FineWaters for Thanksgiving

by Michael Mascha

Use your Thanksgiving dinner to sample a variety of fine bottled waters and discover the flavors of water.

One of the prime joys of matching water and food in a multiple course meal is being able to switch waters for each course and developing a progression of waters to guide you through the meal. This is a true experience and worth the effort. Drinking different water for each course highlights the subtle difference in waters and the progression adds enormously to the dining experience.

The Thanksgiving dinner is a great opportunity to select three waters from the FineWaters Balance and enjoy the experience with friends and family. It also allows designated drivers and people that do not drink alcohol the full participation of the celebration, being able to enjoy and switch between multiple waters.

Here is a classic progression based on a three-course dinner:

Welcome Cocktail/Appetizers:

  FineWaters Balance | Classic or Bold

Water Brands:
Lurisia (Classic, Super Low Mineral Content)
Fiuggi ( Classic, Low Mineral Content)
Ty Nant (Bold, Low Mineral Content)

Classic or Bold waters are perfect at the beginning of a meal preferably with crispy appetizers, nuts or chips. It provides a “Champagne” feeling especially if enjoyed in a proper Champaign glass. A perfect cocktail would be a mix drink with elderberry flower syrup and water with the Classic or Bold designation and a low Mineral Content.

Dinner:

  FineWaters Balance | Effervescent or Light

Bottled Water Brands:
Ramlosa (Light, Medium Mineral Content, High Sodium Content)
Borsec (Effervescent, High Mineral Content, High Levels of Bicarbonates)
Sanfaustino (Effervescent, Very High Mineral Content and Bicarbonates)

Effervescent or Light designated waters have smaller bubble than those of the Bold or Classic sparkling waters. In order to match the mouthfeel of the Turkey and of the side dishes a Light or Effervescent sparkling water is perfect. Many people who claim they don't like sparkling water (“too many bubbles”) love this designations. Due to the robust nature of the flavors medium to very high TDS waters are appropriate as they show more structure. If selecting a water the level of Bicarbonates should be considered as a high levels are in general advantageous for the digestion.

Dessert:

  FineWaters Balance | Still or Effervescent

Bottled Water Brands:
Ducale (Effervescent, Low Mineral Content)
Gleneagles (Effervescent, Low Mineral Content)
Oregon Rain (Still, Super Low Mineral Content, Rain Water)
Cloud Juice (Still, Super Low Mineral Content, Rain Water)

Effervescent waters are an epicurean surprise to many. These sophisticated waters straddle the delightful line between Still and Light sparkling waters. Almost flat but a hint of mouthfeel is a sensation that is new to many who have not experienced it and a perfect match for a pumpkin pie with whipped cream as the super small bubble provide some contrasting mouthfeel to the classic Thanksgiving dessert. If you prefer Still waters why not surprise your guests with Rain Water from Oregon (Oregon Rain) or Tasmania (Cloud Juice).

Like fine water turkey is not the commodity many large scale breeders want you to belive but a species with a long history of domestication and variation.

Heritage Turkey

In 1776, Benjamin Franklin proposed making the turkey the official symbol of his new nation. It lost out to the bald eagle. In a letter to his daughter, Franklin lamented the choice, owing to the eagle's "bad moral character." He argued that "the turkey is a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America."

Turkeys are native to North America, and the Spanish brought  them from Mexico to Spain in 1498. In the early 17th century when the English settlers came to New England, they were already well acquainted with turkeys and brought European varieties, sometimes referred to as "tame turkeys" with them. The settlers also found wild turkey in the forests and started cross breading them with the European varieties early in the 19th century. This is the time when the American turkey breeding began in earnest.

The breeding of American turkeys has dramatically changed the turkey from the one that the early American settles knew. The early turkeys could fly and had colorful plumage..

Large corporations have dominated turkey production and breeding since the 1960's, choosing the Broad Breasted Whites because they grow quickly in confinement pens, where they are fed grains, fillers (including turkey fat and feathers), and a daily dose of antibiotics (necessary in such unhealthy environments). The resulting meat is often dry and bland requiring an injection of a saline mix before packaging. The American cook then salts, brines, stuffs, and bastes the turkey to add flavor. Nearly all the 267 million turkeys Americans eat each year are Broad Breasted Whites.

Before supermarkets and distributors made the Broad Breasted White turkey the dominant bird on the market, there were other diverse breeds such as Bourbon Reds, Jersey Buffs, Slates, Black Spanish, Royal Palms, Narragansetts and White Hollands.

Heritage Breeds tend to be richer and more moist and flavorful than mass-produced turkeys. Their taste is due to diverse diets and extended life-span.
A movement is underway to bring back the heritage turkeys and make them commercially viable. The effort is being guided by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, the Rare Heritage Turkey Association and Slow Food USA, which promote the enjoyment of cooking and eating and the conservation of family farms and endangered foods. Because their numbers are still few, heritage turkeys are sold at a premium: roughly $4 per pound, in contrast with about 38 cents per pound for the average store-bought Thanksgiving bird.

Complement Your Fine Waters with a Fine Turkey
Consider ordering a Heritage turkey for Thanksgiving.  Ask your local butcher to request heritage turkeys from turkey vendors or see one of the online sources below. National food chains offering Heritage turkeys include Bristol Farms (www.bristolfarms.com).

Recipe for Heritage Turkey
Heritage turkeys have a proportionally smaller breast size and the distribution between white and dark meat is more even, they are also leaner and usually smaller.  Make sure you check out the recipes below as Heritage Turkeys require a different approach to cooking. Also don’t forget to order your Heritage Turkey in time for Thanksgiving.

How to Roast a Heritage Turkey | William Rubel

Recipe for Roasted Heritage Turkey |By Sandra Kay Miller

Where to Buy Heritage Turkeys
Regional list from Slow Food
http://www.geocities.com/donkeylady.geo/turkeybreeders.html
Http://heritagefoodsusa.com/
http://www.marysturkeys.com/
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/category/turkeys.html
http://www.cacklehatchery.com/turkeypage.html
http://www.strombergschickens.com/stock/turkeys.htm
http://www.slowfoodsantacruz.org/turkeys/

Turkey Heritage Links
http://www.albc-usa.org/
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/
http://www.slowfoodsantacruz.org/turkeys/