:Thanksgiving dinner

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The tradition of Thanksgiving dinner has often been associated in popular culture with New England. New England Puritans proclaimed days of thanksgiving to commemorate many specific events. Such days were marked by religious observances, prayer, and sometimes fasting. Church records of the time do not mention food or feasting as being part of such events. A single exception records that following church services in 1636, there was "then making merry to the creatures, the poorer sort being invited of the richer."

On December 11, 1621, Governor Edward Winslow of the Plymouth Colony wrote a letter in hopes of attracting more colonists. In it, he described a three-day feast shared by the Plymouth settlers and the local Wampanoag tribe. Winslow sent out four men who provided a variety of fowls, sufficient to feed the colony for a week, while Massasoit's hunters killed five deer. In the 19th century, this event became associated with the idea of a Thanksgiving feast. In a footnote in 1841, Alexander Young claimed that this event "was the first thanksgiving, the harvest festival of New England". Jamestown, Virginia, and other locations have also been suggested as sites of the "First Thanksgiving".

Most of what was served, however, according to some historians, as referenced in a letter from Edward Winslow written on 11 December 1621, would have been seafood, including lobster, fish, eels, mussels and oysters. Mussels in particular were abundant in New England and could be easily harvested because they clung to rocks along the shoreline.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-19 |title=What Was Eaten at the First Thanksgiving? |url=https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/first-thanksgiving-meal |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=HISTORY |language=en}}

One of the most persistent advocates for Thanksgiving as a national holiday was writer Sarah Josepha Hale. Although she advocated for Thanksgiving in editorials in Godey's Lady's Book from 1837 onwards, Hale did not associate the Pilgrims with Thanksgiving until a brief mention in 1865. In "America's Thanksgiving Hymn", published in 1872, she credited the Pilgrims as being "free to do and pray, And keep in sober gladness Their first Thanksgiving Day". Hale did not suggest that the Pilgrim thanksgiving included feasting.{{cite web |title=THE THANKSGIVING EDITORIALSOF SARAH JOSEPHA HALEFROM THE PAGES OF GODEY'S LADY'S BOOK |url=https://pilgrimhall.org/pdf/SJH_Editorials.pdf |website=Pilgrim Hall Museum |access-date=18 December 2020}}

Other writers were less discerning. Jane G. Austin published a fictional account of the Pilgrims, Standish of Standish, in 1889. Austin described the Pilgrims a year after their arrival as feasting on turkey stuffed with beechnuts, other types of fowl, venison, boiled beef and other roasts, oysters, clam chowder, plum-porridge, hasty pudding, sea biscuit, manchet bread, butter, treacle, mustard, turnips, salad, grapes, plums, popcorn, ale, and root beer. Austin's lavish description disregarded the historical record and the deaths due to starvation and malnutrition that occurred in the Plymouth Colony that winter. Nonetheless, her account was extremely popular. It was repeated by other writers, adapted for plays and public events, and adopted by school curricula. The writings of Austin and others helped to establish the inaccurate image of the Pilgrim Thanksgiving feast in popular culture and make it a part of the national identity of the United States.

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The use of roasted turkey in the United States for Thanksgiving precedes Abraham Lincoln's nationalization of the holiday in 1863. In her 1827 novel Northwood; or, a Tale of New England, Sarah Josepha Hale devoted an entire chapter to Thanksgiving dinner, emphasizing many of the foods that are now considered traditional. Although many other meats are mentioned, "the roasted turkey took precedence on this occasion, being placed at the head of the table; and well did it become its lordly stations, sending forth the rich odour of its savoury stuffing". The tradition of eating Turkey on Thanksgiving dates back to its role as an easily accessible and practical food source during early harvest celebrations.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-29 |title=How the traditional Thanksgiving feast has evolved over centuries |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-the-traditional-thanksgiving-feast-has-evolved-over-centuries |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=History |language=en}} For dessert, "the celebrated pumpkin pie...occupied the most distinguished niche" and was described as "an indispensable part of a good and true Yankee Thanksgiving".

The White House Cook Book, published in 1887 by Fanny Lemira Gillette, had the following menu: oysters on half shell, cream of chicken soup, fried smelts, sauce tartare, roast turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, baked squash, boiled onions, parsnip fritters, olives, chicken salad, venison pastry, pumpkin pie, mince pie, charlotte russe, almond ice cream, lemon jelly, hickory nut cake, cheese, fruits, and coffee.{{cite web|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13923/13923-h/13923-h.htm |title=The Project Gutenberg eBook of The White House Cookbook, by Mrs. F.L. Gillette & Hugo Ziemann |publisher=Gutenberg.org |date=November 2, 2004 |access-date=February 13, 2014}}

A Thanksgiving Day dinner served to the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935 included pickles, green olives, celery, roast turkey, oyster stew, cranberry sauce, giblet gravy, dressing, creamed asparagus tips, snowflake potatoes, baked carrots, hot rolls, fruit salad, mince pie, fruitcake, candies, grapes, apples, clams, fish, and many other foods, along with French drip coffee, cigars, and cigarettes.{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Kathy M. |title=Gold Medal CCC Company 1538: A Documentary |year=2001 |publisher=Turner Pub. Co |isbn=978-1-56311-642-1 |location=Paducah, KY |page=98}}

Sugar, among other food commodities, was rationed from 1942 to 1946.[http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,797966,00.html FOOD: Decontrolled]. Time (June 23, 1947). Retrieved March 27, 2018. In 1947, as part of a voluntary rationing campaign, the Truman administration attempted to promote "Poultryless Thursdays", discouraging Americans from eating poultry or egg products on Thursdays. Because Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, this meant that turkey and pumpkin pie, two Thanksgiving staples, would be discouraged (pumpkin pie because it contains eggs). The National Poultry and Egg Board furiously lobbied the President to cease promoting the plan, culminating in an agreement at the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation shortly before Thanksgiving in 1947. Turkey was no longer discouraged, but Eggless Thursdays remained for the rest of the year, meaning no pumpkin pie was served at the White House dinner that year.{{cite web|url=https://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/the-way-we-ate-the-year-harry-truman-passed-on-pumpkin-pie/|title=The Way We Ate: The Year Harry Truman Passed on Pumpkin Pie|first=Michele|last=Humes|work=Diner's Journal|publisher=The New York Times|date=November 23, 2009|access-date=November 17, 2017}}

