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I can’t wait for Thanksgiving. It’s one day where you don’t have to worry about the calorie content of what you’re eating (maybe you should, but most of us probably don’t) – the gorge-fest is encouraged and expected. But what I might be looking forward to stuffing my face with isn’t the same thing you might be looking forward to chowing on – here are a few regional favorites that may or may not show up on your dinner table, depending on where you are.
1. Quail. Texas Monthly suggests that quail is more appropriate as the centerpiece of the meal because it’s native to Texas. Texans, tell us – is Texas Monthly correct? No tryptophan for you?
2. Sauerkraut. Some Mid-Atlantic regions, especially Baltimore, find that this is a staple on the day of thanks. Pre-WWII, Baltimore had a huge German community. Although this may not necessarily be the case now, the tradition lives on, and may I say: yum. I can eat sauerkraut right out of the can. Any Baltimoreans have an extra spot at the table this year? Um, and a plane ticket?
3. Sweet potato casserole (and pie). I don’t need to tell you Southerners that a Thanksgiving without this is practically a crime. I told Neely that my mom made sweet potato casserole for the first time just last year, and I’m glad I relayed that information over e-mail. Had we been face-to-face, I think she might have slapped me.
4. Lefse. I’m told that Midwesterners often have lefse at their Thanksgiving dinner, but I can’t vouch for that myself. I suspect it applies to more Norwegian/Scandanavian areas such as Minnesota. There are a couple kinds of lefse – a thicker, sweet version that is served with coffee, and a thin, tortilla-like flatbread that is used to roll up sausages or fish.
5. Lasagna. If you’re in an Italian-American household, spotting the delicious layered noodle dish on the table shouldn’t be much of a surprise.
6. Beaujolais Nouveau. The first bottles of this wine come out the third week of November every year, leading some people to declare it the Thanksgiving wine. The tradition actually started in Paris – the wine was made at the end of the harvest season to celebrate another successful year, and people would race to the City of Lights to be the first to get the latest batch. By the 1980s the tradition had caught on across Europe, and these days it has even spread to North America and Asia.
7. Sweet Kugel. In some Jewish households, you might find a sweet noodle dish sitting alongside the pumpkin and apple pies. The sweet kugel is made from noodles, eggs, milk, cinnamon, raisins, sweet cheese and sugar (or variations of it). There’s also savory kugel, which is kind of a noodle casserole with onions and other veggies, but that is apparently less commonly found at Thanksgiving.
8. Mole and roasted corn. Mexican Americans sometimes honor their heritage by serving the traditional turkey with a side of mole (the sauce, not the animal) and corn. Yum!
9. Stuffing. OK, stuffing is probably pretty much served at Thanksgiving meals across the board. But it’s what you put in the stuffing that might set you apart from other areas. In New England and other coastal regions, oyster stuffing is the thing. Other areas will throw in apples, raisins, chestnuts, giblets or sausage. I know I’m probably going to get flamed for these, but give me plain old Stove Top. I love it.
10. Turducken. You already know this, I’m sure, but Turducken is a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey. Mmm. I was going to write that those who are celebrating the holiday with John Madden will be feasting on Turducken this year, but that’s not the case. When someone brought a homemade sign to Sunday Night Football last year that said, “JOHN MADDEN, BRING BACK TURDUCKEN,” Madden said that he’s done with the triple-threat and now serves regular old turkey at his Thanksgiving dinners.
So, can you vouch for any of these? And if not these, what item is a staple at your house that might be a little outside of the tried-and-true turkey, potatoes, cranberry sauce and pie?
Comments (83)
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Sauerkraut does seem to be a Baltimore thing. I grew up there and it was always at the Thanksgiving table no matter where I went. But when I met my husband he thought it was weird to have sauerkraut at the table at Thanksgiving – but he’s from Alabama.
posted by Kaycee on 11-23-2009 at 5:23 pm
I am a Texan….and no Quail for me. Althought I am no a native Texas, I am orgianlly from Poland, so a staple at my house on Thanksgiving, is warmed a warm beet side. Its almost like a puree, and it is the Best! And not to worry….Stovetop got it right! Stopvetop is always good!
posted by Katie on 11-23-2009 at 5:23 pm
I am from WI and can vouch for the lefse every Thanksgiving. Both Norwegian grandmothers would make it, and we would usually have it instead of rolls…I can’t seem to find it in CA – I wonder why??
