Is Turkey male or female?

[admylin]

Is the Christmas turkey eaten in England generally male or female? I'm in Germany and can get both, female 'pute' and male 'truthahn' so I'm not sure what to get!

i have NO idea. but my guess is male. they prob keep the females to lay eggs to make more babies to eat.

but i honeztly don';t know.

however, I am thinking, that if that is the case, most places would do it. so if you can get female turkey to eat maybe it's because it's nicer?? is it more expensive?

admylin, I've just googled a bit and apparently they are the same thing when you buy in Germany, just that Truthahn/Truthenne is norddeutsch and Puter/Pute is sueddeutsch. Hth

emkana, Truthahn and Puter are indeed the same thing but that is not what the original question was. I too live in Germany and am wondering the same thing. I can get a Pute (Truthahenne)(female turkey) but not a Puter (Truthahn) (the male) and that made me wonder what I have been eating my whole life in Canada and the US and England. I have never heard the sex of the turkey mentioned anywhere but Germany and wonder if it makes any difference in terms of the taste or cooking methods, etc.

Cockerels are tougher than hens hence coq au vin. Perhaps turkeys are the same.

OK, from "Joy of Cooking," the correct answer: There is no difference in taste or quality between male ("tom" or in German Truthahn or Puter) and female ("hen" or in German Truthahenne or Pute) turkeys. The difference is the typical size -- with females being smaller (usually under 18 pounds) while the males can weigh as much as 25 pounds. So, buy turkey according to the size you need.

Thanks karlo