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Thanksgiving dinner is tied to the genesis of the first TV Dinner/Frozen dinner in the 1950s: In 1953, the company Swanson had hundreds of tons of turkey left over after thanksgiving due to an overestimation of demand. The solution came by harnessing a frozen meat technology that had been in development since the 1920s, and the proposal was to use the leftover turkeys in a pre-made frozen thanksgiving dinner. The meal was frozen with the food in a partitioned aluminum tray that could then be re-heated, and the meal would have Turkey with gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and peas. The product skyrocketed in popularity and capitalized on the rise of television;fast preparation meant families could eat by the television more easily and this became a social Trend in the United States.{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Smithsonian |last2=Biakolo |first2=Courtney Sexton,Kovie |title=A Brief History of the TV Dinner |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/brief-history-tv-dinner-180976039/ |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}} The dinner's were not simply frozen, but used a flash freezing technology that prevents the formation of ice crystals that alter the texture of meat. Flash freezing was developed in the 1920s after man observed Eskimos throwing fish on ice, and then the technology was later adopted by airlines, when the turkey glut appeared this was the technologies for the pre-made dinners.{{Cite web |last=Farley |first=Jeanine |date=2024-11-23 |title=Seen so often on our urban streets, wild turkeys also made TV dinners proliferate in our freezers |url=https://www.cambridgeday.com/2024/11/23/seen-so-often-on-our-urban-streets-wild-turkeys-also-made-tv-dinners-proliferate-in-our-freezers/ |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Cambridge Day |language=en-US}}

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Turkey is the most common main dish of a Thanksgiving dinner, to the point that Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called "Turkey Day". In fact, $983 million has been spent on turkeys alone in 2024.{{cite web |url=https://www.finder.com/credit-cards/american-thanksgiving-turkey-spend |website=Finder.com |publisher=Finder |access-date=20 November 2024 |title=$983.3 million to be spent on turkey's for Thanksgiving 2024 |date=November 3, 2022 }} Alexander Hamilton proclaimed that "no citizen of the United States should refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day",{{cite book |last1=Schorger |first1=A. W. (Arlie William) |title=The wild turkey; its history and domestication |date=1966 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Norman |page=369}} and Benjamin Franklin had high regard for the wild turkey as an American icon.{{cite book|last=Dickson|first=James G.|title=The Wild Turkey: Biology and Management|year=1992|series=National Wild Turkey Federation|location=Harrisburg, PA|page=[https://archive.org/details/wildturkey00jame/page/10 10]|publisher=Stackpole Books|isbn=978-0-8117-1859-2|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/wildturkey00jame/page/10}}{{cite news|last=Lund|first=Nicholas|title=Did Benjamin Franklin Really Say the National Symbol Should Be the Turkey?|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/holidays/2013/11/benjamin_franklin_turkey_symbol_why_he_hated_the_bald_eagle_for_the_great.html|newspaper=Slate|date=November 21, 2013|access-date=November 22, 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140427083733/http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/holidays/2013/11/benjamin_franklin_turkey_symbol_why_he_hated_the_bald_eagle_for_the_great.html | archive-date = April 27, 2014| url-status=live}} As Thanksgiving Day rose in popularity during the 1800s, so too did the turkey. By 1857, turkey had become part of the traditional dinner in New England.{{cite book|last=Davis|first=Karen|title=More Than a Meal: The Turkey in History, Myth, Ritual, and Reality |url=https://www.upc-online.org/turkeys/more_than_a_meal.pdf |year=2001|publisher=Lantern Books|isbn=978-1-930051-88-1 |page=53|location=New York}}

The domestic turkey eaten now is very different from the wild turkey known to the Pilgrims, Hamilton, and Franklin. Wild turkeys are native to the Americas and evolved around 5 million years ago. At least five subspecies are still found in 48 states, Mexico, and Canada.{{cite web |last1=Mitton |first1=Jeff |title=We nearly ate turkeys to extinction a second time |url=https://www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2018/11/24/we-nearly-ate-turkeys-extinction-second-time |website=Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine |publisher=University of Colorado Boulder |access-date=19 December 2020|date=November 24, 2018}} Today, the southern Mexico subspecies Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo is almost extinct, but in the early 16th century it was taken to Europe from Mexico by the Spanish. Its descendants later returned to America. Twentieth century commercial varieties of turkey were bred from these European descendants.

The Beltsville Small White turkey was bred by the USDA at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland in response to consumer demand for a small (8-15 pound) turkey with more white meat and no dark feathers. It was introduced commercially in 1947 and dominated the market for nearly 20 years.{{cite book |last=Ekarius |first=Carol |title=Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds |year=2007 |publisher=Storey Publishing |isbn=978-1-58017-667-5 }}{{cite web |last1=Elliott |first1=Scott |title=Giving Thanks for the Traditional Thanksgiving Meal |url=https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2019/11/26/giving-thanks-traditional-thanksgiving-meal |website=USDA|date=November 27, 2019 |access-date=18 December 2020}} The Small White was supplanted by the Broad Breasted White turkey, bred specifically for large feasts such as Thanksgiving. These turkeys can grow to over 40 pounds, but the breed must be artificially bred and suffers from health problems due to its size.{{cite news |last1=Gabbatt |first1=Adam |title=Taste of Thanksgivings past: why heritage turkeys are making a comeback |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/nov/21/heritage-turkey-thanksgiving-bird |access-date=18 December 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=21 Nov 2017}} It is estimated that more than 99% of the American turkeys eaten are Broad Breasted Whites.{{cite news |last1=Pomranz |first1=Mike |title=How We All Came to Eat One Type of Turkey on Thanksgiving |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/news/how-we-all-came-eat-one-type-turkey-thanksgiving |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Food and Wine |date=November 25, 2014}} 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 fifth of the overall total coming from Thanksgiving alone),{{Cite web |title=America's turkey pardon is a silly tribute to big agriculture |url=https://www.grid.news/story/360-brief/2022/11/20/americas-turkey-pardon-is-a-fabulously-silly-tribute-to-big-agriculture/ |access-date=2022-11-21 |website=Grid News |date=November 18, 2022 |language=en}} and a per capita consumption of almost {{convert|18|lb}}.{{cite web|last=Briggs|first=Mike|title=Regional Farm Bill field hearing: Cape Girardeau, MO|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-109shrg30130/html/CHRG-109shrg30130.htm|publisher=U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry |date=July 17, 2006}}