posted by Beth on 11-23-2009 at 5:27 pm
I’m from Wisconsin and have Norwegian blood. We have lefse, but we have the thin kind and roll up some of your meal in it (turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, etc.) or put butter, sugar, and cinnamon in it.
posted by Holly on 11-23-2009 at 5:30 pm
Lefse rocks. Skip the lutefisk, though, unless you have a death wish.
posted by Chris on 11-23-2009 at 5:31 pm
I could eat Stovetop all day long. Also for Southerners ( I’m from Georgia), we have our Pecan Pie. Never have I been to a thanksgiving dinner without seeing (and eating) one.
posted by Kate on 11-23-2009 at 5:38 pm
I have a relative from New Mexico that always served a hominy dish with lots of cheese and green chiles. Now it isn’t Thanksgiving for me unless we have it.
posted by Holley on 11-23-2009 at 5:42 pm
one stuffing type that i just heard about this year is the whitecastel stuffing. Which I must say scares me like a horror movie. It sounds disturbing but so much fun.
posted by Quinn on 11-23-2009 at 5:44 pm
I’m a Native Texan and as afr as eating quail for Thanksgiving, I’m all for it!! Its a tender juicy meat!!
posted by Gilbert on 11-23-2009 at 5:52 pm
I’ve been in Texas for five years and have yet to see quail for Thanksgiving. Maybe if I stay here another decade . . .
I spend Thanksgiving with my lab coworkers; our boss (who’s of Taiwanese extraction) makes turkey marinated in Chinese spices and herbs, most of which she can’t name in English. Best. Turkey. EVER. American-style turkey tastes like dirty cardboard after that.
posted by janeeyre316 on 11-23-2009 at 6:03 pm
I can vouch for the sweet kugel in Jewish households. I lived with an Orthodox Jewish family in Chicago for six years and that made it to the table every time. Quite yummy too, even to a very goyish palate like mine. ;)
posted by Marie on 11-23-2009 at 6:13 pm
The sauerkraut I remember was cooked or at least heated in a crock pot with some sort of meat on the bone…
posted by anomdebus on 11-23-2009 at 6:20 pm
I live in south Texas and have had Mole Sweet potato Cassarole also Beans And Rice My family almost made Lasagna (not because of Heritage, just because) I’ve Heard of things Quail Quite Frequently also things like Chicken,Deer (although Mainly at christmas)beef Brisket and Pretty much every other Meat Including Squirrel, Which I’m surpprised wasn’t on here.
posted by Paul on 11-23-2009 at 6:23 pm
Yeah, the lefse must be more in the MN/WI part of the midwest, because I’m from southeast MI and have never had that in my life. Then again, I’m also not of Scandinavian descent. (I am part German, though, so Christmas simply isn’t Christmas without some lebkuchen. Mmmmmm.)
However, my great-grandparents were originally from TN, so to this day I can’t have Thanksgiving without sweet potato casserole!
posted by Krie on 11-23-2009 at 6:26 pm
Mmmm! Quail is delicious! My grandfather occasionally put venison in his stuffing for Thanksgiving, but that was in Louisiana, not Texas. Javelina (ha-vuh-lee-nuh) can also be yummy, if you know what you’re doing and you cook it properly. And a good sized javelina will serve a whole passel of pilgrims!
Recaptcha: Grandmother Roadshow – a new thanksgiving cooking program?
posted by Megan on 11-23-2009 at 6:28 pm
Stuffing is evil :0)
I second Kate on the pecan pie – we’ve never had a Thanksgiving in Georgia without that on the table. Since marrying my husband, I’ve found a new favorite Thanksgiving dish – cranberry casserole. It’s delicious and simple to make – the perfect combination. I’m going to make it my mission to spread the cranberry casserole love all over Georgia!
posted by Lynley on 11-23-2009 at 6:39 pm
Quinn, White Castle stuffing is AWESOME! Think about it, it’s just meat, bread,and onions but then you add celery, sage, thyme & chicken broth. I’ve made it as an alternate stuffing for the past few years, and people LOVE it! Don’t knock it ’til you try it.
posted by Cari on 11-23-2009 at 6:49 pm
My in-laws (of Polish descent) must always have dumplings on the Thanksgiving table. Not that anyone eats them; their flavor and hardness is so much like a golf ball that they are better served on a tee than a plate.
