Disney’s turkey legs have over the years become one of the park’s most popular concessions. They first arrived in the ‘80s and were sold at one food cart, near Big Al’s in Magic Kingdom’s Fronteirland. Since then, they have become so popular, Disney has put the turkey leg on merchandise from boxers to air fresheners. Here are some surprising facts about this popular snack.
They may look giant, but they weigh 1.5 pounds. There is a lot of bone making the serving of meat not too large. It is estimated that when preparing for your own Thanksgiving feast you make sure there is 1.25 pounds of turkey per person.
This is not actually a healthy snack either. They have 1,093 calories, 54 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat and 5,284 milligrams of sodium. If this doesn’t turn you off, you will still probably burn at least 700 of those calories when you spend the day walking in the park.
It is estimated that between all six of Disney’s North American parks that people consume almost two million turkey legs every single year.
There was once a rumor that the turkey legs were not actually turkey but emu. Actor Zachary Levi went on the Conan Show and started a rumor that his friends who worked at Disneyland had told him they were actually emu after Levi made the comment that they tasted more like ham. Disney’s executive chef, Robert Adams, was quick to publicly confirm that they are in fact turkey. Some people may think they taste like ham because of the salted curing brine that is injected in the meat to make it not as tough to eat.
The turkey legs have over the years become so popular that they even landed on the front page of the New York Times in an article titled Turkey Legs Conquer Mouse Ears.
With Disney food starting to trend towards being healthier it makes you wonder just how much longer the turkey leg will be sold in the parks. There are some diehard fans of this iconic snack and almost a cult following so I do not expect Disney to not listen to their fans and completely do away with the turkey leg. What are your thoughts on the turkey leg? Is it on your Disney food bucket list?
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