The centerpiece of contemporary
Thanksgiving in the United States and
in Canada
IN, In or in may refer to:
Places
* India (country code IN)
* Indiana, United States (postal code IN)
* Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN)
* In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
Businesses and organizations
* In ...
is Thanksgiving dinner (informally called turkey dinner), a large meal generally centered on a large roasted
turkey. Thanksgiving could be considered the largest eating event in the United States as measured by retail sales of food and beverages
and by estimates of individual food intake.
People often consume as much as three or four thousand calories during the course of the dinner.
Along with attending
church services, Thanksgiving dinner remained a central part of celebrations from the holiday's early establishment in North America.
In a 2015
Harris Poll, Thanksgiving was the second most popular holiday in the United States (after
Christmas), and turkey was the most popular holiday food, regardless of region, generation, gender, or race.
At Thanksgiving dinner, turkey is served with a variety of
side dishes which can vary from traditional, such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, to ones that reflect regional or cultural heritage.
Given that
days of thanksgiving revolve around giving thanks, the saying of
grace before Thanksgiving dinner is a traditional feature of the feast.
Many of the dishes in a traditional Thanksgiving dinner are made from
ingredients native to the Americas, including
turkey,
potato,
sweet potato
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...
,
corn (maize),
squash (including
pumpkin
A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...
),
green bean
Green beans are young, unripe fruits of various cultivars of the common bean ('' Phaseolus vulgaris''), although immature or young pods of the runner bean (''Phaseolus coccineus''), yardlong bean ( ''Vigna unguiculata'' subsp. ''sesquipedalis ...
, and
cranberry. The
Pilgrims may have learned about some of these foods from
Native Americans, but others were not available to the early settlers. The tradition of eating them at Thanksgiving likely reflects their affordability for later Americans.
Early North American settlers did eat
turkey, but the lavish feasts that are frequently ascribed to Thanksgiving in the 17th century were a creation of nineteenth-century writers who sought to popularize a unifying holiday in which all Americans could share.
Plymouth Colony and Thanksgiving dinner
The tradition of Thanksgiving dinner has often been associated in popular culture with
New England. New England
Puritans proclaimed days of thanksgiving to commemorate many specific events. Such days were marked by religious observances, prayer, and sometimes
fasting. Church records of the time do not mention food or
feasting
A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...
as being part of such events. A single exception records that following church services in 1636, there was “then makeing merry to the creatures, the poorer sort being invited of the richer.”
On December 11, 1621, Governor
Edward Winslow of the
Plymouth Colony wrote a letter in hopes of attracting more colonists. In it, he described a three-day feast shared by the Plymouth settlers and the local
Wampanoag tribe. Winslow sent out four men who provided a variety of fowls, sufficient to feed the colony for a week, while
Massasoit's hunters killed five deer. In the 19th century, this event became associated with the idea of a Thanksgiving feast. In a footnote in 1841, Alexander Young claimed that this event “was the first thanksgiving, the harvest festival of New England”.
Jamestown, Virginia
The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James (Powhatan) River about southwest of the center of modern Williamsburg. It was ...
and other locations have also been suggested as sites of the "First Thanksgiving".
One of the most persistent advocates for Thanksgiving as a national holiday was writer
Sarah Josepha Hale.
Although she advocated for Thanksgiving in editorials in ''
Godey’s Lady’s Book
''Godey's Lady's Book'', alternatively known as ''Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book'', was an American women's magazine that was published in Philadelphia from 1830 to 1878. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civil ...
'' from 1837 onwards, Hale did not associate the
Pilgrims with Thanksgiving until a brief mention in 1865. In “America's Thanksgiving Hymn,” published in 1872, she credited the Pilgrims as being "free to do and pray, And keep in sober gladness Their first Thanksgiving Day". Hale did not suggest that the Pilgrim thanksgiving included feasting.
Other writers were less discerning.
Jane G. Austin
Jane Goodwin Austin (February 25, 1831 – March 30, 1894) was an American writer, notable for her popular stories of the time. During her lifetime, she was the author of 24 books and numerous short stories. Her friends throughout her life were ...
published a fictional account of the Pilgrims, ''Standish of Standish'', in 1889. Austin described the Pilgrims, a year after their arrival, as feasting on turkey stuffed with beechnuts, other types of fowl, venison, boiled beef and other roasts, oysters, clam chowder, plum-porridge, hasty pudding, sea biscuit, manchet bread, butter, treacle, mustard, turnips, salad, grapes, plums, popcorn, ale, and root beer. Austin's lavish description disregarded the historical record and the deaths due to starvation and malnutrition that occurred in the Plymouth Colony that winter. Nonetheless, her account was extremely popular. It was repeated by other writers, adapted for plays and public events, and adopted by school curricula. The writings of Austin and others helped to establish the inaccurate image of the Pilgrim Thanksgiving feast in popular culture and make it a part of the national identity of the United States.