Thanksgiving turkey is sometimes stuffed with a traditional savory bread pudding and roasted. Sage is the standard herb added to the stuffing, along with chopped onions and celery.{{cite book |last1=Rombauer |first1=rma S. |last2=Becker |first2=Marion Rombauer |title=The Joy of Cooking |date=1975 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |page=370 |isbn=9780026045704 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C4_5MCUd6ucC&q=turkey+stuffing |access-date=19 December 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Wheeler |first1=Kate |title=Old School Bread Stuffing with Sage |url=https://www.thedomesticfront.com/old-school-sage-stuffing/ |website=The Domestic Front |access-date=19 December 2020}} Other ingredients, such as chopped chestnuts or other tree nuts, crumbled sausage or bacon, carrots, cranberries, raisins, and/or apples, may be added to stuffing. If the mixture is cooked outside the bird, a stock is generally added to prevent it from drying out. A number of cultural and regional factors affect whether this is referred to as "stuffing" or "dressing".{{cite news |last1=Okona |first1=Nneka M. |title=Stuffing vs. Dressing: What You Call It Can Reveal Where You're From |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stuffing-vs-dressing-difference_n_5be30db0e4b0769d24c8176b |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Huffington Post |date=October 26, 2020}}{{cite web |title=The Great Thanksgiving Debate: Stuffing vs. Dressing |url=http://hungrylobbyist.com/thanksgiving-stuffing-vs-dressing/ |website=The Hungry Lobbyist |access-date=19 December 2020|date=November 16, 2016}}

Turkeys prepared as the main course of a Thanksgiving meal are traditionally roasted, though certain cooks and regional preferences may feature a bird that has been grilled, smoked, or which has had its individual cuts braised, or sous vide. In recent years, the popularity of deep-fried turkey has grown substantially, owing to its shorter preparation time and production of a bird with moist interior meat and a crispy exterior skin. Despite its popularity, this method also carries higher safety risks than others.{{cite web |title=Deep Fried Turkey |url=https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/deep-fried-turkey/ |website=Dinner at the Zoo |access-date=19 December 2020|date=September 16, 2019}}

The consumption of turkey on Thanksgiving is so ingrained in American culture that each year since 1947, the National Turkey Federation (and, as far back as 1873, commercial turkey farmers) has presented a live turkey to the president of the United States prior to each Thanksgiving.{{cite news |last1=Hesse |first1=Monica |title=Turkey Pardons, The Stuffing of Historic Legend |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/20/AR2007112002331.html?sub=AR&sid=ST2007112002354 |access-date=19 December 2020 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=November 21, 2007}} These turkeys were initially slaughtered and eaten for the president's Thanksgiving dinner; since 1989, the presented turkeys have typically been given a mock pardon to great fanfare and sent to a park to live out the rest of their usually short natural lives.{{cite web |first=Betty C.|last=Monkman |title=Pardoning the Thanksgiving Turkey |url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/pardoning-the-thanksgiving-turkey |website=The White House Historical Association |access-date=19 December 2020}} However the first "pardon" to a turkey was given by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, and there is a monument in Hartford, Connecticut, to this one.[https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/41578 Jack, First Presidential Pardon Turkey]

File:Gravy.JPG over the turkey and mashed potatoes, etc. An alternative is to ladle it from a bowl|left]]

A traditional side called giblet gravy can be made from the turkey. The giblet is not a specific bird organ, but several that are traditional for the butcher to include in a small bag of turkey parts like the liver, kidney, gizzard, heart, and neck. These can be cooked to create the gravy for a meal.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-11 |title=Turkey giblets: What are they and what do you do with them? |url=https://www.mystateline.com/news/turkey-giblets-what-are-they-and-what-do-you-do-with-them/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=MyStateline {{!}} WTVO News, Weather and Sports |language=en-US}} The gravy can also be made using chicken broth and other ingredients as a base, or from the actual turkey, but not from the giblet.{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Amy |date=2024-11-19 |title=Make Your Thanksgiving Gravy in Advance |url=https://www.eater.com/24299736/make-your-thanksgiving-gravy-in-advance |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=Eater |language=en}} The gravy can be prepared in advance, then reheated on the day. In addition to the turkey giblet, drippings from cooking the turkey can be an ingredient, both of which have a turkey flavor.{{Cite web |author=A. O. L. Staff |date=2023-10-20 |title=I Tried Our 5 Most Popular Thanksgiving Gravy Recipes and Found a Make-Ahead Stunner |url=https://www.aol.com/tried-5-most-popular-thanksgiving-231028033.html |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=www.aol.com |language=en-US}} Thanksgiving gravy is usually a balance of being "thick but pourable" with silky texture and complex flavor. The giblet can also be used to make a stock or as part of the stuffing.{{Cite web |title=What Are Giblets—and How Should You Use Them? |url=https://www.bhg.com/what-are-giblets-8734706 |access-date=2024-12-09 |website=Better Homes & Gardens |language=en}}

