The Turkey

There’s probably one in your freezer right now. And even if you’re not cooking one this week, chances are good that you’ll tuck in to a plate of turkey this Thanksgiving holiday. But what do we know of the history of the turkey – a bird that once competed with the bald eagle as America’s national symbol? We’ll spend this hour with food historian Andrew F. Smith, editor-in-chief of the “Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America,” and one of our favorite guests. Smith’s latest book is “The Turkey: An American Story” (University of Illinois Press, 2006).

The Turkey: An American Story (University of Illinois Press, 2006)