Historical menus
The use of the turkey in the United States for Thanksgiving precedes
Abraham Lincoln's nationalization of the holiday in 1863. In her 1827 novel ''Northwood; or, a Tale of New England'',
Sarah Josepha Hale devoted an entire chapter to Thanksgiving dinner, emphasizing many of the foods that are now considered traditional. Although many other meats are mentioned, "the roasted turkey took precedence on this occasion, being placed at the head of the table; and well did it become its lordly station, sending forth the rich odour of its savoury stuffing". For dessert, "the celebrated pumpkin pie...occupied the most distinguished niche" and was described as "an indispensable part of a good and true
Yankee Thanksgiving".
The ''White House Cook Book'', published in 1887 by Fanny Lemira Gillette, had the following menu: oysters on half shell, cream of chicken soup,
fried smelts,
sauce tartare, roast turkey,
cranberry sauce,
mashed potatoes,
baked squash,
boiled onions,
parsnip fritter
A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables or other ingredients which have been Batter (cooking), battered or breading, breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-frying, deep-fried. Fritters ar ...
s, olives,
chicken salad,
venison pastry,
pumpkin pie,
mince pie,
Charlotte russe
A charlotte is a type of bread pudding that can be served hot or cold. It is also referred to as an "icebox cake". Bread, sponge cake, crumbs or biscuits/cookies are used to line a mold, which is then filled with a fruit puree or custard. The b ...
, almond ice cream, lemon jelly, hickory nut cake, cheese, fruits, and coffee.
A Thanksgiving Day dinner served to the
Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935 included:
pickles, green olives, celery, roast turkey,
oyster stew
Oyster stew is a stew made with oysters. It is popular in the United States and in The Gambia.
In New England cuisine, oyster stew is often associated with Thanksgiving. In Southern United States cuisine, oyster stew is often prepared on Chris ...
, cranberry sauce,
giblet gravy,
dressing, creamed asparagus tips, snowflake potatoes, baked carrots,
hot rolls,
fruit salad, mince pie,
fruitcake
Fruitcake (or fruit cake or fruit bread) is a cake made with candied or dried fruit, nuts, and spices, and optionally soaked in spirits. In the United Kingdom, certain rich versions may be iced and decorated.
Fruitcakes are typically served ...
, candies, grapes, apples, clams, fish, and many other foods, along with French drip coffee, cigars, and cigarettes.
Sugar, among other food commodities, was
rationed from 1942 to 1946. In 1947, as part of a voluntary rationing campaign, the
Truman administration attempted to promote "Poultryless Thursdays," discouraging Americans from eating poultry or egg products on Thursdays. Because Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, this meant that turkey and pumpkin pie, two Thanksgiving staples, would be discouraged (pumpkin pie because it contains eggs). The National Poultry and Egg Board furiously lobbied the President to cease promoting the plan, culminating in an agreement at the
National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation shortly before Thanksgiving in 1947. Turkey was no longer discouraged, but Eggless Thursdays remained for the rest of the year, meaning no pumpkin pie was served at the White House dinner that year.
Main dishes
Turkey
Turkey is the most common main dish of a Thanksgiving dinner, to the point that Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called "Turkey Day."
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795.
Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...
proclaimed that "no citizen of the United States should refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day",
and
Benjamin Franklin had high regard for the wild turkey as an American icon.
As Thanksgiving Day rose in popularity during the 1800s, so too did the turkey. By 1857, turkey had become part of the traditional dinner in New England.
The
domestic turkey eaten now is very different from the
wild turkey known to the Pilgrims, Hamilton, and Franklin. Wild turkeys are native to the Americas and evolved around 5 million years ago. At least five subspecies are still found in 48 states, Mexico, and Canada.
Today, the southern Mexico subspecies ''Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo'' is almost extinct,
but in the early 16th century it was taken to Europe from Mexico by the Spanish. Its descendants later returned to America.
Twentieth century commercial varieties of turkey were bred from these European descendants.
The
Beltsville Small White turkey was bred by the
USDA at the
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in
Maryland in response to consumer demand for a small (8-15 pound) turkey with more white meat and no dark feathers. It was introduced commercially in 1947 and dominated the market for nearly 20 years.
