Thanksgiving is a traditional holiday in the United States, Canada and some countries around the world. This is the day when family members gather together to enjoy a cozy dinner. And the indispensable dish on this day is the fragrant, golden roasted turkey. So besides turkey, what other dishes are on the Thanksgiving menu?
Usually, Thanksgiving is celebrated with a dinner party with family and friends, in which the main dish is roasted turkey (sometimes stuffed with three types of poultry, such as a chicken stuffed into a duck and then stuffed into a turkey).
A traditional Thanksgiving meal will include the following dishes:
The first dish mentioned and also the image associated with Thanksgiving is turkey. Turkey is prepared by cleaning, removing the legs and head, then marinating the chicken with other spices such as wine, ginger, sliced onions and then leaving it in the refrigerator overnight so that the spices can penetrate the meat. Turkey can be added with or without ham, goose and duck or turducken (a dish stuffed with three types of poultry: chicken – duck – turkey, a chicken stuffed into a duck and then stuffed into a turkey).
- Stuffing: Is a mixture of bread, chopped celery, carrots, onions and sage stuffed inside the turkey and then baked. Sometimes chestnuts, chopped bacon or sausage, grapes or apples are also mixed into the stuffing. This is an extremely delicious and attractive dish, often used to stuff turkey or eat with some other main dishes on Thanksgiving.
- Baked goods: The most popular is cornbread, but apple pie, pecan pie, sweet potato pie and pate are also quite popular.
- Potatoes: Whether baked or mashed, potatoes or sweet potatoes, potatoes are still an indispensable element in the Thanksgiving meal. After the protein-rich chicken dish, potatoes are a great starch supplement, balancing the meal. This dish is not only popular in North America in general but also very popular in Asian countries because of its richness and aroma. Potatoes will be boiled with garlic, added butter and fresh milk, then mashed, you can add a little smoked meat depending on your taste.
- Cranberry sauce: Cranberry sauce or cranberry jam is a sauce often served with turkey on Thanksgiving. Cranberries are simmered with sugar until thick, creating a sour sauce to balance the richness of the turkey and mashed potatoes.
- Gravy: The turkey will not be complete if the cook wastes the juices and fat extracted while the meat is roasting in the oven. The gravy is obtained after the roasted chicken has absorbed the spices and aromas of vegetables and herbs, then cooked with flour or cornstarch to thicken. The sweet and rich taste of this sauce is the soul of the turkey, helping the meat not to be bland and boring.
- Green bean stew: Green bean stew was created by the Campbell Soup Company (USA) in 1955. The ingredients of this dish include green beans, cream of mushroom sauce and fried onions. The dish was then warmly received and gradually became part of the traditional American Thanksgiving meal.
- Grilled vegetables: Grilled or stir-fried vegetables served with the main dish on the Thanksgiving table are extremely rich and colorful, they help balance the nutrition of the party, reduce boredom, and taste delicious.
- Pumpkin pie: The end of the year is the time when pumpkins ripen and enter the harvest season. Westerners commonly use pumpkin in their daily meals and on Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie has a base mainly made from flour, butter and milk, baked crispy. The pumpkin filling is smooth and thick, mixed with cream and spices. When served, each slice of cake is often served with a little whipped cream and sprinkled with cinnamon powder.
- Beef potato pie – La tourtiere: This is a traditional savory cake on Canadian Thanksgiving. La tourtiere is made from beef, potatoes, baking powder, unsalted butter, … This dish has a rather elaborate and sophisticated preparation method. When you take a bite of the pie, you will feel the unique flavor with the crispy, fragrant crust, the chewy meat filling inside and the sweet potatoes that stimulate the taste buds.
- Drinks: Thanksgiving also has typical drinks like other big holidays. Depending on each family, their party will have different traditional drinks, but the most popular is still apple cider. Apple cider is essentially non-alcoholic apple juice and is very easy to make. The apples are pressed to get the juice, then boiled, filtered and cooled.
- Candied Yams: The common name for some types of potatoes is yams. It is used flexibly to eat with other main dishes. Use spices, brown sugar and butter in the potatoes and then place marshmallows on top. Then, bake everything to create a sweet and attractive candied yams dish.