File:US Navy 031125-N-0336C-001 Holiday dinners on ship and shore are important memories for past and present Sailors of special times away from home with their shipmates.jpg. Note Giblet gravy, which is normally made from leftover turkey organs. ]]

Entrees other than turkey are sometimes served at Thanksgiving dinner, either alongside the turkey or in place of it as the main dish, depending on preference or availability. Baked ham is served at Thanksgiving in many households.{{cite journal |last1=Lyons |first1=Charlotte |title=Date With a Dish: Turkey Alternatives For Thanksgiving |journal=Ebony |date=2004 |volume=60 |issue=1 |pages=142–150 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kWpXz2okgyEC&pg=PA142 |access-date=19 December 2020}} Roasted goose, duck, or chicken, foods that were traditional European centerpieces of Christmas dinners, are sometimes served in place of a Thanksgiving turkey.{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Andrew F. |title=The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink |date=May 1, 2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199885763 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GZVweuXhZlkC&pg=PT227 |access-date=19 December 2020}} Italian Americans and Italian Canadians might serve capon as the main course to the Thanksgiving meal.{{cite book |last1=Melillo |first1=Judith Lipuma |title=66 South Clinton Street: Recipes and Memories of Growing up Italian |date=April 26, 2019 |location=Bloomington, IN |isbn=9781546254232 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EPuVDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT5 |publisher=AuthorHouse |access-date=19 December 2020}} Irish Americans and Irish Canadians might have prime rib as their centerpiece; since beef in Ireland was once a rarity, families would save up money for this dish to signify newfound prosperity and hope.

Sometimes, fowl native to the region where the meal is taking place are used; for example, Texas Monthly magazine suggested quail as a main dish.{{cite news |last1=Sharpe |first1=Patricia |title=Your Bird Here |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/your-bird-here/ |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Texas Monthly |date=November 2008}} In a few areas on the West Coast, Dungeness crab is common as an alternate main dish, as crab season starts in early November.{{cite book |last1=Eder |first1=Michele Longo |title=Salt in Our Blood: The Memoir of a Fisherman's Wife |date=2008 |publisher=Dancing Moon Press |location=Newport, Oregon |page=187 |isbn=9781892076441 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hz_h9T-WMYYC&pg=PA187 |access-date=19 December 2020}} Similarly, Thanksgiving falls within deer hunting season in the Northeastern United States, so venison is forever a centerpiece.{{cite web |last1=Hoober |first1=Sam |date= November 19, 2018 |title=Turkey is Lame: 3 Ways to Serve Venison for Thanksgiving |url=https://www.wideopenspaces.com/turkey-lame-3-ways-serve-venison-thanksgiving/ |website=Wide Open Spaces |access-date=19 December 2020}} In villages in Alaska and Inuit Nunangat, whale meat is sometimes eaten.{{cite news |last=D'Oro |first=Rachel |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/17/AR2006111701022.html |title=Alaskan Thanksgiving Feast: Whale Meat

|date=November 17, 2006 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=January 28, 2018

|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128004312/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/17/AR2006111701022.html

|archive-date=January 28, 2018}}

John Madden, a longtime commentator on televised NFL Thanksgiving Day games, advocated for turducken: deboned turkey, duck and chicken nested inside each other and then cooked.{{cite book |last1=Deutsch |first1=Jonathan |title=We Eat What? A Cultural Encyclopedia of Unusual Foods in the United States |date=May 25, 2018 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |pages=307–308 |isbn=9781440841125 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OGxaDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA307 |access-date=19 December 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/boom-catching-john-madden-talk-things-turducken-222158861--nfl.html|title=Boom! Catching up with John Madden to talk all things ... turducken | Shutdown Corner – Yahoo Sports Canada|last=Hart|first=Jay|date=November 21, 2012|publisher=Ca.sports.yahoo.com|access-date=February 13, 2014}}

At the other end of the spectrum, vegetarians or vegans may choose a tofu, seitan, or lentil-based substitute such as tofurkey,{{cite book |last1=Lehmkuhl |first1=Vance |title=V for Veg: The Best of Philly's Vegan Food Column |date=July 1, 2016 |publisher=Sullivan Street Press |isbn=9780996349161 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SfoZDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT71 |access-date=19 December 2020}} or serve vegetable-based dishes such as stuffed squash, which are more often considered sides.{{cite news |last1=Lund |first1=Laurel |title=Giving Thanks for the Journey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vgQAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6 |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Vegetarian Times |issue=November |date=2003|page=6}} Vegetarian menus for Thanksgiving date back to at least 1897, when they were discussed by the Vegetarian Club of the University of Chicago.{{cite news |title=Menu of the Vegetarians |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39621011/chicago-tribune/ |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Chicago Tribune|place=Chicago, Illinois |date=21 November 1897|page=46}}

Due to the impacts of immigration in the United States and Canada, an international approach to Thanksgiving has become common. Basic Thanksgiving dishes can be transformed by using flavors, techniques, and traditions from immigrants' own cuisines. Others celebrate the holiday with a variety of standard and multicultural dishes, particularly when there is a crowd to be fed, as guests' tastes can vary.{{cite web|last=Duffy |first=Gillian |title=The Globalist's Thanksgiving |url=http://nymag.com/guides/holidays/thanksgiving/40289/ |work=New York Magazine |access-date=November 24, 2010 |date=November 4, 2007 }}{{cite web|last=Wang |first=Frances Kai-Hwa |author-link=Frances Kai-Hwa Wang |title=Creating our own multicultural Thanksgiving traditions |url=http://www.annarbor.com/passions-pursuits/creating-our-own-traditions-from-lebanese-thanksgiving-to-thanksgiving-eve/ |work=AnnArbor.com |access-date=November 24, 2010 |date=November 22, 2009}}{{cite web|last=Bo|title=The Day the Lees discovered Thanksgiving|url=http://www.8asians.com/2007/11/19/the-day-the-lees-discovered-thanksgiving/|work=8Asians.com|access-date=November 24, 2010|date=November 19, 2007}}

