From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Thanksgiving dinner
Thanksgiving dinner
included in that feast (except, notably, the seafood) have
since gone on to become staples of the modern Thanks-
giving dinner.
The use of the turkey in the USA for Thanksgiving
precedes Lincoln’s nationalization of the holiday in 1863.
Alexander Hamilton proclaimed that no "Citizen of the
United States should refrain from turkey on Thanksgiv-
ing Day," and many of the Founding Fathers (particularly
Benjamin Franklin) had high regard for the wild turkey
as an American icon, but turkey was uncommon as
Thanksgiving fare until after 1800. By 1857, turkey had
become part of the traditional dinner in New England. [3]
A traditional Thanksgiving dinner A Thanksgiving Day dinner served to the Civilian
Conservation Corps in 1935 included: pickles, green
The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the olives, celery, roast turkey, oyster stew, cranberry sauce,
United States and Canada is a large meal, generally cen- giblet gravy, dressing, creamed asparagus tips, snowflake
tered around a large roasted turkey. The majority of the potatoes, baked carrots, hot rolls, fruit salad, mince meat
dishes in the traditional American version of Thanks- pie, fruit cake, candies, grapes, apples, French drip coffee,
giving dinner are made from foods native to the New cigars and cigarettes.[4]
World, as according to tradition the Pilgrims received
these foods from the Native Americans. However, many Customs
of the classic traditions attributed to the first Thanksgiv-
ing are actually myths introduced later.[1]
Historical menus
Thanksgiving dinner
Formally a Thanksgiving dinner in the United States
bears a good deal of resemblance to another merry feast
Men eating a Thanksgiving dinner during World War I served at Christmas: the centerpiece at both is most often
a turkey. However, the spirits of these occasions are usu-
According to what traditionally is known as "The First ally different: the family and friends present at a Thanks-
Thanksgiving," the 1621 feast between the Pilgrims and giving table are not expected to give gifts to each other,
the Wampanoag at Plymouth Colony contained turkey, for example, and the point of the meal is to reflect upon
waterfowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, and be thankful for the things that have passed over the
pumpkin, and squash. William Bradford noted that, "be- last year as well as reconnect with the people one holds
sides waterfowl, there was great store of wild turkeys, of close.[citation needed] The Thanksgiving meal is traditional-
which they took many."[2] Many of the foods that were ly held in many households in the early afternoon.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Thanksgiving dinner
In modern times, it is not uncommon to have a tele- been known to have prime rib of beef as their centerpiece
vision in the line of sight (though usually not in the same as beef was once a rarity back in Ireland; in the past, fami-
room) or a radio within earshot, in order to watch the nu- lies would save up money for this as a special sign of new-
merous football games, parades, or television specials on found prosperity and hope. In the United States, a new
that day. globalist approach to Thanksgiving has become popular
due to the impact of massive immigration on the coun-
Turkey try. Some take the basic Thanksgiving ingredients, and
reinvent them using flavors, techniques, and traditions
Because turkey is the most common main dish of a from their own cuisines, while others celebrate the holi-
Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving is sometimes collo- day with a large festive meal with or without turkey.[6]
quially called “turkey day.” In 2006, American turkey Given the working holiday it is also common for im-
growers were expected to raise 270 million turkeys, to migrant communities in North America to participate in
be processed into five billion pounds of turkey meat val- the holiday by launching their own celebrations of the
ued at almost $8 billion, with one third of all turkey con- holiday. Thus, it is not uncommon to find Chinese and
sumption occurring in the Thanksgiving-Christmas sea- other large immigrant communities celebrating Thanks-
son, and a per capita consumption of almost 18 pounds.[5] giving in the same family spirit but with the food of the
Most Thanksgiving turkeys are stuffed with a bread- feast being of their own respective cultures instead. [7][8]
based stuffing and roasted. Sage is the traditional herb
added to the stuffing (also called dressing), along with
chopped celery, carrots, and onions. Deep-fried turkey is
Side dishes
rising in popularity, requiring special fryers to hold the
large bird, and reportedly leading to fires and bad burns
for those who fail to take care when dealing with a large
quantity of very hot oil. In more recent years it is also
true that as the wild population of turkeys has rebounded
in most of the US, some will hunt and dress their turkey
in the woods and then freeze it until meal preparation.[ci-
tation needed]
Alternatives to turkey
Non-traditional foods other than turkey are sometimes
served as the main dish for a Thanksgiving dinner. Goose
and duck, foods which were traditional European cen-
terpieces of Christmas dinners before being displaced,
are now sometimes served in place of the Thanksgiving
turkey. Sometimes, fowl native to the region where the
meal is taking place is used; for example, an article in
Texas Monthly magazine suggested quail as the main dish
for a Texan Thanksgiving feast. John Madden, who ap-
peared on television for the Thanksgiving Classic every
year from 1981 to 2001, frequently advertised his fond-
ness for the turducken, which is in fact three birds
(turkey, duck and chicken) nested inside each other and A Thanksgiving meal in New England
cooked together; he has since disavowed the dish. In a
few areas of the West Coast of the United States, Dunge- Many other foods are alongside the main dish—so many
ness crab is common as an alternate main dish, as crab that, because of the amount of food, the Thanksgiving
season starts in early November."Similarly, Thanksgiving meal is sometimes served midday or early afternoon to
falls within deer hunting season in the Northeastern make time for all the eating, and preparation may begin
United States, which encourages the use of venison as at dawn or on days prior.