The Small White was supplanted by the
Broad Breasted White turkey, bred specifically for large feasts such as Thanksgiving. These turkeys can grow to over 40 pounds, but the breed must be
artificially bred and suffers from
health problems due to its size.
It is estimated that more than 99% of the American turkeys eaten are Broad Breasted Whites.
In 2006, American turkey growers were expected to raise 270 million turkeys, to be processed into five billion pounds of turkey meat valued at almost $8 billion, with one third of all turkey consumption occurring in the
Thanksgiving-Christmas season (and a fifth of the overall total coming from Thanksgiving alone), and a per capita consumption of almost .
Thanksgiving turkey is often
stuffed with a traditional savory bread pudding and roasted.
Sage is the standard herb added to the stuffing, along with chopped onions and celery.
Other ingredients, such as chopped chestnuts or other tree nuts, crumbled sausage or bacon, carrots, cranberries, raisins, and/or apples, may be added to stuffing. If the mixture is cooked outside the bird, a
stock
In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...
is generally added to prevent it from drying out.
A number of cultural and regional factors affect whether this is referred to as "stuffing" or "dressing".
Turkeys may be
deep-fried instead of roasted due to the shorter preparation time, but this method carries higher safety risks.
The consumption of turkey on Thanksgiving is so ingrained in American culture that each year since 1947, the
National Turkey Federation (and, as far back as 1873, commercial turkey farmers) has
presented a live turkey to the
President of the United States prior to each Thanksgiving.
These turkeys were initially slaughtered and eaten for the President's Thanksgiving dinner; since 1989, the presented turkeys have typically been given a mock
pardon
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
to great fanfare and sent to a park to live out the rest of their usually short natural lives.
File:RoastTurkey.jpg, Roast turkey
File:Honey glazed ham.jpg, Honey glazed ham
File:Roasted goose full.jpg, Roast goose
File:Turduckenhen.jpg, Turducken, sliced to show layers within
File:Tofurky.jpg, Stuffed Tofurkey
File:Vegan Thanksgiving Plate (3064390588).jpg, Vegan Thanksgiving plate
Alternatives to turkey
Entrees other than turkey are sometimes served at Thanksgiving dinner, either alongside the turkey or in place of it as the main dish. Baked
ham is served at Thanksgiving in many households.
Roasted
goose or
duck, foods which were traditional European centerpieces of
Christmas dinners, are sometimes served in place of a Thanksgiving turkey.
Italian Americans
Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...
might serve
capon as the main course to the Thanksgiving meal.
Irish Americans might have
prime rib as their centerpiece; since beef in Ireland was once a rarity, families would save up money for this dish to signify newfound prosperity and hope.
Sometimes, fowl native to the region where the meal is taking place are used; for example, ''
Texas Monthly'' magazine suggested
quail as a main dish.
In a few areas on the
West Coast of the United States,
Dungeness crab is common as an alternate main dish, as crab season starts in early November.
Similarly, Thanksgiving falls within deer hunting season in the
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...
, and as such
venison is sometimes used as a centerpiece.
In
Alaskan villages,
whale meat is sometimes eaten.
John Madden, a commentator on televised
NFL Thanksgiving Day games from 1981 to 2001, advocated for
turducken: deboned turkey, duck and chicken nested inside each other and then cooked.
At the other end of the spectrum,
vegetarians or
vegans may choose a
tofu,
seitan, or lentil-based substitute such as
tofurky,
or serve vegetable-based dishes such as stuffed squash, which are more often considered sides.
Vegetarian menus for Thanksgiving date back to at least 1897, when they were discussed by the Vegetarian Club of the
University of Chicago.
Due to the impacts of immigration in the United States, an international approach to Thanksgiving has become common. Basic Thanksgiving dishes can be transformed by using flavors, techniques, and traditions from immigrants' own cuisines. Others celebrate the holiday with a variety of standard and multicultural dishes, particularly when there is a crowd to be fed, as guests' tastes can vary.
Side dishes
Many offerings are typically served alongside the main dish. Copious
leftovers are also common following the meal proper. Traditional Thanksgiving foods are sometimes specific to the day, and although some of the dishes might be seen at any semi-formal meal in the United States, the Thanksgiving dinner often has something of a ritual or traditional quality to it.
Many Americans would regard Thanksgiving dinner as "incomplete" without
stuffing,
mashed potatoes with
gravy, and
cranberry sauce.
A recipe for cranberry sauce to be served with turkey appeared in the first American cookbook, ''
American Cookery
''American Cookery'', by Amelia Simmons, is the first known cookbook written by an American, published in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1796. Until then, the cookbooks printed and used in the Thirteen Colonies were British. Its full title is: '' ...
