Turkey
A descendent of the wild turkey, a native of North America, turkey is one of the more popular poultry meats currently consumed in the United States. It is also an incredibly cheap meat, especially whe considered how much meat is purchased per dollar.
Meat types...
The majority of the turkey is the white meat since most muscles of the turkey are not excercised or used over long beriod of times. When only used in short bursts, less red blood cells are used and thus the meat is lighter - with colors ranging from pink to blue (depending on the level of fat).
Because the breast muscles are rarely used by the turkey, the breast meat is leaner than other cuts of turkey; leg muscles meanwhile are heaviliy used - making the meat darker and more flavorful (because of more fat).
A little history of the bird...
Although domestication of the turkey began shortly after European colinization of North America, it wasn't until the 1920s that the broad breasted turkey was bred. Since then, the breeding of turkeys has largely been about find ways to make turkeys with more meat.
