Illustration: James YangThanksgiving is so intimately connected with eating turkey that Americans have long dubbed the holiday “Turkey Day.” But the bird on the Thanksgiving table has had some unexpected geopolitical ramifications, with the country of Turkey in recent years seeking to distance itself from the avian name.
The connection between “turkey” the bird and “Turkey” the country is rooted in an old misapprehension.
The ethnic designation “Turk” dates back to 8th-century inscriptions naming a nomadic confederation that migrated from central Asia to the Anatolian peninsula, eventually home to the Ottoman Empire.
Persons:
James Yang, Turk ”
Locations:
Turkey, Asia, Ottoman Empire