Spiced turkey with lemon and garlic - an American recipe that would be Thanksgiving without turkey.
Thanksgiving Day's Recipes
What to Cook for Thanksgiving?
There are many traditional American and Canadian dishes you can cook for Thanksgiving Day - stuffed turkey and other turkey recipes, pumpkin pie and other pumpkin dishes, and many other dishes made from corn, potatoes, vegetables and other foods. Our website has many food recipes for this holiday, you can choose any of them and cook at home for Thanksgiving, even if you do not live in North America - culinary recipes have no boundaries.
Traditional Thanksgiving Recipes
On Thanksgiving Day in the United States of America and Canada, many dishes are cooked using a variety of recipes. In the USA, they serve stuffed turkey, cranberry syrup, and pumpkin or carrot pie for dessert. Various potato dishes, cheese casserole with corn, salads, pears in chocolate sauce and other dishes prepared from the gifts of nature are prepared for the festive table, hot cider with spices and red wine are served. The Thanksgiving table is decorated with oranges, apples, chestnuts, grapes, nuts and other fruits and vegetables and is complemented by bouquets of orange, gold and red-brown chrysanthemums with sprigs of berries. On Thanksgiving Day in Canada, as in the USA, the turkey is stuffed and baked, as well as apple pie, dumplings with turkey meat and many other traditional recipes.
History and Traditions of Thanksgiving in the USA
Thanksgiving Day is a very popular holiday in the United States. Initially it was celebrated only when there was a rich harvest and was considered religious, but over time it lost its religiousness. For various reasons, the date of Thanksgiving was changed. On December 26, 1941, Thanksgiving became an official public holiday. Thanksgiving Day in the United States is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.
This holiday is associated with the first settlers from England, who traveled for several months to the New World and arrived in November 1620. The winter was very cold. This winter, more than half of the settlers on the new continent died from cold, hunger and disease. The surviving settlers founded a colony and, with the help of the Indians, began to cultivate the land. The next year, 1621, was fruitful.
In the fall, after the harvest, in 1621, the first governor of the colonists proposed dedicating a day of gratitude to the Lord for the bountiful harvest and for the help of the Indians. For Thanksgiving, the elders of the colony invited the Indians who helped them and thanks to whom they survived. The Indians brought with them a bird, which they later called turkey and fried it for the holiday table, which later became a tradition for this holiday.
On Thanksgiving Day, according to tradition, a festive dinner is organized, several generations of the family gather at one table and all those present say words of gratitude to the Lord for all the successes achieved and for all the good things that happened this year. Before Thanksgiving, newspapers publish articles offering help to the homeless and poor, and dinner is prepared for them using the money collected. According to tradition, charitable organizations distribute gifts and organize free lunches for the poor. Tables are installed at stations and in the metro, where anyone can put food that is distributed to the poor and homeless, money, which is then used to order dinner.
After the Thanksgiving holiday, the next day on Friday, this day is called “Black Friday”, the season of Christmas sales begins on the Internet and in stores. In honor of Thanksgiving, holiday parades are held in the costumes of Indians and the first settlers of the 17th century. In New York, the parade is accompanied by huge inflatable toys (heroes of fairy tales, cartoons, etc.). At the end of the celebration, colorful fireworks are displayed over the East River.
History and Traditions of Thanksgiving in Canada
Thanksgiving Day in Canada is a public holiday established by the Parliament of Canada on January 31, 1957. In the beginning, Thanksgiving was a Christian holiday, but then it began to be celebrated throughout the country, regardless of religious beliefs. Thanksgiving Day in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday of October.
The history of Thanksgiving in Canada is somewhat similar to the history of this holiday in the United States - they were both caused by the tragic consequences of the arrival of settlers in North America. This holiday was first celebrated in 1578. The celebration was initiated by Martin Frobisher, whose expedition failed and the survivors were forced ashore. In honor of the rescue of the remaining members of the expedition, a holiday was organized - the first Thanksgiving Day in Canada. The first settlers from France, who arrived in North America at the beginning of the 17th century, also began to celebrate Thanksgiving. Since then, this holiday has become traditional in Canada.
Thanksgiving traditions in Canada are somewhat different from those in the United States. For example, in Canada they do not hold parades in honor of this holiday, but celebrate it mainly with family. At the same time, the holiday is considered a national holiday and is a day off throughout the country. The culinary traditions of celebrating Thanksgiving Day in Canada are quite simple - stuffed turkey, pumpkin pie and many other traditional dishes that were prepared by the first settlers from Europe to Canada are cooked for the festive dinner.