Gaby
Have you ever wondered why turkey eggs are absent from our daily diets? Could their cost be the reason?
Chickens lay one egg each day, while turkeys produce only two a week.
“Turkeys have a longer life cycle, so they need to live about seven months before they can start laying eggs,” said Kimmon Williams, an expert at the National Turkey Federation. In contrast, chickens begin laying eggs at about five months old.
Williams also explained that turkeys require more feed and larger living spaces, which translates to higher costs for consumers. Farmers have to charge at least $3 per turkey egg, significantly more than the price of chicken eggs.
According to Williams, turkey eggs contain twice the calories and three times the cholesterol of chicken eggs. Some professional chefs say turkey eggs are better suited for sauces because their yolks are creamier and richer.
Today, people are indifferent to turkey eggs. But it wasn’t always this way
Hundreds of years ago, in what is now the United States, turkey eggs were a popular food among Native American tribes and early European settlers. Initially, Europeans saw these large wild birds as exotic, but they quickly embraced turkey meat and eggs.
The first Spanish explorers of the New World even brought turkeys back home. However, turkeys didn’t gain widespread popularity in Europe because of rumors that plague outbreaks were linked to the eggs of these imported birds. The French, in particular, were suspicious of the birds’ distant origins.
Meanwhile, European settlers in the New World considered turkey eggs a luxury. In the 18th century, their popularity surged, and the domestication of turkeys became widespread.
But the rise of industrial poultry farming in the 20th century transformed American cuisine. Technological advances allowed farmers to scale up chicken egg and meat production. Chicken eggs became more profitable and more accessible.
As a result, turkey eggs began to lose their appeal. Today, they are rare in the diets of average consumers. They are primarily bought by gourmets or by farmers raising birds for Thanksgiving, according to the Daily Mail.
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported a shortage of turkey eggs. Stocks of turkey eggs in incubators have fallen to their lowest level since 1988. This shortage has been caused mainly by outbreaks of avian influenza and the loss of breeding stock.
And although the price of turkey eggs has fallen globally compared with previous years, they still haven’t become a regular part of everyday diets.
By the way, you can still find a turkey egg omelet at the famous New York restaurant Delmonico’s. Delmonico’s also makes poached turkey eggs and frittatas. But this is more of an exception than the rule.
