Henry Vlll started the custom of eating turkey at Christmas. Which bird was traditionally used before?

robboy

Apparantly, quite an array of birds, such as geese, partridge, pigeon. Sometimes eaten all at once in what was called a 'Great Pye'. More here: http://www.cards2order.com/infoWouldreleases.asp?ID=18 [Dec 26 04 11:13 PM] robboy writes: Here's another site which gives a blurb about Henry VIII digging into the turkey, although they mention it was Edward VII who made it THE Christmas bird. http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/features/christmas/christmas_turkey.shtml [As one entry - McG] Dec 26 04, 8:40 AM

Baloo55th

Swan for royalty and nobility, goose for others that could afford it. (In the reign of Lizzy 1, a labourer would earn a penny halfpenny a week, and a goose cost a penny. Compare the cost of a turkey with the wage of a labourer nowadays. No more than one page - to be handed in by next Thursday, please.) Turkey was out of the question in earlier periods for Europeans, as the turkeys were all in North America, or whatever the local inhabitants called it then. What a debt Bernard Matthews owes to Columbus.... Dec 26 04, 6:07 PM