But that what Grandma Wesoloski always made, so there it sits.
posted by n2y2 on 11-23-2009 at 6:53 pm
Greenbean Cassarole anyone!? It’s a staple at our table, no matter what part of the country we live in!
posted by Steph on 11-23-2009 at 6:57 pm
I am a native Texan. And I will not be eating quail. Turkey all the way.
posted by Chelsea on 11-23-2009 at 6:58 pm
I was born in Texas but feel more mid-Western because that’s where my parents are from and where my relatives are. I have lived in CA for 33 years, since I was 3, so I am definitely Californian too.
I used to have turkey but, for some odd reason, a few years ago I decided I didn’t really like it anymore so now I have ham, glorious ham, smothered with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.
As for stuffing, Stove Top is good, although their Cranberry stuffing leaves something to be desired (and I LOVE cranberries), but I actually way prefer Boston Market. I am not one for all sorts of stuff in my stuffing like apples and whatnot.
I also forgo the pumpkin pie, unless it has lots of whipped cream so it doesn’t taste like pumpkin pie, hah. I don’t generally have a dessert with Thanksgiving unless it’s more ham!
posted by Sarah in CA on 11-23-2009 at 7:27 pm
Saurkraut, Lasagna, & Sweet Potato Pie are all on our T-day table. As is corn bread, a cranberry dish (with walnuts, pineapple, jello and whipped cream), black olives and gherkins, home made apple sauce, green bean casserole and 4 or 5 other veggie dishes. The stuffing has sausage, raisins and pignoli nuts in it. The mashed potatoes are made with marscapone cheese and truffle oil.
Of course there’s fruit and nuts afterwards and before dessert. Don’t even get me started on the desserts.
No skimping on this day.
posted by Sue on 11-23-2009 at 7:34 pm
My mother always cooks sauerkraut with apples for Thanksgiving. We live in Maryland and are of German decent. This year I am cooking dinner for my husband’s family. They are originally from the mid West and are Swedish so their traditional dish is Swedish rice pudding.
posted by Ann on 11-23-2009 at 7:36 pm
I’ve encountered the sauerkraut with my fiancee’s family in Baltimore, and I’m no stranger to sweet potato pie, as well as the pecan pie some mentioned. A staple in my family, where my paternal grandmother is a New Orleans native, is gumbo.
posted by Curtis on 11-23-2009 at 8:13 pm
Huh, and I thought my family was weird for having sauerkraut for Thanksgiving (and all other major holidays). I grew up in Northeast Ohio, and my dad’s side of the family is Ukranian. Thus, kelbasa and sauerkraut at all holidays.
posted by Harry on 11-23-2009 at 8:18 pm
Ewww, kugel! We have it every year and at other meals beside Thanksgiving, and I HATEEE it!!! It’s to sweet and fatty, I prefer the turkey. I feel like a bad Jew- I hate gefilte fish and borscht too.
posted by Leggy on 11-23-2009 at 8:48 pm
I’m a 26 year old native Texan and never have heard of quail for Thanksgiving. Staples are sweet potato casserole, green beans, dressing (not stuffing!), and pecan pie. I’ve also had ham and a Chateaubriand instead of traditional turkey.
posted by Shannon on 11-23-2009 at 10:17 pm
I’m a VA native and can’t think of Thanksgiving without sweet potato casserole. Oh…and the mini marshmallows on top are a MUST!
mmm….I’m hungry now!
posted by KerriD on 11-23-2009 at 10:22 pm
I am as Polish as one can get without actually living there, and we have pierogi every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Potato and cheese, potato cheese and bacon, potato cheese and sausage, kapusta, cottage cheese… All are eaten and awesome. And over the years, I have become one damn good pierogi maker.
posted by mindymoo on 11-23-2009 at 10:28 pm
quail also has trytophan. in fact, there is more tryptophan in beef than turkey. the reason most people get sleepy on thanksgiving is because they over eat.
posted by franklin on 11-23-2009 at 10:49 pm
chow fun. from leong’s in hilo. sadly, thanksgiving is not the same without beef chow fun dry style.
posted by wedschilde on 11-23-2009 at 11:31 pm
I’m surprised no one has weighed in on the stuffing versus dressing issue. I’m a native Georgian and growing up we always had a fabulous cornbread-rosemary-onion dressing that was cooked OUTSIDE THE BIRD! It wasn’t till I went to college with a bunch of Yankees that I learned about this business of cramming nasty white bread into the turkey and calling it stuffing … ick!
