Are the “turkey legs” you get at the fair really turkey?
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Question by Brian G: Are the “turkey legs” you get at the fair really turkey?
It’s State Fair season here, and I heard that the turkey legs that are sold are actually emu. I have no problem eating them anyway, I am just curious.
Some arguments that it is not turkey:
The “turkey legs” you get at the fair are much bigger, redder in color, slightly different in flavor, and have more tendons than fresh turkey legs you get at the store or on whole turkeys around Thanksgiving.
The flavor and color are very similar to emu, however, there are a few reasons I would say it isn’t emu.
The statistics I have found show only around a million farm-raised emus in the US, and the majority of these are used to produce emu oil.
The demand for emu meat is not very high, but the price is.
With this in mind, I am not sure that the “turkey legs” are really turkey, but I don’t think they are emu. I am just wondering if anyone has more info.
Can you help? Leave your own answer in the comments!
5 Responses to Are the “turkey legs” you get at the fair really turkey?
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The turkey legs around here are turkey. Don’t know where you are but I would suspect if they are calling it turkey and it’s not, they could be in some serious trouble. Just a thought.
gemmyt
October 25, 2013 at 7:09 pm
turkey legs = turkey, of course
kuf131
October 25, 2013 at 7:32 pm
They are probly turkey….the legs we get around here are cured and maybe even smoked a little…they do this because they meat will keep longer. This will change the color of the meat….
yetti
October 25, 2013 at 8:11 pm
no, they are Soylent Green, and, Soylent Green is people!!
joshdshepard
October 25, 2013 at 8:58 pm
Turkey legs are brined which turns them red. Some are smoke cured also. Emu legs would be a lot larger. Another urban myth trying to gross you out.
ironbrew
October 25, 2013 at 9:21 pm