Catch Of The Day: Your Guide To Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving History

History books describe Thanksgiving as a modern-day re-creation of a celebratory meal eaten in 1621. It took place in what is now the state of Massachusetts, and was attended by British settlers and Native Americans.

But the true, current meaning of this sacred American holiday has little to do with the Pilgrims. It can be summed up in a single word: overeating.

Key Ingredients

There are regional variations in the menu, but certain items are more or less required by law. First among them is turkey, which is probably eaten by 95 per cent of American households on that day. Most people wouldn’t even consider eating anything else.

Turkey is not the whole event, or even the main event; indeed, it’s considered woefully incomplete without the traditional side dishes. There are four in all, the first being sweet potatoes, which are indigenous to the Americas (Central America, to be precise).

Sweet Potatoes

The ultra-traditional preparation pairs them with marshmallows, which are dotted on top of the baked tubers to create a sickly-sweet, gooey-brown crust. You have to have been sleeping for the last 20 years to regard this approach as gastronomic heaven, but the link between sweet potatoes and sweet flavourings is eminently sound.

Baking them with maple syrup (as they do in the Northeast), honey, or brown sugar is just as good. Some cooks use fruit, either dried or fresh. In some places, especially in the southern states, sweet potatoes are used to make pies and puddings of rare excellence.

Cranberries

The second essential is cranberries, also indigenous to the Americas (the New England states in this case). Here, too, the standard preparations are on the sweet side. Cranberry relishes are one of the best ways to eat them. They can be very tart but in small doses, they are a perfect, cutting counterpoint to the richness of the rest of the food.

Stuffing

The third essential is stuffing, often called 'dressing' in the US. It's often regarded as being just as important as the festive bird, if not more important. While British stuffing's tend to be fairly standard wherever you go, in the US there are huge regional variations.

In the southern states and in New England, cornbread may be used as the base rather than a standard white loaf. In Minnesota and other states where wild rice is cultivated, that might be used; and in places where long-grained rice is grown, that may find its way into the dressing.

While herbs and ordinary sausages may be used in most places, cooks in Louisiana are more likely to prefer their own spicy andouille sausage and an abundance of pungent spices. They may also use oysters and other shellfish in preference (or in addition) to meat, and in areas with a marked Mexican influence you may find chillies in the mix. You could write a whole book about American stuffing's, and a jolly good book it would be.

Pie

The final essential, just to ensure that no one rises from the table easily, is pie. The expression 'as American as apple pie' is not quite accurate, because it's pie in all its forms that Americans adore - and never more than on Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin pie is hallowed ground in much of the country, though in some places the obligatory pumpkin might appear as a side dish or a pudding. Pumpkin in pies is an acquired taste, but those who love it will throw plates around if they don't get at least two slices. Apple, peach and various berry pies may also be eaten, while south-western cooks would rather lose a limb than omit a rich, gooey pecan pie from the menu. For four people, it's best to make at least four pies.

Family Time

There's another dimension to Thanksgiving that's just as important as gluttony. Thanksgiving is the day when most people will do anything to be with their families, or with whomever they regard as their nearest and dearest - even if they have to travel 3,000 miles to get there. It isn't grossly commercial. It isn't religious. It isn't patriotic. It involves no present-giving or decoration-shopping.

In millions of households it's followed by a semi-comatose afternoon of watching football games on television, but that's just part of the laid-back approach that makes Thanksgiving the best holiday in the American calendar. No self-respecting American would miss it for a million bucks. And if a million calories enter the equation, so much the better.

Recipes

You don't need to be American to indulge in the great Thanksgiving feast.

Give these recipes a go: