Hey, Hey! It’s Turkey Day!

Ariela Sagor, Staff Writer

November marked America’s 398th Thanksgiving. It’s kind of mind-boggling when you think about it. 398 years is a long time, and the holiday definitely has changed over the years. The tradition of Thanksgiving dates back all the way to November 1621. The pilgrims had just harvested their first crop in the new world, a huge achievement. They decided to have a feast that ended up lasting for three days. It was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims. They had a hefty meal of berries, fruit, pumpkin, squash, duck, venison, ham, lobster, and clams. (Fun Fact: No turkey was eaten on the first Thanksgiving!)

Modern-day Thanksgiving is very different. Turkey and grandma’s famous pumpkin pie is always a must. As well as mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce, corn on the cob, green beans, and roasted carrots. Yum! Besides the dinner table, Thanksgiving traditions have also changed. Americans always go around the table saying what they are thankful for. It’s always an annual tradition to watch the Macy’s Day Parade, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and football games, and children almost always make paper turkeys at school. 

Thanksgiving is still ever-changing. You won’t believe the creative foods people have served in recent years. For example, there’s mayonnaise roasted turkey, honey roasted sweet potatoes, deep-fried sriracha turkey, bacon-wrapped turkey breast, and fried mashed potato balls. Redbook has many other mouth-watering recipes that are waiting to be served on your Thanksgiving table. 

Another notable Thanksgiving food is the turducken. A turducken is a chicken inside a duck, which is then put into a turkey and cooked all together.  It’s said to have been created in 1895 by a chef named Paul Prudhomme. John Madden made the dish more popular in his Monday Night Football broadcasts.

So on Thanksgiving, as you sit around the table with your family, think about how this simple holiday has changed over the years. It went from berries and fruit to things a little bit more on the crazy side, like the turducken. It’s also important to tell all the friends and family around you how much they mean to you. This holiday only comes around once a year, so make the most out of it each year.