recaptcha: grandfather taunts — how appropriate for a time of forced familial togetherness
posted by melanie on 11-23-2009 at 11:36 pm
I can’t conceive of a Thanksgiving without sweet potato pie/casserole! Pecan (pehcahn not pee-can) pie and cornbread are also staples. We might also have kugel, but there are a bazillion kinds, not just the sweet noodle one mentioned in the article :)
posted by Yonit on 11-24-2009 at 12:32 am
I don’t know about the rest of you, but around where I live, our stuffing is made with grinded beef or pork mixed with almonds and those canned black olives, then simmered on the stove top, which is then put in the turkey. Also, it’s traditional in my family to cook the turkey in a dutch oven. Probably tastes better that the normal oven one because it’s always in it’s juices. Yum.
posted by Alan on 11-24-2009 at 12:39 am
I’ve lived in TX my entire life, though my mom and nana are from England. But we’ll have turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potatoe casserole (mmmm marshmallows), stuffing, and some sort of jelly that I’ve stayed away from my entire life, lol. And then pumpkin pie and a delicious chocolate pie that my nana always makes <3
posted by Rachel on 11-24-2009 at 12:50 am
Having grown up in southern New Mexico which boasts some of the largest producing pecan groves in the world, pecan pie was always a Thanksgiving, Christmas, sun rose today staple. Having been enjoying the beauty of the islands the past several years, I now enjoy the wonder of macadiam pie for special occasions. BTW, with regards to those from Georgia, it is pronounced
“pah-kahn” and not “pee-can.”
posted by Hawaiian on 11-24-2009 at 1:07 am
I was born and raised in Iowa to a predominantly Norwegian family, and we definitely do lefse every year. We do the thinner version, and sometimes my mom makes lutefisk to go with it (lutefisk is cod fish that has been salted and soaked in lye for about ten days). My dad is pretty much the only one who likes the lutefisk, but EVERYONE wants lots of lefse. The kids always get in trouble for eating too much.
posted by Melanie on 11-24-2009 at 1:11 am
I am from Georgia and I have taken Quail and stuffed them with onions and celery and then stuffed the turkey with the quail. The first time I did this with my wife’s family I told my in-laws that we had a female turkey. When I was preparing to carve up the turkey I stated that the turkey was pregnant and proceeded to pull out the quail – my mother-in-law freaked out. It was worth it…
posted by Tony on 11-24-2009 at 1:21 am
A lot of hispanic households (minus mine haha) have tamales for Thanksgiving, either as the main or as a side dish.
posted by Barbara on 11-24-2009 at 1:25 am
I’m from Tennessee and we also have Sausage balls, Dressing, Turkey and ham separately for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We also always have Pecan pie.
posted by Rachel on 11-24-2009 at 1:55 am
also; lobster stew in many parts of New England – my favorite part of Thanksgiving! yummmm…
posted by Liz on 11-24-2009 at 1:58 am
My family is Polish/English. I have had lasagna for Thanksgiving because I am vegetarian. I am from New England, and there are lots of Italians there.
I heard Alaskans eat whale.
posted by Christine on 11-24-2009 at 2:02 am
In Oregon we add dried cranberries to the stuffing along with walnuts. We also prefer Berry-type pies instead of cream pies. Oregon is famous for Boysenberry and Blueberry pies. Now that I live in Italy, where turkey is VERY rare, I do stuffed game hens instead.
posted by Kate on 11-24-2009 at 2:30 am
We have a vegetarian option next to the turkey for my vegetarian husband. This year it will be vegetarian pot pie. (homemade).
My son suddenly eats meat from chicken/turkey so he’s covered.
posted by Dee on 11-24-2009 at 8:07 am
A Virginian here as well,
Any proper southern table will have at least one of the following forms of sweet potato:
Pie, Casserole, mashed, biscuits (my personal fav)
My stepdad is a brit, and my mom’s a yankee, we’ve had duck, lamb, haggis, and turkey all at different times.
posted by Andy on 11-24-2009 at 8:18 am
The best thing about being from Baltimore is that we take a little bit from everywhere. At our Thanksgiving you can be sure to find the southern fare (sweet potato everything, green bean casserole), the coastal fare (oyster stuffing, crab soup) and the local fare (sauerkraut, which I coincidentally thought was normal until reading this article)
posted by Jonathon on 11-24-2009 at 8:24 am
I was born and raised in Texas………rural Texas, and we’ve never eaten quail for Thanksgiving. However, we have had cornish hens, which is a big chicken I guess.