A live raccoon was sent from Mississippi to the White House intended to be served for the 1926 Thanksgiving feast. Calvin and Grace Coolidge decided to keep her as a pet instead and named her Rebecca.{{cite web |last1=Costello |first1=Matthew |title=Raccoons at the White House |url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/raccoons-at-the-white-house |website=White House Historical Association |access-date=26 February 2023 |language=en |date=June 8, 2018}}

When a turkey is skipped entirely, as well as a substitute, this is sometimes called a sidesgiving.{{Cite web |title=In Defense of a Turkey-Less Sidesgiving |url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/recipes/in-defense-of-thanksgiving-with-no-turkey |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=Food Network |language=en}}

File:Thanksgiving Chicken.jpg|Roast chicken

File:Honey glazed ham.jpg|Honey glazed ham

File:Roasted goose full.jpg|Roast goose

File:Turduckenhen.jpg|Turducken, sliced to show layers within

File:Tofurky.jpg|Stuffed Tofurkey

File:Vegan Thanksgiving Plate (3064390588).jpg|Vegan Thanksgiving plate

Many offerings are typically served alongside the main dish. Copious leftovers are also common following the meal proper. Traditional Thanksgiving foods are sometimes specific to the day, and although some of the dishes might be seen at any semi-formal meal in the United States and Canada, the Thanksgiving dinner often has something of a ritual or traditional quality to it.{{cite journal |last1=Wallendorf |first1=Melanie |last2=Arnould |first2=Eric J. |title="We Gather Together": Consumption Rituals of Thanksgiving Day |journal=Journal of Consumer Research |date=1991 |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=13–31 |doi=10.1086/209237 |jstor=2489481 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2489481}} A Thanksgiving dinner consisting entirely of sides with no main meat like a turkey has been called a "sidesgiving" or turkeyless thanksgiving. Sidesgiving is not necessarily implied to be vegetation, but they can be.{{Cite news |title=Mix and Match the Perfect Sidesgiving The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com › 2021/11/11 › dining › vege... sidesgiving from www.nytimes.com Nov 11, 2021 — |date=November 11, 2021 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/dining/vegetarian-thanksgiving-side-dish-recipes.html}}

Many Americans and Canadians would regard Thanksgiving dinner as incomplete without stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, and cranberry sauce. A recipe for cranberry sauce to be served with turkey appeared in the first American cookbook, American Cookery (1796) by Amelia Simmons.{{cite book |last1=Baker |first1=James W. |title=Thanksgiving: The Biography of an American Holiday |date=September 30, 2010 |publisher=UPNE |pages=52–55 |isbn=9781584658740 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AL6-pCFBc28C&pg=PA52 |access-date=19 December 2020}} Commonly served vegetable dishes include mashed winter squash, turnips, and sweet potatoes, the latter often prepared with sweeteners such as brown sugar, molasses, or marshmallows. All three can be served mashed or roasted.{{cite web |title=Healthy Butternut Sweet Potato Casserole |url=https://thecafesucrefarine.com/healthy-butternut-sweet-potato-casserole/ |website=Cafe Sucre Farine |access-date=19 December 2020|date=November 6, 2018}} Other vegetables served may include carrots or parsnips, beets, radishes, asparagus, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and creamed corn.{{cite web |title=Easy Roasted Winter Vegetables|date= November 16, 2016 |url=https://www.simplehealthykitchen.com/super-easy-roasted-winter-vegetables/ |website=Simple Healthy Kitchen |access-date=19 December 2020}}{{cite web |title=Oven Roasted Root Vegetables |url=https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/oven-roasted-root-vegetables/ |website=Tori Avey |access-date=19 December 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Weg |date=October 16, 2017 |first1=Arielle |title=6 Ways to Use Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower This Thanksgiving |url=https://www.cookinglight.com/entertaining/holidays-occasions/how-to-use-brussels-sprouts-and-cauliflower-for-thanskgiving |website=Cooking Light |access-date=19 December 2020}}{{cite news |last1=VanSchmus |first1=Emily |title=The Most Popular Thanksgiving Side Dish In Every State |url=https://www.bhg.com/thanksgiving/planning/thanksgiving-side-dishes-by-state/ |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Better Homes & Gardens |date=November 12, 2020}}

Green beans are frequently served, in particular, green bean casserole. The recipe was invented in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly for the Campbell Soup Company to promote use of its canned cream of mushroom soup. It has since become a Thanksgiving standard.{{Cite news|last=Zraick|first=Karen|date=2018-10-24|title=Dorcas Reilly, Creator of the Classic American Green-Bean Casserole, Dies at 92 (Published 2018)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/obituaries/dorcas-reilly-dead-green-bean-casserole.html|access-date=2020-11-27|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|last=Katz|first=Brigit|date=26 October 2018|title=The Woman Who Invented the Green Bean Casserole|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remembering-dorcas-reilly-inventor-green-bean-casserole-180970635/|access-date=2020-11-27|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en}}

File:Mashed Potatoes (8211829871).jpg|Mashed potatoes

File:Stuffing for Thanksgiving Dinner.jpg|Stuffing (or dressing)

File:Making cranberry sauce - ready to serve.jpg|Cranberry sauce

File:Green bean casserole.jpg|Green bean casserole

File:Brussel-sprouts-with-bacon.jpg|Brussels sprouts with bacon

File:2019-11-28 14 29 08 A bowl of corn laid out for Thanksgiving Dinner in the Parkway Village section of Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg|Steamed corn

File:2019-11-28 14 28 40 A bowl of peas laid out for Thanksgiving Dinner in the Parkway Village section of Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg|Steamed peas with butter

