The Freshest Turkey In Brooklyn: Inside Bensonhurst’s Live Poultry Markets [Video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1ntiRKW_Yw

When walking down New Utrecht Avenue, if you listen closely, you can hear the unmistakeable squawking of live turkeys. The racket emits from a tiny shop near 81st Street, right across the street from the now-shuttered Waldbaums supermarket,

In Bensonhurst, there are three live poultry markets: the Chinese-owned H.K. Live Poultry (8165 New Utrecht Avenue), the halal Canola Live Poultry Market (1467 61st Street), and 27-year neighborhood fixture La Pera Bros (1373 61rst Street). In addition to turkey — which are the biggest sellers before Thanksgiving — these chaotic shops sell quail, rabbit, ducks, squab (baby pigeons), eggs, and more.

The stores attract immigrant families of all stripes, which sometimes creates a language barrier. When we stopped by H.K. Live today, a 7-years-old came into the store with her father, who speaks Spanish. It took several minutes for her to work up the courage to approach the counter.

“We need half a turkey,” she told the butcher.

Not speaking English — or Spanish — the shopkeeper improvised by signing, using a splitting hand motion to deduce what she meant by “half.”

Once he had figured out what she needed, the man pulled a giant feathered beast from its cage, bound the bird’s legs, and tied it to a giant dangling scale — much to the wide-eyed girl’s horror and delight. Next, he disappeared into the back room with the bird, presumably to end the poor guy’s life.

Much like in Queens, live poultry slaughter houses have been popping up in ethnic enclaves all across Brooklyn — a quick Google search turns up 15 borough-wide.

We were unable to interview anyone at H.K. Live due to a language barrier, but this lengthy New York Daily New article offers some background and insight into the practice.

Many immigrant groups — hailing from places like Africa, China, the Middle East, and Central America — have brought with them the tradition of purchasing meat from live animal markets. There are live goat vendors in Queens catering to residents from Jamaica, Mali, and Guinea, several halal butcher shops in Brooklyn, at least two kosher live poultry houses in Williamsburg, and other vendors peddling Central American delicacies like rabbit and goat. The shops are legal as long as they are not located too close to residential areas, and they are inspected four times a year by the state’s Department of Agriculture.

Customers who flock to these shops say that the freshly slaughtered meat taste better. “The best thing about coming to a live poultry market, is not only seeing what you’re eating, but understanding that you are getting the best quality that there is,” Carlos Formisano, owner of La Pera, told News 12.

For some, there is also religious significance. Halal and kosher butchers slaughter their stock with an extra sharp knife — and a blessing — to eliminate the animal’s suffering, while some Chinese rituals require the birds to be brought home with the heads still attached:

Some customers prefer live poultry markets because of cultural and religious reasons. For the Chinese, there must be a head attached to the bird for such traditional rites as the annual tomb-sweeping holiday in April, when they go to pay respects to their ancestors.

“When we slaughter the chickens, we use a very thin cut so the neck isn’t broken,” explained Wu. “If the neck is broken, customers will come back and ask for a new bird.”

Live turkeys at these markets will run you approximately $3.45/pound, and longtime customers swear by the product. With Thanksgiving less than a day away, you can drop by the supermarket for the usual frozen Butterball or Bell and Evan’s, or find out what the hype is about and pick out a turkey at one of our neighborhood’s live poultry places.