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For a lot of Americans, the best thing about Thanksgiving is the food.
对很多美国人来说，感恩节最棒的就是食物。
And no Thanksgiving meal is complete without -- that's right-- turkey!
没有火鸡的感恩节大餐是不完整的！
But why turkey, exactly?
但为什么是火鸡呢？
How did this strange bird come to dominate the dinner table?
这只奇怪的鸟是如何主宰餐桌的？
Well, turkeys have a lot going for them.
嗯，火鸡有很多好处。
For one thing, they're big -- big enough to feed a family.
首先，它们很大，足以养活一个家庭。
For another, they're not usually raised for their eggs like chickens are.
另一方面，它们通常不是养来下蛋的。
In the old days, that meant that turkeys were more ... expendable, which in turn made turkey meat relatively cheap.
这意味着，在过去火鸡更具有消耗性，这使得火鸡肉相对便宜。
The fact that wild turkeys are native to North America made them a natural choice to be served at early Thanksgiving celebrations.
野生火鸡原产于北美，这一事实使它们成为感恩节早期庆祝活动的自然选择。
But that doesn't mean they were always the most important part of the feast.
但这并不意味着它们一直是这场盛宴中最重要的部分。
In fact, the event we now think of as the "First Thanksgiving" may not have had any turkey at all.
事实上，我们现在认为的“第一个感恩节”可能根本就没有火鸡。
It's true that the Pilgrims shared a meal with the Wampanoag Indians at Plymouth colony in 1621.
的确1621年，清教徒在普利茅斯殖民地与万帕诺亚格印第安人共进晚餐，就没有火鸡。
But all we know for sure about the menu is that it included "deer and fowl."
但我们唯一能确定的是菜单上有“鹿和家禽”。
That fowl might have been turkey, but more likely it was ducks or geese.
那只家禽可能是火鸡，但更有可能是鸭子或鹅。
What's more, that 1621 meal didn't exactly start a trend.
更重要的是，1621年的那顿饭并没有真正开启一种潮流。
Throughout America's early history, some communities did hold ceremonies to give thanks for the fall harvest.
纵观美国早期历史，一些社区确实举行仪式来庆贺秋收。
And over time, the common turkey did become a popular centerpiece for these occasions.
随着时间的推移，普通的火鸡确实成为了这些场合的中心。
But the so-called "First Thanksgiving" was largely forgotten about until the 19th century when various local traditions inspired the idea of a national celebration.
但所谓的“第一个感恩节”在很大程度上被遗忘了，直到19世纪，当地的各种传统激发了举办全国性庆祝活动的想法。
For more than 30 years, a writer named Sarah Josepha Hale advocated for Thanksgiving to become an official U.S. holiday.
30多年来，一位名叫莎拉·约瑟芬·黑尔的作家一直主张将感恩节作为美国的官方节日。
Her efforts finally succeeded in 1863 when Abraham Lincoln issued a presidential proclamation.
1863年，当亚伯拉罕·林肯发表总统宣言时，她的努力终于成功了。
Only then did people begin to think of Thanksgiving as a uniquely American observance.
直到那时，人们才开始认为感恩节是美国特有的节日。
The story of the Pilgrims became closely connected to the holiday, as did ...
清教徒的故事与节日密切相关，也是如此。
Well, the turkey!
好了，火鸡！
Even if they weren't served at the first Thanksgiving, turkeys were mentioned in Pilgrims' journals.
即使在第一个感恩节没有供应火鸡，清教徒的日记中也提到了火鸡。
And at least one Founding Father was fond of them.
至少有一位开国元勋喜欢他们。
Benjamin Franklin touted the turkey as a "respectable bird," and a "true original native of America."
本杰明·富兰克林吹捧火鸡是一种“受人尊敬的鸟”，是“真正的美洲原住民”。
By the end of the 19th century, people across the country were calling the holiday "Turkey Day."
到19世纪末，全国各地的人都把这个节日称为“火鸡节”。
Symbolism aside, it was practicality that ensured the turkey a permanent place on the Thanksgiving table.
撇开象征意义不谈，它的实用性确保了火鸡在感恩节餐桌上的永久位置。
Through the years, they've remained affordable-- they're big enough to feed a family with plenty of leftovers.
这些年来，它们的价格一直很便宜——火鸡足够大，可以有大量的剩菜养活一个家庭。
