to its high protein content. For hypertensive patients, this product should be consumed without salt, because it contains a lot of sodium.
