Turkey is a large bird which is native to the Americas originally and the meat from the turkey is used as a protein source by many people day to day as an alternative to chicken, so what is turkey?
The domestic turkey is a descendant of the species found originally in the Americas.
Turkey is a great source of protein due, it has higher levels of protein per 100 grams than lots of other different meats.
Turkey meat also has minimal carbohydrates, well zero carbohydrate level and also low fat content too.
The turkey cuts aren’t as extensive as other meats in the market but generally I have only seen a few of these cuts at my local supermarket and most times turkey is sold as a whole bird, breast or thigh joint.
The different cuts of turkey meat that I have come across are;
- Breast fillet
- Breast quick cook steak
- Whole Bird
- Turkey crown
- Thigh joint
- Drumstick
- Back
- Bone in breast
- Boneless breast
- Tenderloin
- Drummette
- Full leg
- Full wing
- Wing tip
- Middle wing
Also there is diced, minced, stir fry and turkey sausages available too in many places, these can be made from all the different parts of the turkey, for instance turkey breast mince or turkey breast stir fry.
There is also the cold cut turkey breast sold in most supermarkets too.
The turkey meat I have found in the cold cut variety can be a lot drier to eat than other meats around.
The above turkey cuts are just the ones I have seen or found, I’m sure there will be a lot more different types of turkey meat cuts depending on where you live.
Turkey can be cooked in many different ways too, it comes down to personal preference and time.
They can be roasted, baked, fried (stir fry or pan fry) and barbequed are probably the main ways I have seen to cook turkey.
The turkey doesn’t seem to have the same popularity as the chicken when it comes to different ways of cooking as it is a bigger bird and this means more space in the pan, dish or on the hot plate.
As with other poultry, make sure to cook the turkey meat fully before eating.
There are food standards and codes of practice that cover turkey meat production and processing in Australia and New Zealand, they cover obviously processing and the production of the turkey meat and also cover the consumers too.
There you have a quick outline on the protein source of turkey, I will write a bit more about the protein levels in turkey and a few more other points about turkey sooner than later so keep an eye out.
If you haven’t already, try turkey instead of chicken form the supermarket cold meats section, it tastes a bit different and also the texture is different too.
If you decide to get motivated and buy a whole bird or even just the thigh joint or drum stick, it might pay to measure your oven or preferred cooking device as the turkey is a big bird and it would be a shame to get home to find it can’t even fit into your oven or dish.
So that’s it, I hope you have enjoyed “What is Turkey” today, that’s enough talking turkey for me, until next time.