File:Creamed Spinach with Nueske's Bacon.jpg|Creamed spinach with bacon

File:2019-11-28 14 34 38 A bowl of candied yams laid out for Thanksgiving Dinner in the Parkway Village section of Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg|Candied yams

A fresh salad may be included, especially on the West Coast.{{cite news |last1=Hickey |first1=Walt |title=Seriously, who is eating salad at Thanksgiving? |url=https://www.insider.com/do-people-eat-salad-thanksgiving-dinner-america-2018-11 |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Insider |date=November 21, 2018}} A charcuterie board or relish tray, with various cheese, cured meats, crackers, pickles, olives, onions or peppers, is often included either with the meal itself or as a pre-meal appetizer.{{Cite web |last=Lyndes |first=Haley |date=2020-11-12 |title=32 Thanksgiving Charcuterie Boards That Are True Love at First at Bite |url=https://www.popsugar.com/node/47962391 |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=POPSUGAR Food |language=en-US}} Bread rolls, biscuits, or cornbread, the latter particularly in the South and parts of New England, may also be served, and macaroni and cheese is a common side dish in some Southern coastal areas.

Soups may also be served for thanksgiving dinner, especially as an appetizer and example of this is chestnut soup,{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Ellen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ikLRAwAAQBAJ&dq=thanksgiving%20day%20soupos&pg=PA50 |title=Soup of the Day: 150 Delicious and Comforting Recipes from Our Favorite Restaurants |date=2014-09-30 |publisher=Running Press |isbn=978-0-7624-5542-3 |language=en}} creamy shrimp, carrot, or butternut soup.{{Cite book |last=Williams-Sonoma |first=The Editors of |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dvHkDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT26 |title=The Best of Thanksgiving: Recipes and Inspiration for a Festive Holiday Meal |date=2015-10-27 |publisher=Weldon Owen International |isbn=978-1-68188-070-9 |language=en}} Other thanksgiving dinner appetizers include a light salad or more complicated hors d'oeuvres like a mushroom turnover pastry.

Family recipes can be cherished by families for their sentimental taste, and even slight variations can be a cause for disputes and the meals recipes can serve as a platform for family rivalries.{{Cite web |title=Woman Doesn't Follow Her Mother-in-Law's Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe — and Now the Family Is Mad |url=https://people.com/woman-doesnt-follow-her-mother-in-law-sweet-potato-casserole-for-early-thanksgiving-now-the-family-is-mad-8752045 |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=People.com |language=en}}

For dessert, various pies are usually served. Harriet Beecher Stowe described pie as "an English institution, which, transplanted on American soil, forthwith ran rampant and burst forth into an untold variety of genera and species." Pumpkin pie is widely regarded as the most popular and most traditional, but apple pie and pecan pie are also common favorites.{{cite news |last1=Pomranz |first1=Mike |title=The Most Popular Thanksgiving Pie in Every Corner of the Country Are your neighbors pumpkin, apple, or pecan people? |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/news/most-popular-thanksgiving-pie-every-state |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Food & Wine |date=November 20, 2018}} Sweet potato pie, mince pie, cherry pie, and chocolate cream pie are served as well. Its common to serve the pie slice with whipped cream or ice cream, or alternatively a non-dairy substitute.{{Cite web |last=Dineen - |first=Annie |date=2021-11-18 |title=Ranking traditional Thanksgiving desserts |url=https://www.bupipedream.com/opinions/ranking-traditional-thanksgiving-desserts/123651/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=Pipe Dream}} Cookies with fall flavors include variations on pumpkin, carmel apple, gingersnap, and cranberry-oatmeal.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-13 |title=These Cookies Will Be Everyone's Favorite Dessert on Thanksgiving |url=https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/meals-menus/g37201478/thanksgiving-cookies/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=The Pioneer Woman |language=en-US}}

File:Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Crust.jpg|alt=Pumpkin Pie|Pumpkin pie with cinnamon crust

File:Apple pie 16.jpg|Apple pie

File:Pecan pie, November 2010.jpg|Pecan pie

File:Cherry pie with heart in center, on baking rack with other pies (31109649422).jpg|Cherry Pie

File:SweetPotatoPie.jpg|Sweet potato pie

File:The autumn's production of apple cider - Flickr - Cederskjold Photo.jpg

The beverages at Thanksgiving can vary as much as the side dishes, often depending on who is present at the table and their tastes. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, it was usual for Americans to consume hard cider and alcoholic punches. Prohibition in the 1920s restricted legal Thanksgiving options to non-alcoholic beverages such as milk, water and lemonade.{{rp|57}} Pitchers of sweet tea were often found on Southern tables even before prohibition and remain popular.{{cite web |title=8 Things Only Southerners Know About Tea |url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/photos/8-things-only-southerners-know-about-sweet-tea |website=Food Network |access-date=19 December 2020}} Coffee or hot chocolate are also frequently served at the end of Thanksgiving dinner.

Spirits or cocktails may be offered before the main meal.{{cite web |last1=Mattern |first1=Jessica Leigh |last2=Aldrich |first2=Jennifer |title=60 Thanksgiving Cocktails That'll Let You Toast the Holiday in Style |url=https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/g2704/thanksgiving-cocktails/ |website=Country Living|date=Nov 9, 2020 |access-date=19 December 2020}} On the dinner table, unfermented apple cider (still or sparkling) or wine are often served.{{cite web |title=Which Drinks Pair Well With Turkey? |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-drinks-pair-well-with-turkey-759998 |website=The Spruce Eats |access-date=19 December 2020}} Beaujolais nouveau is sometimes served; the beverage has been marketed as a Thanksgiving drink since the producers of the wine (which is made available only for a short window each year) set the annual release date to be one week before Thanksgiving beginning in 1985, and it is said to pair well with the wide variety of food served for Thanksgiving dinner.{{cite book |last1=Sifton |first1=Sam |title=Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well: A Cookbook |date=October 23, 2012 |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |isbn=9780679605140 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jp2ql13yMCkC&pg=PT82 |access-date=19 December 2020}} Thanksgiving marks the initial peak for seasonal consumption of eggnog, which is followed by a larger peak at Christmas.{{cite news |last1=Schwartz |first1=Matthew S. |title=Why Don't They Sell Eggnog Year-Round? People only buy it when it's cold outside |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2011/12/eggnog-season-why-dont-they-sell-it-year-round.html |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Slate |date=December 22, 2011}}

File:Our (Almost Traditional) Thanksgiving Dinner.jpg.]]

