Advertisement
Tacchino, Dindo, Pito
Turkey
Appears in
By Antonio Carluccio and Priscilla Carluccio
Published 1997
The turkey is specially raised for the celebration of Christmas in Europe and Thanksgiving in America. This bird was introduced into Europe from the West Indies at the beginning of the sixteenth century, hence its other Italian name, dindo, meaning ‘from the Indies’. Turkeys are huge and have an incredible breast, which can either be carved from the bird or removed and cooked separately like a veal roast.
Most turkeys eaten are intensively farmed and can be obtained the entire year round, while the more flavoursome free-range variety can only be enjoyed at the Thanksgiving and Christmas period, when they are offered at a higher price. It takes about two months for a free-range turkey to grow to the ideal weight of 4-4.5 kg (9-10 lb) for the female and 6-7 kg (13-16 lb) for the male, when its meat is at its most tender and tasty.