Thanksgiving Day: the typical dishes of the American recurrence

Il Thanksgiving Day (Thanksgiving Day)also known as Thanksgiving, is a holiday of Christian origin that falls every year on November 24th. Celebrated above all in the United States of America, Canada, Panama, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Liberia, it represents the gratitude towards God for what was received during the past year. What better occasion than to do it at the table all together? For those who want to experience Thanksgiving despite not living in America or for those who are simply curious, let’s find out what the typical dishes of this holiday!

The king of Thanksgiving: the turkey

Il Thanksgiving Day is also known as the Turkey Day. It is said that this term originated in the 19th century, at the height of the period of culinary nationalism. Indeed, during this period, Americans particularly prided themselves on having the best ingredients in the world and, consequently, the best food. It was therefore natural to call this day after the true protagonist of the holiday: the turkey.
Turkey is, for all intents and purposes, the main course and one of the most famous Thanksgiving staples. As we often see in the film or in TV series, when family and friends gather at the table for lunch, its size is very large and its appearance is definitely glittering. There traditional recipe it is known in Italy as “American turkey” and does not differ in some respects from our traditional preparations. There Preparationin fact, is so long and laborious that it is preferable to start from the day before the party.

Usually the turkey should weigh at least 5 chili and once chosen it can be marinated for a whole day in brine with various spices, or dry with various aromatic herbs. About the stuffed it depends a bit on family custom: some cook it separately and some stuff the raw turkey as indicated in the original recipe. Inside is usually stale cornbread, rice, celery, garlic, onion, carrot, dried cranberries, butter, and even bacon or sausage. However, there are also smells such as rosemary, sage and thyme. In some areas of the United States, however, it is filled with the chestnut puree. After filling and tying it, the turkey is left to cook for 3 hours and then brushed with the cooking liquid. And There you goyour turkey will be ready and shiny. Just like in the movies.

The typical dishes of Thanksgiving Day

To accompany the baked turkey, the inevitable is the salsa gravy. Composed of the turkey cooking liquid, turkey broth, flour and butter, it is perfect for keeping the turkey moist even the following days. But the protagonist sauce of November 24th is undoubtedly the cranberry sauce. In reality, in the original recipe there is not exactly the classic blueberry but theossicocco, or the so-called “cranberry” (a genus of plants belonging to the Vaccinium) which is found mainly in Wisconsin and Massachusetts. Also inevitable cornbreadthe cornmeal-based bread of Native American origins that lends itself well to picking up various sauces and gravies.

Can’t miss the mashed potatoes, the baked sweet potato puree with a sweet and strong taste. As a side dish you can also often find i Brussels sprouts baked with bacon, a real treat! At the discretion of the hosts, various types of vegetables such as carrots, turnips, beets and salads are not lacking on the table. You can also find the buttered corn on the cob and tasty baked potatoes, sometimes filled with sugar.

To end Thanksgiving day in style, sweets certainly cannot be missing from the typical dishes. We have the autumn Pumpkin pie, the traditional American pumpkin pie; there Pecan Pie (or pecan pie), or the typical American tart composed of shortcrust pastry and filled with corn syrup and bourbon icing (alternatively maple syrup) or the Sweet potato pie, the tart with a filling based on sweet potatoes. For those with a sweet tooth, don’t worry: you can also find the classics cinnamon muffin (cinnamon muffins), i Chocolate brownies and theapple pie. And you, what will you cook for Thanksgiving?