And for the record………stovetop sucks.
posted by Crow88 on 11-24-2009 at 8:47 am
Has anyone seen Turduckenish? (Just add a fish in the middle of it) I’ve only heard tales. This vegetarian is disgustingly fascinated by the idea.
posted by Nikki on 11-24-2009 at 9:19 am
Having been born and raised in Georgia, it’s interesting to hear what is customary in other regions of the country. For my family, the big thing is you must have cornbread dressing (not white-bread stuffing). And, Stove Top is a cop-out. It’s a quick & easy side for a meal any other time of the year (but definitely not for Thanksgiving). Oh…and this may gross some folks out…but, don’t forget the giblet gravy! :) Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
posted by ksg211 on 11-24-2009 at 9:19 am
I’m from Baltimore (still live there). Sauerkraut rocks! When I joined the Navy as a teenager, I was very surprised to find out no one else had that on the table for Thanksgiving.
posted by Kevin on 11-24-2009 at 9:23 am
I’m live in Arkansas and we had an early Thanksgiving at my parents on Sunday (we’re having another at my aunt’s on Thursday!). We had: turkey, ham, cornbread dressing with chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, broccoli casserole, mac and cheese, fruit salad, rolls, and for dessert, buttermilk pie (yuk!), pumpkin roll, and a banana cake with brown sugar buttercream frosting (requested by me for my birthday–today!). It was a pretty typical meal for us.
posted by Wendy on 11-24-2009 at 9:30 am
This year will be my first vegetarian thanksgiving, so I’ll be consuming a Celebration Roast rather than the usual fare.
I was always fascinated by the idea of a Turducken, but I could never bring myself to eat any food with the letters “t-u-r-d” anywhere in its name. Somebody shoulda thought a little bit before they coined their new word.
The “captcha” words this time were “Pitfall Henry.” So close, yet so far…
posted by clint on 11-24-2009 at 9:42 am
I’m from Baltimore – and you are correct – Sauerkraut is the staple, along with polish kielbasa. My grandmother used to go to a special deli in downtown Baltimore to get it. However, my family is also Italian-American, so we have lasanga too! :)
posted by Amy on 11-24-2009 at 9:52 am
I am from North Dakota and we have lefse every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m pretty sure South Dakota & Montana are full of lefse eaters as well. It’s not just a MN/WI thing.
posted by amber on 11-24-2009 at 9:58 am
Native Texan! Turkey all the way, along with sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole AND corn bread dressing (what we call our stuffing down here). Its just not right if its not made with cornbread.
posted by Ashley on 11-24-2009 at 9:59 am
I’ve spent nearly my whole life in Alabama, but my parents were both Midwesterners, so we always stuck to the basic Thanksgiving meal: turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, white bread stuffing, canned cranberry jelly, one or two green veggies, and pumpkin pie for dessert. My in-laws on the other hand, have been in Alabama FOREVER, and Thanksgiving with them is incredible: Turkey, Ham, cornbread dressing with chicken, sweet potato casserole, corn fixed at least three different ways, all kinds of peas and butter beans, homemade cranberry sauce, fried chicken, and, since we’re on the Gulf Coast usually one or two seafood dishes, as well– and don’t even get me started on desserts!
…I’m hungry now…
posted by LadyBugg on 11-24-2009 at 10:19 am
I like in Minnesota and come from a heavy Norwegian background. We have lefse every holiday! We espically have it around christmas time, with butter and brown sugar. If you have never had lefse it is avaliable at most grocery stores and is delicious- try some!
posted by Suz on 11-24-2009 at 10:29 am
I’m from North Dakota and we never had lefse at Thanksgiving. We have sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, turkey, dressing (not stuffing and homemade by my dad with sausage), gravy, and scalloped corn. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Old-Fashioned-Scalloped-Corn-2/Detail.aspx
Pretty close recipe, but not quite.
posted by Amber on 11-24-2009 at 10:30 am
There’s always lasagna or baked mostacholli at our Thanksgiving!
