Tuck into your turkey and thank Yorkshire for bringing the bird home.

Like some other Christmas traditions, the background story is often long forgotten, and that’s why the name William Strickland may not be familiar.

It’s said that Strickland, who lived in East Yorkshire, acquired six turkeys by trading with Native Americans while on an early voyage to America in 1526.

He brought back the birds and is said to have continued in the turkey trade.

How much else don’t we know about Christmas traditions?

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According to Wren Kitchens nearly one in five (17%) don’t know why we celebrate Christmas on December 25 and 37% are unsure why we receive gifts at this time of year.

About half of Britons don’t know why we use mistletoe at Christmas and a similar number are puzzled by the 12 days of Christmas, Christmas carols, and Boxing Day.

For the record, mistletoe was used as a sign of love and friendship in Norse mythology an that is where the custom comes from. And Boxing Day probably stems from the tradition of giving “Christmas boxes” to tradespeople on the first weekday after Christmas.

Test your knowledge of what Brits eat at Christmas with this fun quiz at www.wrenkitchens.com/festive-feast