Let's talk turkey! Food at Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a great American holiday for pretty much everyone but the turkey. Many children would agree that the turkey gets a bad deal. On The Muppet Show, the turkey simply refuses to be skewered:

Turkeys go "Gobble, gobble!", but in fact it's people who gobble them up — in great numbers: 46 million at Thanksgiving, and another 22 million at Christmas. To add insult to injury, turkeys are said to be stupid. An old wives' tale suggests that turkeys can actually drown standing in the rain, with their beaks pointed straight up toward the sky. A terrible play or film is called a "turkey", and so is bowling three strikes in a row. We say that addicts "go cold turkey" when they give up their drugs from one day to the next. This, Charles Hodgson thinks, may be because when we roast a whole turkey, there are almost always leftovers available on the spot, without waiting. Finally, we "talk turkey" when we get down to business and discuss things honestly and simply.

Back in the days of the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving in 1621, meat, poultry, venison and fish were the standard fare at a celebration. But what did they eat every day? Nowadays, in festival cooking, at least as much attention is devoted to the side dishes. Come explore the recipes, both traditional and modern, that connect US families to their roots on the fourth Thursday in November.

Anne Hodgson

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