posted by KayTee on 11-24-2009 at 10:50 am
A turkey stuffed with sauerkraut and then roasted is fantastically tasty and juicy. What most don’t understand about sauerkraut is that it needs cooking, the longer the better. Cooked with meat of any kind, the sauerkraut sweetens and develops a deep umami. Straight from the can–no!
posted by Alice V on 11-24-2009 at 11:08 am
I’m from a Texas family that fought on both sides of the Alamo, absolutely no quail for me. Stovetop…. tsk tsk, you should be ashamed :) I think I’m the only one in my family who will still eat the Giblet Gravy.
posted by Amy on 11-24-2009 at 11:12 am
Turkeys, the Rio Grande sub-species and Eastern sub-species, are both native to Texas, just like several varieties of quail. So, Texas Monthly strikes out on that front. That said, as a native Texian, mesquite-grilled quail is fantastic.
posted by Tim on 11-24-2009 at 11:31 am
I’m excited to be eating with my boyfriend’s family this year because his mother and sister are vegetarian like me. We’re having a tofurky and I’m making a pumpkin ziti casserole with sage breadcrumb topping.
My Italian family always has a hamburger, rice and green pepper dressing, roasted peppers, cheesy potato casserole with cornflakes on top, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, smoked turkey, bread stuffing w/ giblets, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin and pecan pie and my stepdad makes awesome onion mashed potatoes.
posted by vegebrarian on 11-24-2009 at 11:41 am
Native Texan here, too. No quail, but I do know folks who prefer it over turkey. Stovetop is not allowed at thanksgiving – it must be cornbread dressing – and, please for the love of God, don’t sweeten it! Brisket is big at Christmas and Easter.
posted by tinkerschnitzel on 11-24-2009 at 12:01 pm
My family is PA Dutch, we always have ham, turkey, potato filling, mashed potatoes, corn, string beans, carrots, oyster filling, rolls (a lot of rolls!), cranberry sauce, and then a ton of desserts. I’m full just thinking about it!!
posted by Jaime on 11-24-2009 at 12:15 pm
I’m from Indiana (pretty far from any coast) and we ALWAYS have oyster dressing. It grosses me out and mostly the men in the family eat it, so we call it the “man pan”. I second (or third or fourth) the green bean casserole, mmm good! The one thing we usually always have (besides the basics) is Watergate Salad (aka green fluffy stuff).
posted by Jess on 11-24-2009 at 12:15 pm
I also live and Texas and I know that most people here have never even tasted a Quail, let alone put it on their Thanksgiving menu. I was born and raised in the Dakotas so Quail and Duck always make it to the table. I even remember a Thanksgiving Goose. In addition to that we have German Fried Dumplings served with Ketchup of all things!
posted by Telullah Blue on 11-24-2009 at 12:20 pm
I’m Italian and Swedish, and we traditionally always have spicy Italian Sausage stuffing and rutmus, a turnip puree that I guess is traditionally Swedish.
However, the Italian side of my family has a 4 course meal with lasagna, ham, turkey, pizza, and any other food imaginable.
posted by ABM on 11-24-2009 at 12:20 pm
I don’t understand why they would say quail is more appropriate because it is native to Texas. Turkeys are native to Texas too!
posted by Clay on 11-24-2009 at 1:09 pm
My parents are not native Marylanders so even though my family lives in MD we never had sauerkraut at Thanksgiving until we started having friends over who are native Marylanders, and Baltimorean more specifically. We have the traditional turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, but my Italian-American mother does make lasagna for Christmas. And at Thanksgiving she makes stuffing with sweet Italian sausage in it. It’s the best!
(Oooh, spooky: the reCaptcha says 28,670 spirits. A little late maybe?)
posted by Carrie on 11-24-2009 at 1:42 pm
Several years ago, my niece started dating(and is now married to) a guy whose family is from New Zealand. Since then, pavlova has become part of my family’s Thanksgiving dessert menu. YUMMY!!!
posted by Eli on 11-24-2009 at 1:59 pm
I haven’t had quail since we had it one year at my grandparents house, I took a bite…and bit down on a shotgun pellet.
posted by Patten on 11-24-2009 at 2:33 pm
I always had a great deal going when i was a kid – - my bestfriend’s family always ate early (noonish)and he had a big family full of hunters and fishermen, so there would be a table full of venison, king crab, salmon, elk, etc. Then we would go to my parent’s house for a traditional turkey/gravy/mashed potato dinner in the evening. It was years before they finally caught on to what we were doing.
