Poultry Day: History, Celebration, Meaning And Popular Dishes

National Poultry Day (March 19): History, Meaning, Celebration And Popular Dishes. Photo KnowInsiders

What is National Poultry Day?

Poultry is the theme for March 19th as it is National Poultry Day. No fowl moods or ruffled feathers. However, there may be some quackers and gobbling going on.

Kick the day off with eggs and turkey bacon for breakfast. Around lunchtime, serve an open-faced turkey avocado sandwich. Then perhaps, finish off the day with a good, ol’ fashioned fried chicken dinner.

National Poultry Day Trivia/Facts: Poultry comes from the French/Norman word poule, itself derived from the Latin word pullus, which means small animal. It is believed that chicken was introduced to America by the European explorers in the 16th century. Chicken consumption in the United States increased during World War II due to a shortage of beef and pork. Poultry is the second most widely eaten meat in the world, accounting for about 30% of meat production worldwide followed by pork at 38%. Chickens have panoramic vision of about 300°. Chickens and other birds are thought to have descended from dinosaurs.

History of National Poultry Day

Photo AgNet West

National Day Calendar continues researching the origins of this food and ag holiday. However, it has been celebrated since at least 2004. Before that, different states and organizations celebrated a National Poultry Day throughout the year, recognizing farmers, the produce they raised, and the industry as a whole.

1931

Nevada legalized gambling, setting the stage for “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

1953

NBC presents the first televised Academy Awards. Master of Ceremonies, Comedian Bob Hope opened the 25th Oscars at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California. The Greatest Show on Earth directed by Cecil B. DeMille took home Best Picture honors. Best Actor actor went to Gary Cooper for High Noon and Best Actress went to Shirly Booth in Come Back, Little Sheba.

1964

Geraldine Mock departs from Columbus, Ohio in her single-engine Cessna 180 christened the “Spirit of Columbus” in an ambitious adventure. She earned the nickname the “Flying Housewife” and became the first woman to fly around the world solo when she returned to Columbus on April 17, 1964.

1979

C-Span launches and begins broadcasting live from the U.S. House of Representatives.

David Livingstone – 1813

The Scottish missionary and explorer took an expedition deep into south-central Africa. He explored the upper Zambezi River and discovered Victoria Falls. During his third expedition, Livingstone began a search for the source of the Nile. When no word from Livingston was received for many months, journalist Henry Morton Stanley set out to find him. On November 10, 1871, his search party arrived in the village Ujiji in Tanzania after an eight-month-long search for the explorer and spoke the now-famous phrase. “Mr. Livingstone, I presume?”

Wyatt Earp – 1848

In a short six years, Wyatt Earp developed a legendary status when at the age of 26 he turned from outlaw to lawman in Wichita, Kansas. Just a few short years later, the gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, between Earp, his brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Clanton and McLaury created pulp western fodder.

Josef Albers – 1888

The American-German visual artist is best known for his color square paintings and in 1971, his work became the subject of a solo exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the first by a living artist.

Earl Warren – 1891

Before being named Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1953, Earl Warren served many roles as an attorney. He began as deputy district attorney before being elected Attorney General of California.

Moms Mabley – 1894

Born Loretta Mary Aiken, the African American comedian earned the stage name “Moms” for her motherly and mentoring spirit. With one of the most successful stand-up acts headlining on stages such as the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater, her routines rarely avoided edgy or crude topics.

Glenn Close – 1947

The award-winning American actress best known for her role as Alex in the 1987 thriller Fatal Attraction began her acting career on stage. Close has been nominated for Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress eight times, the most recent for 2021’s Hillbilly Elegy. It remains to be seen if she will finally win.

Bruce Willis – 1955

One of the biggest debates in December on social media is whether or not Die Hard is a holiday movie. One thing we know for sure, it is a Bruce Willis movie. The American actor came to prominence in the 1980s on the television sitcom Moonlighting. Since then, he’s made numerous memorable films including The Sixth Sense, Pulp Fiction, 12 Monkeys, and Death Becomes Her.

Clayton Kershaw – 1988

The left-handed professional pitcher has played in 13 years in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2020, Kershaw and the Dodgers won the World Series Championship. It was Kershaw’s first and the Dodgers first since 1988.

Why National Poultry Day?

Sometimes the best things come from modest beginnings, and with Poultry Day, that’s how it happened. The holiday lasted just one day, beginning in a small town in Ohio named Versailles in 1951, and increased in popularity each year until 1962, which turned into a two-day event.

More visitors were coming each year, more varieties were available, and more activities were introduced. The current Poultry Day festivities are full weekend activities featuring everything from barbecue pits and beer tents to the biggest omelet pan in the world.

For the little town of Versailles, Ohio, Poultry Day is an extremely significant occurrence. Every year, for a brief weekend, the population of 2,687 swells to almost 52,000. This impressive influx of visitors has led to creating a 40-acre park known as “Heritage Park,” becoming the festival’s temporary home, with tents, wetlands, playing fields, and a walking track.

The money from the festival continues to finance the park and ensure that it is preserved during the year and contributes more than $700,000 over a 10-year time to major charities.

In the 16th century, it was assumed that chicken was introduced to American soil by European explorers. Little flocks were raised by most Americans, enough to feed their families. Over time, in the United States, chicken consumption has risen. And after the Second World War, because of the lack of beef and pork, the chicken came in to satisfy the demand for protein.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates poultry production in the United States. Estimates put that the production of Chickens in the United States is about 9 billion. The fat and cholesterol in chicken and turkey are smaller than in other meats.

