Thanksgiving dinner - wikipedia Thanksgiving dinner ( Almost Traditional ) Thanksgiving Dinner The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada is a large meal, generally centered on a large roasted turkey. It is served with a variety of side dishes which vary from traditional dishes such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, to ones that reflect regional or cultural heritage. The majority of the dishes in the traditional American version of Thanksgiving dinner are made from foods native to the New World, as according to tradition the Pilgrims received these foods, or learned how to grow them, from the Native Americans. Thanksgiving dinner is the largest eating event in the United States ; people eat more on Thanksgiving than on any other day of the year. Contents 1 Historical menus 2 Turkey 3 Alternatives to turkey 4 Side dishes 5 Beverages 6 See also 7 References Historical menus 1943 Thanksgiving Day dinner menu from USS Wake Island ( CVE - 65 ) According to what traditionally is known as `` The First Thanksgiving, '' the 1621 feast between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag at Plymouth Colony contained waterfowl, venison, ham, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, and squash. William Bradford noted that, `` besides waterfowl, there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many. '' Many of the foods that were included in the first feast ( except, notably, the seafood ) have since gone on to become staples of the modern Thanksgiving dinner. Early feasts of the Order of Good Cheer, a French Canadian predecessor to the modern Thanksgiving, featured a potluck dinner with freshly - hunted fowl, game, and fish, hunted and shared by both French Canadians and local natives. The use of the turkey in the US 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 Thanksgiving Day, '' and 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. A Thanksgiving Day dinner served to the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935 included : pickles, green olives, celery, roast turkey, oyster stew, cranberry sauce, giblet gravy, dressing, creamed asparagus tips, snowflake potatoes, baked carrots, hot rolls, fruit salad, mince meat pie, fruit cake, candies, grapes, apples, clams, fish, and many other food harvests. French drip coffee, cigars and cigarettes. The White House Cook Book, 1887, by Mrs. F.L. Gillette, et al., 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 fritters, olives, chicken salad, venison pastry, pumpkin pie, mince pie, Charlotte russe, almond ice cream, lemon jelly, hickory nut cake, cheese, fruits and coffee. Sugar, among other food commodities, was rationed from 1942 to 1946. In 1947, as part of a voluntary rationing campaign, the Harry 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, were forbidden, not only for that holiday, but for Christmas and New Year 's Day as well, since those holidays landed on Thursday in 1947. ( Pumpkin pie was forbidden because it contained eggs. ) The National Poultry and Egg Board furiously lobbied the President to cease promoting the plan ; it culminated in a truce at the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation shortly before Thanksgiving. Turkey was no longer forbidden, but Eggless Thursdays remained for the rest of the year, meaning no pumpkin pie was served at the White House dinner that year. Turkey Oven roasted turkey Turkey is the most common main dish of a Thanksgiving dinner, to the point where Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called `` Turkey Day. '' 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 per capita consumption of almost 18 pounds ( 8.2 kg ). The Broad Breasted White turkey is particularly bred for Thanksgiving dinner and similar large feasts ; its large size ( specimens can grow to over 40 pounds ) and meat content make it ideal for such situations, although the breed must be artificially bred and suffers from health problems due to its size. Most Thanksgiving turkeys are stuffed with a bread - based mixture and roasted. Sage is the traditional herb added to the stuffing, along with chopped celery, carrots, and onions. Other ingredients, such as chopped chestnuts or other tree nuts, crumbled sausage or bacon, cranberries, raisins, or apples, may be added to stuffing. If this mixture is prepared outside the bird, it may be known as dressing. Deep - fried turkey is rising in popularity due to its shorter preparation time, but carries safety risks. The consumption of turkey on Thanksgiving is so ingrained in American culture that each year since 1947, the National Turkey Federation 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 to great fanfare and sent to a park to live out the rest of their usually short natural lives. Alternatives to turkey Non-traditional foods other than turkey are sometimes served as the main dish for a Thanksgiving dinner. Ham is often served alongside turkey in many non-traditional households. Goose and duck, foods which were traditional European centerpieces 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 appeared on television for the NFL Thanksgiving Day game from 1981 to 2001, frequently advocated his fondness for the turducken, deboned turkey, duck and chicken nested inside each other then cooked. In a few areas of 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, which encourages the use of venison as a centerpiece. Vegetarians or vegans may have a tofu, wheat gluten or lentil - based substitute ; or stuffed squash. In Alaskan villages, whale meat is sometimes eaten. Irish immigrants have been known to have prime rib of beef 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. In the United States, a globalist approach to Thanksgiving has become common with the impact of immigration. Basic `` Thanksgiving '' ingredients, or the intent of the holiday, can be transformed to a variety of dishes by using flavors, techniques, and traditions from their own cuisines. Others celebrate the holiday with a variety of dishes particularly when there is a crowd to be fed, guest 's tastes vary and considering the financial means available. Side dishes A Thanksgiving meal in New England Green bean casserole Many offerings are typically served alongside the main dish -- so many that, because of the amount of food, the Thanksgiving meal is sometimes served midday or early afternoon to make time for all the eating, and preparation may begin at dawn or on days prior. Copious leftovers are also common following the meal properly. Traditional Thanksgiving foods are sometimes specific to the day of riced potatoes, and although some of the foods might be seen at any semi-formal meal in the United States, the meal often has something of a ritual or traditional quality. Many Americans would say it is `` incomplete '' without cranberry sauce, stuffing or dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and brussels sprouts. Other commonly served dishes include winter squash and sweet potatoes, the latter often prepared with sweeteners such as brown sugar, molasses, or marshmallows. Fresh, canned, or frozen corn is popular and green beans are frequently served ; in particular, green bean casserole, a product invented in 1955 by the Campbell Soup Company to promote use of its cream of mushroom soup, has become a Thanksgiving standard. A fresh salad may be included, especially on the West Coast. Bread rolls or biscuits and cornbread, especially in the South and parts of New England, are served. For dessert, various pies are usually served, particularly pumpkin pie, though apple pie, mincemeat pie, sweet potato pie, and pecan pie are often served as well. There are also regional differences as to the stuffing or dressing traditionally served with the turkey. The traditional version has bread cubes, sage, onion and celery. Southerners generally make their dressing from cornbread, while those in other parts of the country make stuffing from white, wheat or rye bread as the base. One or several of the following may be added to the dressing / stuffing : oysters, apples, chestnuts, raisins, and sausages or the turkey 's giblets. Other dishes reflect the region or cultural background of those who have come together for the meal. For example, Sauerkraut ( among those in the Mid-Atlantic ; especially Baltimore ) is sometimes served. Many African Americans and Southerners serve baked macaroni and cheese and collard greens, along with chitterlings and sweet potato pie, while some Italian - Americans often have lasagne on the table and Ashkenazi Jews may serve noodle kugel, a sweet dessert pudding. Other Jewish families may consume foods commonly associated with Hanukkah, such as latkes or a sufganiyah ; the two holidays are usually in close proximity and on extremely rare occasions overlap. It is not unheard of for Mexican Americans to serve their turkey with mole and roasted corn. 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, potato salad, roasted white sweet potatoes and Spanish sparkling hard cider. Turkey in Puerto Rico is stuffed with mofongo. Cuban - Americans traditionally serve the turkey alongside a small roasted pork and include white rice and black beans or kidney beans. Vegetarians or vegans have been known to serve alternative entree centerpieces such as a large vegetable pie or a stuffed and baked pumpkin or tofu substitutes. Many Midwesterners ( such as Minnesotans ) of Norwegian or Scandinavian descent set the table with lefse. 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. Spirits or cocktails sometimes may be served before the main meal. On the dinner table, unfermented apple cider ( still or sparkling ) or wine are often served. Pitchers of sweet tea can often be found on Southern tables. Beaujolais nouveau is sometimes served, and 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. See also List of dining events References Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thanksgiving dinner. Jump up ^ History.com Staff ( 2009 ), `` History of Thanksgiving '', History, A + E Networks, archived from the original on January 21, 2018, retrieved November 12, 2017 Jump up ^ Sifton, Sam ( November 15, 2016 ), `` The American Thanksgiving '', New York Times, retrieved November 12, 2017 Jump up ^ Dickson, James G. ( 1992 ). The Wild Turkey : Biology and Management. National Wild Turkey Federation. Harrisburg, PA : Stackpole Books. p. 10. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8117 - 1859 - 2. Jump up ^ Corwin, Tom ( February 5, 2011 ). `` Super Bowl party food need not send diets crashing ''. The Augusta Chronicle. Augusta, Georgia. Retrieved February 6, 2011. Jump up ^ Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation 1620 -- 1647, p. 100. Jump up ^ Lund, Nicholas ( November 21, 2013 ). `` Did Benjamin Franklin Really Say the National Symbol Should Be the Turkey ? ''. Slate. Archived from the original on 2014 - 04 - 27. Retrieved November 22, 2013. Jump up ^ Davis, Karen ( 2001 ). More Than a Meal : The Turkey in History, Myth, Ritual, and Reality. New York : Lantern Books. p. 53. ISBN 978 - 1 - 930051 - 88 - 1. Jump up ^ Smith, Kathy M. ( 2001 ). Gold Medal CCC Company 1538 : A Documentary. Paducah, KY : Turner Pub. Co. p. 98. ISBN 978 - 1 - 56311 - 642 - 1. Jump up ^ `` The Project Gutenberg eBook of The White House Cookbook, by Mrs. F.L. Gillette & Hugo Ziemann ''. Gutenberg.org. 2004 - 11 - 02. Retrieved 2014 - 02 - 13. Jump up ^ FOOD : Decontrolled. Time ( June 23, 1947 ). Retrieved March 27, 2018. Jump up ^ Humes, Michele ( November 23, 2009 ). `` The Way We Ate : The Year Harry Truman Passed on Pumpkin Pie ''. Diner 's Journal. The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2017. Jump up ^ Briggs, Mike ( July 17, 2006 ). `` Regional Farm Bill field hearing : Cape Girardeau, MO ''. U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry. Jump up ^ Hart, Jay ( 2012 - 11 - 21 ). `` Boom ! Catching up with John Madden to talk all things... turducken Shutdown Corner -- Yahoo Sports Canada ''. Ca.sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2014 - 02 - 13. Jump up ^ D'Oro, Rachel ( November 17, 2006 ). `` Alaskan Thanksgiving Feast : Whale Meat ''. Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018. Jump up ^ Duffy, Gillian ( November 4, 2007 ). `` The Globalist 's Thanksgiving ''. New York Magazine. Retrieved 2010 - 11 - 24. Jump up ^ Wang, Frances Kai - Hwa ( November 22, 2009 ). `` Creating our own multicultural Thanksgiving traditions ''. AnnArbor.com. Retrieved 2010 - 11 - 24. Jump up ^ Bo ( November 19, 2007 ). `` The Day the Lees discovered Thanksgiving ''. 8Asians.com. Retrieved 2010 - 11 - 24. Jump up ^ Scee, Timothy ( October 4, 2013 ). Hanukkah Falls on Thanksgiving for the First Time Since 19th Century. Newzjunky.com. Retrieved October 6, 2013. Thanksgiving History and traditions Canada Samuel de Champlain Martin Frobisher Halifax First Nations United States Pilgrims Mayflower Plymouth Colony Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth Rock Native Americans Samoset Squanto Wampanoag Cornucopia National Thanksgiving Proclamation Franksgiving National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation William Penn Sarah Josepha Hale Blackout Wednesday Abraham Lincoln Mourt 's Relation Cuisine Thanksgiving dinner Turkey Deep - fried Tofurkey Stuffing Gravy Butternut squash Apple cider Hazelnuts Cranberry sauce Carrots Mashed potatoes Sweet potatoes Acorn squash Yams Corn Green bean casserole Apple pie Pumpkin pie Pecan pie Sweet potato pie Tamale Songs `` Alice 's Restaurant '' `` Bless This House '' `` Bringing In the Sheaves '' `` Come, Ye Thankful People, Come '' `` For the Beauty of the Earth '' `` Jingle Bells '' `` Let All Things Now Living '' `` Now Thank We All Our God '' `` Over the River and Through the Wood '' `` Simple Gifts '' `` The Thanksgiving Song '' `` We Gather Together '' `` We Plough the Fields and Scatter '' Associated events Cultural Christmas and holiday season Harvest festivals Thanksgiving in film Thanksgiving television specials Winter festivals Lighting of the Macy 's Great Tree World 's Largest Disco Black Friday Parades Novant Health ( Charlotte ) McDonald 's ( Chicago ) America 's ( Detroit ) Oktoberfest ( Kitchener - Waterloo ) Hollywood Christmas ( Los Angeles ) Macy 's ( New York City ) 6abc - Dunkin ' Donuts ( Philadelphia ) Celebrate the Season ( Pittsburgh ) America 's Hometown ( Plymouth ) Protests National Day of Mourning Unthanksgiving Day Buy Nothing Day Sports Football NFL on Thanksgiving Day CFL Thanksgiving Classic English -- Latin rivalry Missouri Turkey Day Game Turkey Day Classic Basketball AdvoCare Invitational Battle 4 Atlantis Wooden Legacy Maui Invitational Tournament Turkey Trots Atlanta Marathon Berwick Run for the Diamonds Buffalo Turkey Trot Dallas Turkey Trot Feaster Five Road Race Manchester Road Race Others National Dog Show Pumpkin chucking Turkey bowling Turkey Night Grand Prix Cuisine of the United States Historical Cuisine of the Thirteen Colonies Thanksgiving dinner Regional List of regional dishes of the United States Allentown, Pennsylvania Appalachia California Cincinnati Kentucky Hawaii Mid-Atlantic Midwestern Chicago New England New Jersey New Mexico New Orleans New York City Omaha Pacific Northwest Philadelphia Puerto Rico Southern St. Louis Cajun Creole Lowcountry Texas Barbecue in Texas Tex - Mex Floribbean Southwest Western Ethnic American Chinese Greek American Soul food Native American Pennsylvania Dutch Asian Indian American Italian American Tlingit List articles American foods American breads American cheeses American desserts American regional and fusion cuisines American sandwiches Foods of the Southern United States Soul foods and dishes Miscellaneous Barbecue Christmas food Fast food Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thanksgiving_dinner&oldid=832688262 '' Categories : American cuisine Canadian cuisine Thanksgiving Thanksgiving food Dinner Dining events Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from February 2013 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2015 Articles with unsourced statements from November 2009 Commons category with page title different than on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Español Français Bahasa Indonesia Bahasa Melayu 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 27 March 2018, at 13 : 02. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: name a food you might eat on thanksgiving
Answer: turkey; a large roasted turkey