posted by Andrew on 11-24-2009 at 2:40 pm
In my family, we always add Waldorf salad to the Thanksgiving spread. It’s basically diced apples, mayo, raisins, and walnuts, with a little lemon juice. I used to hate it, but now I love it so much I’ve taken over the task of making it. It definitely wouldn’t be Turkey Day without it.
posted by Chelsea on 11-24-2009 at 2:46 pm
Quail is more of a posh Thanksgiving dish. I was born and raised in Texas and lived on both east and western sides; we either had a ham, a turkey or both. Our dressing was cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes (either a casserole or floating in sweet juices with marshmallows on top), corn, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese (homemade, nothing boxed), broccoli & rice casserole, pecan pie, sweet potato pie, buttermilk pie, sock-it-to-me cake, dump cake and maybe a dirt cake. I have got to get myself to the kitchen.
posted by Kim on 11-24-2009 at 5:16 pm
Native Texan too- no Quail, DUCK! Duck is our thanksgiving meat of choice because it’s moist, darker and more flavorful- I don’t get the cardboard-y taste of dry turkey, is there anything more awful? OH! Also, I make a WONDERFUL sweet potato casserole with a pecan praline on top rather than the marshmallows- it’s SO much better!
posted by Ashley on 11-24-2009 at 5:29 pm
I know of a few families including mine in the Cincinnati area that have some sort of Goetta dish with thanksgiving. A great tradition for sure. My family gennerally uses it as a sausage substitue in stuffing.
posted by OTR on 11-24-2009 at 5:45 pm
My family is Italian American, and while we always have a turkey on Thanksgiving, On Christmas and New Years we almost always have Lasanga, chicken parmigiana, ziti, sausages, meatballs, spaghetti, and canoli and italian creme de cacao cake for dessert.
When my ansestors were immigrants in Brooklyn, at holidays they would serve \poor people’s food\ (turkey and vegetables) for the first course, then get that stuff out of the way for the real food!
posted by Scott the Lawyer on 11-24-2009 at 6:20 pm
I live in western Pennsylvania, and I grew up having sauerkraut at Thanksgiving. It was made by my Polish grandmother who would saute the sauerkraut with sliced onion and caraway seeds. Grandma also had her own way of serving cranberries. We never had the jelly out of the can. Grandma, with her trusty hand grinder, would grind up fresh cranberries, an orange or two, and then mix them with crushed pineapple and some crushed walnuts. Grandma is gone now, but my sister is carrying on the tradition and making both the sauerkraut and the cranberry dish.
posted by Larry on 11-24-2009 at 7:04 pm
I’m a native Texian and we’ve always had turkey, giblet gravy, pecan pie and sweet potato casserole (a double batch this year because it’s so popular & everyone wants leftovers). My cousin is in charge of making Dutch Apple Pie (a recipe from our German Great-Grandma) and my mom makes this incredible dressing with bread cubes, pork sausage and apples. Half the dressing goes in the bird and half out, as our relatives have preferences between dry and moist dressing. My mom is so afraid of anyone else ruining it that she instists on making the dressing herself! We used to include jello and rolls at dinner, but have dropped those items off our menu over the years…there’s far too much other yummy food to eat!
posted by Christi on 11-24-2009 at 8:39 pm
As a Californian relocated to Arkansas, I can confirm on the sweet potato casserole, and also on old-fashioned pies like buttermilk and vinegar(!)– both of which are quite good. As to the *noveau beaujolais* I introduced that tradition to the family, who agree it’s the best wine to pair with turkey ever.
PS: Stacy, we love your lists!
posted by Rick Vosper on 11-28-2009 at 5:13 pm
We have mashed turnips every year at our dinner.
We’re in California, and I’m told that this is a New England thing, which is where my family came from some 70 odd years ago.
They aren’t great, but they really signify Thanksgiving for me…
Anybody else do mashed turnips?
posted by MJ on 11-30-2009 at 1:31 pm
Thanksgiving lunch is always tilapia tacos (cooked outside to keep the kitchen less cluttered). Thanksgiving Dinner is always whole roasted turkey, cornbread and sausage dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, from scratch green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, and rolls. Always a bottle of bubbly too! And… for dessert, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and brownies.
posted by gckittehmom on 12-28-2009 at 11:59 am