TURKEY · Uncovering the Transatlantic History of Turkey Husbandry and Breeding using a Multi-Disciplinary Approach
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2017-09-01 → 2019-08-31
- EU contribution
- €195,455
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Uncovering the Transatlantic History of Turkey Husbandry and Breeding using a Multi-Disciplinary Approach
"Despite its popularity and symbolism as a festive food in both Europe and the Americas, the transatlantic history of the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) and its introduction to Europe remains enigmatic. Perhaps 2000 years ago, indigenous cultures in Mexico and the American Southwest began to captively raise and breed turkeys. While there has been a recent surge in the application of multi-proxy approaches to document the origins and regional trajectories of these indigenous New World turkey management practices, virtually nothing is known of how turkeys were imported to Europe (through a process known as the ‘Columbian Exchange’) and selected to obtain the domestic breeds we know today. Yet, the turkey is one of the most important birds in the poultry industry, third only behind the chicken and the duck. According to the last report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, more than 5.5 million tons of turkey meat was produced in the world in 2013, a third of which being produced in Europe (www.fao.org/faostat). Modern husbandry practices, in particular the extreme selective pressures that accompanied the definition of breeds and their industrialisation, have caused an erosion of livestock diversity, threatening the adaptation and resilience of domestic species to climatic and environmental fluctuations. In 2014, the FAO reported seven breeds of turkey at risk of extinction worldwide and two European breeds are already extinct. In this context, the archaeological study of turkey management practices is a key to understanding the history of domestic populations. Using cutting-edge techniques of archaeozoology and biomolecular archaeology, TURKEY aimed to (1) enhance the understanding of early transatlantic connections and the rapid spread of goods resulting from the Columbian Exchange; (2) explore the transformation of turkey from ornamental birds to reliable food sources in Europe; (3) advance the state-of-the-art in domestication research; (4) provide new perspective into the ""improvement"" of modern agricultural practices, the genetic resilience of modern poultry breeds and food security. "
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
For 2000 years, turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) have been kept and raised by indigenous cultures in North and Central America. In the late 15C, European travellers 'discovered' turkeys and quickly introduced them to Europe and beyond. Their popularity has only increased over time, and in both continents, turkeys are now the most commonly raised bird after chicken. Investigations into the emergence of turkey breeding are fundamental to understanding the evolving economic and symbolic relationships between humans and this iconic bird, as well as to provide historical challenges: first, the diversity of the specimens introduced in Europe (subspecies involved, geographic origin) is unknown; second, the diversity of morphologically similar birds raised in the same time (chicken, guinea fowl, peacock) hamper the recognition of early turkeys from America. This research project will pair the zooarchaeological and morphometrics expertise of the applicant, Aurélie Manin, with the biomolecular specialists in the BioArCh group at the University of York, UK, to document and explore turkey husbandry practices in Western Europe from 15C to 19C and its integration in pre-existing backyards. Using combined morphometric and biomolecular analyses this project will: 1) document the origins and intensity of turkey breeding in Europe; and 2) explore the changing socio-economic role of turkeys as they spread through modern Western Europe. Fundamentally, the results of this research will address both archaeological and food production issues by exploring the history of turkey husbandry and providing important data on the evolution of modern breeds, management practices and the resilience of modern poultry industry.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITY OF YORK · YORK NORTH YORKSHIRECoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union