Turkey, carps, hoppes, piccarell and beer,
Came into England all in one year.
1524 was a great year for the diversity of the English table according to this 17th century ditty. Carp may have been here well before, but it was certainly around this time that turkeys were introduced from the New World into the Old, quickly finding a place on tables across Europe.
In England, Norfolk proved the ideal place for the raising of turkeys. There was already an established cycle of putting geese out to feed on the stubble after the harvest. The geese fattened nicely on the spilt grain that would otherwise be wasted, and were ready in time for the feasts of Michaelmas – September 29th – or Christmas. Younger, so-called green, geese were eaten at Whitsun. Turkeys also fed well on stubble and, by the 17th century, flocks of several hundred were being driven down to market in London, their feet tarred for protection, feeding on the fields along the way.
Black and Bronze Birds
The two main breeds of turkey in the 19th century, the Norfolk Black and the Cambridge Bronze, are descended from distinct American strains. The Black was the first to reach Europe, brought by the Spanish from Mexico where it had been partially domesticated by the Aztecs.
Besides its association with Norfolk, black turkeys are still reared and appreciated in Spain. The Bronze arrived a little later, from the north-east of America, possibly brought by Sebastian Cabot. These North American bronze turkeys, and the Whites that were bred from them, tend to be larger, faster growing and broader breasted, and have come to dominate modern turkey farming, leaving the Black somewhat endangered as a breed.
Safeguarding the Norfolk Black Turkey
James Graham is the modern guardian of the Norfolk Black, carefully tending his turkeys at Rookery Farm in Thuxton, a tiny village on the old railway between Wymondham and Dereham. James’ great-grandfather, Ernest Peele, started raising black turkeys when he moved to Wymondham from Lincolnshire in 1880.
Ernest’s son, Frank Peele, came to Thuxton in 1932 and, through a breeding program with the agricultural research station at Morley, was instrumental in securing the sustainability of the breed. Recognising the need for genetic diversity, he scoured the country and found 13 unrelated black turkeys. From these, he was able to breed four distinct families, which James has increased to nine since he took over in 1989.
Black turkeys remain much closer to the wild strains than the overlarge whites that just sit, eat and grow fat. Modern breeds are often unable to mate on account of their mammoth chests and so rely on artificial insemination. Amongst James’ Blacks, breeding is done entirely naturally, with the females fitted with canvas saddles to protect them from the untrimmed beaks and claws of the males.
The blacks produce more eggs than other breeds, around 75 a season compared to 30 or 40, but fewer are fertile. During the mating season, from March to mid July, the eggs are collected daily and placed in incubators where the fertile ones hatch after 28 days.
Slow and Tasty
Like many rare breeds, Norfolk Blacks are slow to mature and lead active lives, giving a deeper flavour and more tightly grained meat than the intensively reared alternative. James is also an arable farmer and grows and mills his own feed. While the heavy clay would make fully organic farming difficult, he is sparing in his use of chemicals and, more importantly, can guarantee a traceable diet for the birds of wheat, barley, oats and field beans. In fact, black turkeys can’t even cope with the artificially high protein content of commercial feed pellets, as it gives them “hot feet”.
The quality and flavour of James’ turkeys more than compensates for their smaller breasts and unfashionable sizes – the hens average from 10 to 12 lb, the cocks between 18 and 22. Across the country people are cottoning on to just how good they are, with Selfridge’s selling them this year and Rick Stein choosing James as one of his “food heroes”.
James is rearing 3000 birds this year, more than ever before, after selling out for the last 3 years but it’s still important to order early for Christmas. He, or his wife, Pat, can be contacted on 01362 850237 or 01953 860294, and the birds picked up at Thuxton, from his parents’ farm at Carleton Rode or sent by mail order.
