Thanksgiving Meals and How They Differ
by Monique Beauchamp Doll
According to Britannica, “Thanksgiving Day: Annual national holiday in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Americans generally believe that their Thanksgiving is modeled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people. The American holiday is particularly rich in legend and symbolism, and the traditional fare of the Thanksgiving meal typically includes turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, and pumpkin pie.”
That makes me think . . . why do we eat turkey and stuffing and all the fixings? Does everyone eat this? How about these regional favorites?
- Texans are likely to start the Thanksgiving meal with a tamale that celebrates the Mexican influence in their region. Tamales usually consist of stuffing wrapped in corn husks and then steamed.
- In the South, the Thanksgiving meal is likely to start with pimento cheese, a spicy cream cheese spread usually with roasted red peppers.
- In New England, you might find oysters in your stuffing. It’s a tradition brought by British colonists that settled in America.
- Southerners may likely swop the traditional stuffing to their own version of cornbread stuffing. Some even put sausage or ground beef in their stuffing.
- You can’t go out west and not think of all those vegetarians and vegans. They might not always be prepared healthy, but you’re likely to find Brussel sprout as a staple on west coast tables.
- What about desserts? Key Lime Pie in Florida, Peach Cobbler in Georgia, Pumpkin Pie in Iowa, Blueberry Pie in New Hampshire . . . are you hungry yet?
Regardless of what you and your family eat for Thanksgiving, one thing holds true. It is a time to celebrate the harvest and blessings we all have received this year.
Happy Thanksgiving from Lift2Enrich!