Tòlótòló — Turkey
Category: Birds
Turkey, a larger domestic bird typically reserved for festive meals.
Tòlótòló is especially associated with Christmas and other big celebrations, a more special alternative to everyday chicken.
Turkey isn't native to West Africa — like the word itself, likely borrowed and adapted from English, the bird arrived through more recent trade and diet changes and has settled into a specific niche: the bigger, more special alternative to everyday chicken.
It's especially associated with Christmas dinner across Yorùbá and wider Nigerian households today, a more recent addition to festive food customs alongside older staples like rice dishes and goat meat.
Example: A máa ń jẹ tòlótòló ní ọjọ́ Kérésìmesì. — "We eat turkey on Christmas day."
Related words:
- Adìẹ — Chicken, the everyday alternative to turkey
- Kérésìmesì — Christmas