The symbolic weight of this bird crashes onto American dinner tables every Thanksgiving. Although a New World species, the Pilgrims probably knew it in England before any mythic dinners of peace with Indians. Still, custom patterns a “traditional” Thanksgiving menu replete with stuffing, cranberries, potatoes and pies. Regional and ethnic variations in stuffing (cornbread versus white bread or oysters) and cooking abound, as do cynical responses in popular media to dry meat and endless leftovers.

Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as a national bird instead of the eagle, but it is also renowned for stupidity, especially as a domestic fowl. While marketed for other large meals and as a healthy alternative to other kinds of meat, turkey remains bound to the holiday as a cultural symbol.