| While preparing for this year's Thanksgiving fest, | | | | Why is it called Cajun if it's not? |
| where I'll be serving delicious Deep Fried turkey, I | | | | I started doing a little research on the internet, and |
| became interested in the origin of the succulent treat. | | | | although I only spent a few hours, it seems no exact |
| What is deep fried turkey? | | | | year, restaurant, or person is connected to this |
| "Frying whole turkeys is sort of the Southern version | | | | particular style of cooking turkey. There is evidence |
| of making fondue. You have a lot of your friends over, | | | | that fried turkeys were cooked outdoors for large |
| you poke around in a pot of hot oil with some sticks, | | | | popular events (family reunions, charity dinners, church |
| and then you pull out your dinner. Justin Wilson, of | | | | suppers, etc.) in the early years of the twentieth |
| Cajun fame, recalls first seeing a turkey fry in | | | | century. |
| Louisiana in the 1930s."---Something Different: | | | | Commonly thought of as a cajun tradition, I could find |
| Deep-Fried Turkey, Beverly Bundy, St. Louis Dispatch, | | | | no direct ties to the acadien-cajun culture. In fact I |
| November 24, 1997 (Food p. 4) | | | | found food historians generally agree that fried turkeys |
| What is a deep fried turkey you ask? Injected with | | | | trace their roots to Bayou (Louisiana/Texas) creole |
| marinade and cooked in 350 degreeF peanut or other | | | | cuisine. Recipes then migrated from Louisiana/Texas |
| vegetable oil, deep-fried turkey is anything but | | | | to Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia (peanut oil), and |
| greasy. The deep-frying process seals in the juices | | | | Washington D.C. before it forked northward toward |
| creating flavorful meat and tasty golden brown skin. | | | | Seattle and Vancouver. |
| Incredibly juicy on the interior and wonderfully crispy on | | | | The power of Martha Stewart |
| the exterior, the explosion of flavor and contrasting | | | | So here seems to be the magic bullet. I did find where |
| textures has made it a favorite for barbecues, block | | | | Martha Stewart is given credit for taking the recipe to |
| parties, tailgating, holiday feasts and informal wedding | | | | mainstream America in the early 90's: |
| receptions. | | | | "Fried turkey has been all the rage at least for the last |
| It seems I first heard about deep frying turkey about 15 | | | | decade in New Orleans, and long before that it was a |
| years ago, then suddenly everyone and their brother | | | | tradition in the bayou and throughout the South. Like |
| was doing it. So what sparked this sudden | | | | many a vainglorious culinary mania before it, the |
| phenomenon? | | | | national renown of fried turkeys can be traced directly |
| Roots in the Southern United States | | | | to Martha Stewart, who plucked them from regional |
| Deep frying turkey has it's origins in the Southern | | | | obscurity and put them in her magazine in 1996. " ---It's |
| United States, namely Louisiana. I have heard there | | | | Treacherous, But Oh So Tasty; Fried-Turkey Fans |
| are a few restaurants in Southern Louisiana that | | | | Take the Risk, Annie Gowen, Washington Post, |
| became popular by injecting whole birds with a creole | | | | November 22, 2001 (p. B1) |
| style marinade then dropping them in hot peanut oil. | | | | If this is the case, it seems Martha may have created |
| There had to be something bigger though to get the | | | | an entire industry. A typical setup including all the turkey |
| word out, Regional restaurants just do not have the | | | | fryer accessories can easily run $200-$300. I would |
| reach to change a deep rooted tradition such as oven | | | | say those folks and the peanut oil folks owe Martha a |
| baked turkey. | | | | big thanks. |
| I thought maybe it was the new accessibility of large | | | | Send me your thoughts |
| deep fryers such as the original Kamp Kooker | | | | Leave your comments, I would love to learn more |
| marketed by Home Depot, or was it a favorite of | | | | about the origins of deep fried turkey, where it came |
| celebrity chefs such as Emeril? | | | | from and what made it so popular. |