How is National Poultry Day Celebrated?

Try a new recipe with eggs and/or chicken as the main ingredient. This list is endless.

If you don’t have your own flock of backyard chickens, visit your local farmers market and purchase a dozen farm-fresh eggs or a free-range chicken.

Watch old cartoons featuring Foghorn Leghorn, one of the most famous TV chickens.

Do the “Chicken” dance with your kids, students or friends. Video it and post on social media.

Make your own chicken craft – there are plenty to try, just look online

Most popular dishes for National Poultry Day

Chicken

Photo My Food Story

Of all of the poultry, chicken is at the top of the pecking order! Consumption in the UK and Ireland is much greater than any other type of poultry. How many times each week do you eat chicken?

There are almost 7.6 billion people in the world and approximately 19 billion chickens! There are also more chickens than any other bird species.

Some people are afraid of them, and this is known as Alektorophobia!

Apparently chickens are big fans of classical music. If they listen to it they can lay bigger and heavier eggs! They’re not slow either. They can run up to 9 miles per hour.

Turkey

Photo Thanksgiving

Turkey is a popular dinner in the UK and Ireland at Christmas, or at Thanksgiving in late November if you’re in America. But how much do you know about this popular seasonal bird?

Turkeys have been around for 10 million years and originated in Mexico, not Turkey! But more turkey is consumed in Israel than any other country in the world.

Domestic turkeys can’t fly but wild turkeys can fly for short distances up to 55 miles per hour and can run 20 miles per hour.

It’s believed that turkeys were first brought to Britain in 1526 by Yorkshireman, William Strickland. They were a feast for Kings. Henry VIII was the first English King to enjoy a turkey dinner but it was Edward VII who started the trend of eating turkey at Christmas, which replaced peacock in Royal Courts.

There are 43 different breeds of turkey today. The most common in the UK are the white, the bronze and Norfolk Black breeds.

Duck

Photo duck meat

Duck meat from the legs and breast of the bird is darker in colour than the meat from chickens or turkeys and the leg meat is somewhat fattier than the breast meat.

All ducks, including swans and geese are part of the duck family, Anitidae, which contains between 140-175 different birds. The Mallard is one of the more common duck species found throughout the world, and all domestic ducks descend from the Mallard or Muscovy duck. More than 40 breeds of domestic duck exist.

Duck is a popular dish in Chinese cuisine. Peking duck is made from the meat of a Pekin duck, an American breed. The all-white Pekin duck, which is also referred to as the Long Island duck is the most common variety raised for eggs and meat.

A duck is not just a duck! An adult male duck is called a drake, an adult female is called a hen or a duck, and a baby duck is a duckling. A group of ducks can be called a team, raft or paddling.

Most ducks are silent and very few actually quack!

Try these recipes!

Chicken Bacon Bites Recipe

A sweet spice over a chicken wrapped bacon.

Photo food network

Ingredients

10 slices bacon

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce

How to cook

Preheat oven to 375°. Wrap half a slice of bacon around each cube of chicken; secure with a toothpick. Brush Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce over each chicken bite. Bake at 375° on foil-lined baking sheet for 20-25 minutes or until bacon is cooked. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot. Makes 4-5 servings. May use smoky cocktail wieners in place of chicken.

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast

Photo food network

6 servings

Level: Easy

Total: 2 hr 40 min

Prep: 25 min

Inactive: 15 min

Cook: 2 hr

Ingredients

1 whole bone-in turkey breast, 6 1/2 to 7 pounds

1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons good olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup dry white wine

How to cook

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice to make a paste. Loosen the skin from the meat gently with your fingers and smear half of the paste directly on the meat. Spread the remaining paste evenly on the skin. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.

Roast the turkey for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the breast. (I test in several places.) If the skin is over-browning, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil. When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the pan juices spooned over the turkey.

Smothered Pheasant

5 mins

Cook:1 hr 45 mins

Total:1 hr 50 mins

Servings:6

Yield:6 servings

Ingredients

6 skinless, boneless pheasant breast halves

salt and black pepper to taste

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup butter

2 cups half-and-half cream

How to cook

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Step 2

Season the pheasant breasts on all sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour onto a plate, and press the pheasant breast into the flour until completely coated. Shake off excess flour and set aside. Melt the butter in an ovenproof Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium heat. Cook the pheasant breasts in the hot butter until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Pour in the half-and-half cream and bring to a simmer; cover the Dutch oven.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until the pheasant breasts are tender and no longer pink in the center, about 1 1/2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Happy National Poultry Day Messages and Poultry Quotes in English

-I wish you enjoy the best of the turkey and eggs on your table today. Warm wishes on National Poultry Day to you.

-The occasion of National Poultry Day reminds us that we my give credit to our poultry for so many options of foods it gives us. Happy National Poultry Day.

-Had poultry not been there, many of us would have been deprived of so many foods that we love a lot. Wishing a very Happy National Poultry Day.

-Wishing everyone a very Happy National Poultry Day. Without poultry, we would not have such an easy access to the food we enough every day.

-We are truly blessed to have been born in times when poultry is so much developed because we can enjoy the best of the food whenever we wish to. Happy National Poultry Day.

-On the occasion of National Poultry Day, let us enjoy turkey, chicken, eggs and many more good foods and be thankful to poultry farming.

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