Thanksgiving Dinner Conversation: Turkey

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Before Halloween, Stacy Conradt filled us up with trivia treats about our favorite sweets. She's back again for another food series leading up to Thanksgiving.

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2) In Britain, big turkey dinners are often accompanied by Brussels sprouts and/or parsnips as side dishes.

3) It's tradition every Thanksgiving for the President of the United States to save a turkey from slaughter by "pardoning" it to live out its life at a petting zoo. Historians debate the origin of this tradition. Some say it can be traced back to Harry Truman (he's seen in this 1947 photo posing with a turkey, but his papers have no reference of actually issuing a pardon), while others cite a story about Abe Lincoln pardoning his son's turkey, Jack.

4) The turducken is a turkey stuffed with a duck, which is stuffed with a chicken. John Madden is a big fan.

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Other variations include the gurducken, goose stuffed with turkey stuffed with duck stuffed with chicken; the osturducken, ostrich stuffed with turkey stuffed with duck stuffed with chicken; and the bustergophechiduckneaealcockidgeoverwingailusharkolanbler, a bustard stuffed with a turkey stuffed with a goose stuffed with a pheasant stuffed with a chicken stuffed with a duck stuffed with a guinea fowl stuffed with a teal stuffed with a woodcock stuffed with a partridge stugged with a plover stuffed with a lapwing stuffed with a quail stuffed with a thrush stuffed with a lark stuffed with a Ortolan Bunting stuffed with a Garden Warbler stuffed with a single olive. Got that?? [Image source]

5) James "Kibo" Parry created the tofurkurkeyfurky in 2005 "“ by sandwiching a real turkey between layers of tofurkey (tofu turkey).

We'll end this series with two questions. Do any of you have any special Thanksgiving traditions? Do you serve any non-traditional food?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday: Pumpkin Pie. Tuesday: Yams & Sweet Potatoes. Monday: Cranberry Sauce.