There are many regional differences as to what gets served for Thanksgiving dinner. Each state and region has its own preferences,{{cite news |last1=Hickey |first1=Walt |last2=Gould |first2=Skye |title=What Thanksgiving dinner looks like in your part of the country |url=https://www.insider.com/what-america-us-eat-thanksgiving-differences-region-2018-11 |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Insider |date=November 21, 2018}}{{cite web |last1=Vermillion |first1=Stephanie |title=11 Regional Thanksgiving Recipes That Food Bloggers Swear By |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/regional-thanksgiving-recipes_l_5dc48a30e4b02bf5793cdfee |website=Huffington Post|date=November 15, 2019 |access-date=19 December 2020}} starting with the stuffing or dressing traditionally served with the turkey. The common version is some form of mixture of white bread cubes, sage, onion, celery and parsley. Southerners generally make their dressing from cornbread, while those in other parts of the country may opt for wheat, rye, or sourdough bread as the base. The addition of ingredients such as oysters, apples, chestnuts, raisins, and sausage or the turkey's giblets may also reflect regional and historic differences.

File:Bobbie-sub-from-Capriotti's.jpg from a restaurant in Delaware]]

Other dishes likewise reflect the regional, cultural, or ethnic backgrounds of those who have come together for the meal. Many African Americans, Black Canadians and Southerners serve baked macaroni and cheese and collard greens, along with chitterlings and sweet potato pie.{{cite news |last1=Williams IV |first1=John-John |title=Thanksgiving soul food offers a window to African-American heritage |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/food-drink/bs-ts-soulfood-thanksgiving-20161108-story.html |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Baltimore Sun |date=November 8, 2016}} Sauerkraut is sometimes served in the Mid-Atlantic, especially by Baltimoreans of German and Eastern European descent.{{cite news |last1=Tkacik |first1=Christina |title=Sauerkraut is a Baltimore Thanksgiving tradition, and it's good for you, too |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/food-drink/bs-fo-thanksgiving-sauerkraut-20191126-xazuhvzjvzby5jemunw6wird5m-story.html |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Baltimore Sun |date=November 25, 2019}} Many Midwesterners (such as Minnesotans) and Pacific Northwest residents of Norwegian or Scandinavian descent set the table with lefse.{{cite news |last1=Urban |first1=Kelly |title=Holiday Flavors : Lefse is a popular dish in the Midwest |url=https://www.tribdem.com/news/holiday-flavors-lefse-is-a-popular-dish-in-the-midwest/article_f3699486-033f-11e9-80e8-179a437526d9.html |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=The Tribune-Democrat |date=December 19, 2018}} Italian Americans often include antipasti, pasta, and lasagna dishes.{{cite web |title=An Italian-American Thanksgiving |url=https://www.paesana.com/blog/an-italian-american-thanksgiving |website=Paesana|date=November 20, 2019 |access-date=19 December 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Nero |first1=Dom |title=Take It From an Italian: Lasagna Is the Best Thanksgiving Side Dish |url=https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/a25240349/thanksgiving-lasagna/ |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Esquire |date=November 21, 2018}}

Mexican Americans may serve their turkey with mole and roasted corn.{{cite news |last1=Guadalupe |first1=Patricia |title=Turkey and mole sauce? Across U.S., Latino families blend food traditions on Thanksgiving |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/turkey-mole-sauce-across-u-s-latino-families-blend-food-n938556 |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=nbcnews |date=November 21, 2018}} One Mexican-American celebrity cook, rubs their turkey with banana leaves and a spicy paste from Yucutan, and makes a chorizo, pecan, apple, and cornbread stuffing/dressing.{{Cite book |last=Jinich |first=Pati |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mxApSdn5F4MC&dq=thanksgiving&pg=PA11 |title=Pati's Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking |date=2013 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-0-547-63647-4 |language=en}} In Puerto Rico, the Thanksgiving meal is completed with arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), pasteles (root tamales), and potato salad. Turkey in Puerto Rico is often stuffed with mofongo.{{cite news |last1=Daue |first1=Katharina |title=How to Celebrate Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico & the Caribbean |url=https://www.beach.com/food-and-drink/how-to-celebrate-thanksgiving-in-puerto-rico-the-caribbean/ |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Beach |date=November 16, 2018}}{{cite news |title=Arroz con Gandules (Rice and Pigeon Peas) |url=https://socialapps.publix.com/thanksgiving/recipes/arroz-con-gandules/ |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Publix}} Cuban Americans traditionally serve the turkey alongside a small roasted pork and include white rice and black beans or kidney beans.{{cite web |last1=Romero |first1=Bianca |title=What A Cuban-American Thanksgiving Looks Like Thanksgiving but make it Cuban-style |url=https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/what-a-cuban-american-thanksgiving-looks-like |website=Spoon University |date=November 30, 2020 |access-date=19 December 2020}} In Hawaii, the day ties in with traditional Hawaiian period from November to January called Makahiki which, in a similar vein as Thanksgiving Day, was a period of giving thanks to God for "blessing," peace, or good crops, and an important part of this was feasts that featured roast pork, fish, sweet potatoes, nuts, and other vegetables.{{Cite web |title=Makahiki: The Thanksgiving Most People Don't Know About |url=https://overcupbooks.com/blogs/blog-1/makahiki-the-thanksgiving-most-people-dont-know-about?srsltid=AfmBOoqnsYMUVWSmiHvSLK_fGFS8NBnsst7EIB55ITMMGXGRJlYGa_mu |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=Overcup Press |language=en}} The similarity to the American one in colonial New England has similar origins of those living off the land happy to have a good crop and peace. Although celebration of American Thanksgiving dinner started in the 19th century on the islands, in 1946 Aloha Festivals became formalized, and Thanksgiving dinner can now be celebrated twice during this period.

