Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving dinner is a significant meal traditionally eaten in the United States and Canada to celebrate Thanksgiving. The meal typically includes a large roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.

History

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in 1621. This feast lasted three days, and it was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims. The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating "thanksgivings"—days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought.

Traditional Dishes

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 peak of 45 million turkeys consumed at Thanksgiving.

Stuffing

Stuffing, also known as dressing, is a traditional part of Thanksgiving dinner. It is generally made from bread cubes or crumbs combined with onions, celery, and seasoning, which is then stuffed into the turkey or served on the side.

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are another staple of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. They are typically made by boiling potatoes until they are soft and then mashing them with butter, milk, and seasoning.

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is a sauce or relish made out of cranberries, commonly served as a condiment with Thanksgiving dinner in North America and with Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom.

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is a dessert pie with a spiced, pumpkin-based custard filling. It is often served during the fall and early winter, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the United States and Canada.

See Also

• Thanksgiving (United States)
• Thanksgiving (Canada)
• Turkey (bird)
• Pumpkin pie
• Cranberry sauce
• Mashed potato
• Stuffing

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