'' (1796) by Amelia Simmons.
Commonly served vegetable dishes include mashed
winter squash,
turnips, and
sweet potato
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...
es, the latter often prepared with sweeteners such as
brown sugar,
molasses
Molasses () is a viscous substance resulting from refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is primarily used to sweeten and flavour foods ...
, or
marshmallows. All three can be served mashed or roasted. Other vegetables are often served, such as
carrot
The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, ''Daucus carota'', nat ...
s or
parsnips,
beets,
radishes,
asparagus,
Brussels sprouts, and/or
cauliflower
Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species ''Brassica oleracea'' in the genus ''Brassica'', which is in the Brassicaceae (or mustard) family. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed. Typically, only the head is eaten – the ...
.
Creamed corn is also popular.
Green bean
Green beans are young, unripe fruits of various cultivars of the common bean ('' Phaseolus vulgaris''), although immature or young pods of the runner bean (''Phaseolus coccineus''), yardlong bean ( ''Vigna unguiculata'' subsp. ''sesquipedalis ...
s are frequently served; in particular,
green bean casserole
Green bean casserole is an American baked dish consisting primarily of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and Fried_onion#Crisp_fried_onions, french fried onions.
It is a popular side dish for Thanksgiving dinners in the United States and has ...
. The recipe was invented in 1955 by
Dorcas Reilly
Dorcas Lillian Bates Reilly (July 22, 1926 - October 15, 2018) was an American chef and inventor. Reilly worked for several years in the Campbell's Test Kitchen creating new recipes. She is best known for the creation of the green bean casserole. R ...
for the
Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company, trade name, doing business as Campbell's, is an American processed food and snack company. The company is most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products; however, through mergers and acquisitions, it has gro ...
to promote use of its canned
cream of mushroom soup. It has since become a Thanksgiving standard.
File:Mashed Potatoes (8211829871).jpg, Mashed potatoes
File:Stuffing for Thanksgiving Dinner.jpg, Stuffing (or Dressing)
File:Making cranberry sauce - ready to serve.jpg, Cranberry sauce
File:Green bean casserole.jpg, Green bean casserole
File:Brussel-sprouts-with-bacon.jpg, Brussels sprouts with bacon
A fresh salad may be included, especially on the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
.
A charcuterie board or
relish tray, with various cheese, cured meats, crackers,
pickles,
olive
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...
s,
onions or
peppers, is often included either with the meal itself or as a pre-meal
appetizer.
Bread rolls,
biscuit
A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be ...
s, or
cornbread
Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States, with origins in Native American cuisine. It is an example of batter bread. Dumplings and pancakes made with finely ground cornmeal are st ...
, the latter particularly in the
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
and parts of
New England, may also be served,
and
macaroni and cheese is a common side dish in some Southern coastal areas.
Desserts
For dessert,
various pies are usually served.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...
described pie as "an English institution, which, transplanted on American soil, forthwith ran rampant and burst forth into an untold variety of genera and species."
Pumpkin pie is widely regarded as the most popular and most traditional, but
apple pie and
pecan pie are also common favorites.
Sweet potato pie
Sweet potato pie is a traditional dessert, originating in the Southern United States. It is often served during the American holiday season, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas in place of pumpkin pie, which is more traditional in other regi ...
,
mince pie,
cherry pie
Cherry pie is a pie baked with a cherry filling. Traditionally, cherry pie is made with sour cherries rather than sweet cherries. Morello cherries are one of the most common kinds of cherry used, but other varieties such as the black cherry may ...
, and
chocolate cream pie
A Boston cream pie is a cake with a cream filling. The dessert acquired its name when cakes and pies were cooked in the same pans, and the words were used interchangeably. In the late 19th century, this type of cake was variously called a " ...
are served as well.
File:Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Crust.jpg, alt=Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Crust
File:Apple pie 16.jpg, Apple pie
File:Pecan pie, November 2010.jpg, Pecan pie
File:Cherry pie with heart in center, on baking rack with other pies (31109649422).jpg, Cherry Pie
File:SweetPotatoPie.jpg, Sweet potato pie
Beverages
The beverages at Thanksgiving can vary as much as the side dishes, often depending on who is present at the table and their tastes. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, it was usual for Americans to consume
hard cider and alcoholic
punches.
Prohibition in the 1920s restricted legal Thanksgiving options to milk, water, and lemonade.
