Turkey Joints: A Central New York Holiday Tradition
"Christmas will break your heart."
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A Bittersweet Christmas Story
I won’t be back home in Central New York for Christmas, but this time of year always makes me think of a rather curious confection made in Nora’s Candy Shop in Rome, New York, known as Turkey Joints. The name comes from the knobby shape of the shiny, metallic-colored, candy-coated rods of chocolate which resemble a skinny turkey leg. A 20-ounce jar contains around 12 turkey joints and those little “knobs” are Brazil nuts that are mixed in with what Nora’s calls “chocolate marrow.” The candy coating doesn’t exactly melt in your mouth like an M&Ms shell but has more of a ribbon-candy shatter and can stick in your teeth like toffee. I honestly fancy Turkey Joints more from nostalgia than actual crave-ability, and they will always be inherently wrapped around memories of my mother.
Starting around Thanksgiving you’ll find stacks of Turkey Joints jars on display at key points-of-purchase in Central New York grocery stores. They’ve long been a Christmas morning tradition with my family. I can remember when they were around $12 a jar and now they hover closer to $26. The original Brazil nut flavor dates back to 1919 and is what you’ll find in the wild, but at Nora’s shop (and online) you can find several other flavors, including Hazelnut (plain and chocolate-covered), Cashew, Coco-Mond (almonds and coconut flakes), and Peanut Butter.
I had always wanted to write about my personal connection to Turkey Joints but every time I got around to pitching a story the long-lead outlets had locked down their December issue months prior. Then during an Oktoberfest party in the garden at Frankies 457 Spuntino, I was talking to Peter Meehan, who was then the editor of Lucky Peach magazine. As I told him about Turkey Joints and my desire to write about them I realized my conversation was turning into an in-person pitch. He was on his way out but said, “Let’s do it. But we’re closing the holiday issue soon so I’d need it by next week.”