a centerpiece. Sometimes a variant recipe for cooking Traditional Thanksgiving foods are sometimes spe-
turkey is used; for example, a Chinese recipe for goose cific to the day, and although some of the foods might
could be used on the similarly-sized American bird. be seen at any semi-formal meal in the United States,
Vegetarians or vegans may try tofurkey, a tofu-based the meal often has something of a ritual or traditional
dish with imitation turkey flavor. In Alaskan villages, quality. Many Americans would say it is "incomplete"
whale meat is sometimes eaten.[1] Irish immigrants have
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Thanksgiving dinner
without cranberry sauce; stuffing or dressing; and gravy. fermented Apple cider (still or sparkling) and/or wine
Other commonly served dishes include winter squash; are often served. Beaujolais nouveau is sometimes
yams; mashed potatoes; dumplings; corn on the cob or served, as "Beaujolais day" falls before American Thanks-
hominy; deviled eggs; green beans or green bean casse- giving. For children non-alcoholic beverages are served
role; sauerkraut (among those in the Mid-Atlantic; es- at the table as it is generally frowned upon (and often il-
pecially Baltimore), peas and carrots, bread rolls, corn- legal) for those below the legal drinking age to consume
bread (in the south and parts of New England), or bis- alcohol, though in some states it is legal for those under
cuits, rutabagas or turnips; and a salad. For dessert, var- 21 to consume alcohol when their parents are present. As
ious pies are often served, particularly apple pie, mince- with any other day of the year, pitchers of sweet tea are
meat pie, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, chocolate common on Southern tables.[9] In some parts of French
meringue pie and pecan pie, with the last four being par- Canada it is tradition to serve watered down wine to
ticularly American. In Québec, Tourtière is usually served younger attendees of the Thanksgiving meal.
alongside as a traditional staple of Quebecois cuisine.
There are also regional differences as to the stuffing
or dressing traditionally served with the turkey. South-
References
erners generally make their dressing from cornbread, [1] Dickson, James G. (1992). The Wild Turkey: Biology
while those in other parts of the country make stuffing and Management. National Wild Turkey Federation.
from white or wheat bread as the base. One or several of Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books. p. 10.
the following may be added to the dressing/stuffing: oys- ISBN 978-0811718592.
ters, apples, chestnuts, raisins, celery and/or other veg- [2] Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647, p. 100.
etables, sausages or the turkey’s giblets. The traditional [3] Davis, Karen (2001). More Than a Meal: The Turkey in
Canadian version has bread cubes, sage, onion and celery. History, Myth, Ritual, and Reality. New York: Lantern
Rice is also sometimes used instead of bread in Canada[ci- Books. p. 53. ISBN 978-1930051881.
tation needed]. [4] Smith, Kathy M. (2001). Gold Medal CCC Company
Other dishes reflect the region or cultural back- 1538: A Documentary. Paducah, KY: Turner Pub. Co.
ground of those who have come together for the meal. p. 98. ISBN 978-1563116421.
For example, many African Americans and Southerners [5] Briggs, Mike (2006-7-17). "Regional Farm Bill field
serve baked macaroni and cheese and collard greens, hearing: Cape Girardeau, MO". U.S. Senate
along with Chitterlings and sweet potato pie. while some Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry.
Italian-Americans often have lasagne on the table and http://agriculture.senate.gov/Hearings/
Ashkenazi Jews may serve noodle kugel, a sweet dessert hearings.cfm?hearingid=2001&witnessId=5529.
pudding. It is not unheard of for Mexican Americans to [6] Duffy, Gillian (2007-11-4). "The Globalist’s
serve their turkey with mole and roasted corn. In Puerto Thanksgiving". New York Magazine.
Rico, the Thanksgiving meal is completed with arroz con http://nymag.com/guides/holidays/thanksgiving/
gandules (rice with pigeon peas), pumpkin flan, potato 40289/. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
salad, roasted white sweet potatoes and Spanish [7] Wang, Frances Kai-Hwa (2009-11-22). "Creating our
sparkling hard cider. Cuban-Americans traditionally own multicultural Thanksgiving traditions".
serve the turkey alongside a small roasted pork and in- AnnArbor.com. http://www.annarbor.com/
clude white rice and black beans or kidney beans. Vege- passions-pursuits/creating-our-own-traditions-
tarians or vegans have been known to serve alternative from-lebanese-thanksgiving-to-thanksgiving-eve/.
entree centerpieces such as a large vegetable pie or a Retrieved 2010-11-24.
stuffed and baked pumpkin or tofurkey. Many Midwest- [8] Bo (2007-11-19). "The Day the Lees discovered
erners (such as Minnesotans) of Norwegian or Scandina- Thanksgiving". 8Asians.com.
vian descent set the table with lefse and green bean hot- http://www.8asians.com/2007/11/19/the-day-the-
dish.[citation needed] lees-discovered-thanksgiving/. Retrieved
2010-11-24.
[9] NPR (2002-08-02). "Making the Perfect Iced Tea".
Beverages npr.org. http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/
The beverages at Thanksgiving can vary as much as the features/2002/aug/icedtea/. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
side dishes, often depending on who is present at the
table and their tastes. Spirits or cocktails sometimes may
be served before the main meal. On the dinner table, un-
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_dinner"
Categories: American cuisine, Canadian cuisine, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving food
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Thanksgiving dinner
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