Pitchers of
sweet tea
Sweet tea, also known as sweet iced tea, is a popular style of iced tea commonly consumed in countries such as the United States (especially the South) and Indonesia. Sweet tea is most commonly made by adding sugar or simple syrup to black tea e ...
were often found on
Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
tables even before prohibition and remain popular. Coffee is also frequently served at the end of Thanksgiving dinner.
Spirits or
cocktails may be offered before the main meal. On the dinner table, unfermented
apple cider (still or sparkling) or
wine are often served.
Beaujolais nouveau is sometimes served; the beverage has been marketed as a Thanksgiving drink since the producers of the wine (which is made available only for a short window each year) set the annual release date to be one week before Thanksgiving beginning in 1985, and it is said to pair well with the wide variety of food served for Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving marks the initial peak for seasonal consumption of
eggnog, which is followed by a larger peak at
Christmas.
Regional differences
There are many regional differences as to what gets served for Thanksgiving dinner. Each state and region has its own preferences,
starting with the stuffing or dressing traditionally served with the turkey. The common version is some form of mixture of
white bread cubes,
sage,
onion,
celery and
parsley
Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, southern Italy, Greece, Por ...
.
Southerners generally make their dressing from
cornbread
Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States, with origins in Native American cuisine. It is an example of batter bread. Dumplings and pancakes made with finely ground cornmeal are st ...
, while those in other parts of the country may opt for
wheat,
rye
Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...
, or
sourdough
Sourdough or sourdough bread is a bread made by the fermentation of dough using wild lactobacillaceae and yeast. Lactic acid from fermentation imparts a sour taste and improves keeping qualities.
History
In the ''Encyclopedia of Food Microbio ...
bread as the base.
The addition of ingredients such as
oysters,
apples,
chestnut
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.
The unrelat ...
s,
raisins, and
sausage or the turkey's
giblets may also reflect regional and historic differences.
Other dishes likewise reflect the regional, cultural, or ethnic backgrounds of those who have come together for the meal. Many
African Americans
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
and Southerners serve baked
macaroni and cheese and
collard greens, along with
chitterlings
Chitterlings (), sometimes spelled chitlins or chittlins, are the small intestines of domestic animals. They are usually made from pigs' intestines. They may also be filled with a forcemeat to make sausage.''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st editi ...
and
sweet potato pie
Sweet potato pie is a traditional dessert, originating in the Southern United States. It is often served during the American holiday season, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas in place of pumpkin pie, which is more traditional in other regi ...
.
Sauerkraut is sometimes served in the Mid-Atlantic, especially by
Baltimoreans
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore wa ...
of German and Eastern European descent.
Many
Midwesterners
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
(such as
Minnesotans) of
Norwegian or
Scandinavian descent set the table with
lefse.
Italian Americans
Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...
often include
antipasti
Antipasto (plural antipasti) is the traditional first course of a formal Meal structure in Italy, Italian meal. Usually made of bite-size small portions and served on a platter from which everyone serves themselves, the purpose of antipasti is ...
,
pasta, and
lasagna dishes.
Mexican Americans
Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...
may serve their turkey with
mole and roasted
corn
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
.
In
Puerto Rico, the Thanksgiving meal is completed with
arroz con gandules (rice with
pigeon peas) or
arroz con maiz (rice with corn),
pasteles (root tamales) stuffed with turkey, pumpkin-coconut
crème caramel, corn bread with
longaniza
Longaniza (, or ) is a Spanish sausage ( embutido) similar to a chorizo and also closely associated with the Portuguese linguiça. Its defining characteristics are interpreted differently from region to region. It is popular in the cuisine ...
,
potato salad, roasted white
sweet potato
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...
es and Spanish sparkling
hard cider. Turkey in Puerto Rico is often stuffed with
mofongo.
Cuban Americans traditionally serve the turkey alongside a small roasted pork and include white rice and black beans or kidney beans.
Preparation and timing
Because of the amount of food, preparation for the Thanksgiving meal may begin early in the day or during the days prior. The turkey generally takes hours to prepare, cook, and "rest" before serving. Many side dishes can be at least partially prepared in advance, and pies may be popular desserts in part because they can be baked days or weeks in advance and stored.
It is common for family members and friends from different households to bring dishes to a joint meal.
The meal is often served in the early or middle afternoon.
Maria Parloa
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
*170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
*Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...
, an early New England
domestic scientist cautioned against eating too early in the day, because of the increased pressure on the cook:
See also
*
List of dining events
References
External links
{{Cuisine of the United States , state=collapsed
American cuisine
Canadian cuisine
Meal
*
Dinner
Dining events