It’s Brazil’s signature Christmas meat, but what is ‘Chester’?

Few things are more Christmassy to Brazilians than Chester, the large roasted bird that’s not quite chicken, and not quite turkey. Year in, year out, the topic of what exactly is a Chester often pops up around Brazilian dinner tables. There is no shortage of urban legends to explain this weird bird that is only eaten once a year. Some say they come from the North Pole. Others claim this “chicken-on-steroids” is the result of several breeding experiments between turkeys and ducks. 

So, allow us to explain.

First of all, Chester is a registered trademark owned by BRF, the...