The boar's head and the fattened goose were the main course of Christmas dinner in England for many centuries. The turkey was imported from the USA to Europe, reaching the UK in the 1520s. Once there it soon took over the traditional English Christmas dinner.

The turkey became popular for several reasons, one was that it was so conspicuous that people believed that it asked to be served at Christmas. Second was that its taste was delicious, savoury and succulent meat that it became a permanent feature of the Christmas table.