File:US Navy 081127-N-5476H-013 nformation Technician 2nd Class Brandon Hayes serves beverages during the 19th annual Operation Aloha.jpg

Because of the amount of food, preparation for the Thanksgiving meal may begin early in the day or during the days prior. The turkey generally takes hours to prepare, cook, and rest before serving. Many side dishes can be at least partially prepared in advance, and pies may be popular desserts in part because they can be baked days or weeks in advance and stored.{{cite news |last1=Doolin |first1=Hannah |title=Here's Exactly When To Cook Every Dish For Thanksgiving Dinner Time out turkey day down to the minute |url=https://www.delish.com/cooking/a49898/thanksgiving-dinner-prep-timeline/ |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Delish |date=December 8, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Diamond |first1=Madeline |title=Here's when you should start cooking every dish for Thanksgiving |url=https://www.insider.com/thanksgiving-cooking-timeline-when-to-start-each-dish-2017-10 |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Insider |date=November 22, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Mattison |first1=Lindsay D. |title=How to Prep Your Entire Thanksgiving Meal in Advance |url=https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-prep-thanksgiving-in-advance/ |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Taste of Home |date=September 27, 2019}} It is common for family members and friends from different households to bring dishes to a joint meal.{{cite news |title=Hosting Your First Thanksgiving? Consider This Your Stress-Free Guide |url=https://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/thanksgiving/first-thanksgiving |access-date=19 December 2020 |work=Real Simple |date=November 11, 2020}}

File:Thanksgiving dinner plate.jpg

The meal is often served in the early or middle afternoon. Maria Parloa, an early New England domestic scientist{{cite book|title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America|last1=Mooney-Getoff|first1=Mary|publisher=Oxford University Press USA|year=2013|isbn=9780199734962|pages=434–435}} cautioned against eating too early in the day, because of the increased pressure on the cook:

{{blockquote|"During the week preceding Thanksgiving the New England housekeeper is a busy woman. All over the country, but especially in New England, men and women look forward to the holiday as a time for going to old homes,--a family day.... Remember that the chief aim is to produce happiness, and that many of the company will not be wholly happy if the mistress of the household must pass a good part of the day in the kitchen. On this account the greater the preparations made in advance the better, so as to relieve the housekeeper of as many duties and as much anxiety as possible of the holiday."{{cite book |last1=Parloa |first1=Maria |title=Miss Parloa's Kitchen Companion: A Guide for All Who Would Be Good Housekeepers |date=1887 |publisher=Estes and Lauriat |location=Boston |pages=917–918 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X34EAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA917 |access-date=19 December 2020}}}}

File:Turkey Giveaway Event (51703234862).jpg

It is common during this time for increased donations and charity drives to support providing a Thanksgiving meal to those in need, such as unhoused people and shelters.{{Cite web |last=Vitatoe |first=Aaron |date=2024-11-25 |title=Colorado Springs nonprofit seeking donations for warming shelter on Thanksgiving |url=https://www.kktv.com/2024/11/25/colorado-springs-nonprofit-seeking-donations-warming-shelter-thanksgiving/ |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=www.kktv.com |language=en}} Nonprofits such as the Salvation Army run drives to collect basic Thanksgiving dinner food items such as canned foods, stuffing mix, butter, eggs, and turkey or chicken.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.fox10tv.com/video/2024/11/27/salvation-army-seeks-donations-cakes-pies-thanksgiving/ |title=Salvation Army seeks donations of cakes and pies for Thanksgiving |date=2024-11-27 |language=en |access-date=2024-11-27 |via=www.fox10tv.com}} Some food banks will distribute free turkeys to help people trying to assemble a Thanksgiving dinner;{{Cite web |last=Gvozden |first=Rebecca |date=2024-11-25 |title='We sold out the city of Pueblo on turkeys': Care and Share Food Bank distribute almost 3,000 turkeys to families in need for a Thanksgiving Day meal |url=https://www.kktv.com/2024/11/25/we-sold-out-city-pueblo-turkeys-care-share-food-bank-distribute-almost-3000-turkeys-families-need-thanksgiving-day-meal/ |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=www.kktv.com |language=en}} for example, San Diego Food Bank gave out 14,000 turkeys in 2024. Also, some may volunteer to help others have Thanksgiving dinner on that day.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-26 |title=It's not too late to donate or volunteer this Thanksgiving or holiday season in San Diego |url=https://www.cbs8.com/article/life/holidays/donate-volunteer-thanksgiving-holiday-san-diego/509-6579fbf1-f256-40f4-a4c3-303eb2c9dc8e |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=cbs8.com |language=en-US}}

In his 1955 Thanksgiving Day proclamation, President Dwight D. Eisenhower encouraged Americans to use their Thanksgiving for helping those with less. In 1945, on the first Thanksgiving after the end of WWII, he testified before Congress asking for more food aid to Europe.{{Cite web |last=Columnist |first=Star-Ledger Guest |date=2024-11-27 |title=Make Thanksgiving a day of action against hunger {{!}} Opinion |url=https://www.nj.com/opinion/2024/11/make-thanksgiving-a-day-of-action-against-hunger-opinion.html |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=nj |language=en}}

• List of dining events
• Friendsgiving (typically a potluck-based gathering near Thanksgiving Day oriented towards friends)

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{{Thanksgiving}}

{{Cuisine of the United States |state=collapsed}}

Category:American cuisine

Category:Canadian cuisine

Meal

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Category:Dinner

Category:Dining events