Christmas Traditions That Will Get You in the Holiday Spirit

Turkey

Goose, pheasant, roast beef, swan or even a rabbit. Years ago, what went in the centre of the Christmas Day table depended on your social status and where you lived – in Yorkshire, for example, beef was the favourite until late Victorian times.Turkeys were first brought to England in the 1520s from Mexico by Levantine traders, which is why they are called ‘turkey’. But until modern farming methods arrived in the 1950s, turkey was too expensive for many.Henry VIII is believed to be the first monarch to eat turkey for Christmas dinner, encouraged by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. 'He wanted to curb gluttony by only allowing one bird to be served per dish,' says food historian Sam Bilton. 'Due to their size, these "greater fowls" were able to provide more meat.'