THANKSGIVING
“Some hae meat that canna eat, But tve hae meal, and we can eat,
ha* no.' meat, but want it; And sae the Lord be thankit.
—Burns.
Food Thoughts for Thanksgiving
By VERBA E. WILLIAMS
Household Arts Department, Omaha Central High School
EDITOR'S NOTE—The Thanksgiving dinner is in the nature of a tradi
tional feast, and this is as it should be. It is icell that u'e should have
one purely American festival when we gather in family reunion and,
eating the dishes beloved by our forebears, recall the memories of their
sacrifices and efforts.
HANKSGIVING day is very dear to the
hearts of all Americans. This is a day
when our minds are filled with childhood
impressions and early training. When we
think of Thanksgiving we really like to be
old-fashioned for a day at least, and we
somehow want our Thanksgiving dinner to be an
old-time one.
Thanksgiving is a day to be celebrated with the
true harvest home spirit, a day of real thanksgiving
for a bountiful harvest.
Our Pilgrim fathers rested and feasted for one
whole week. They exercised and enjoyed various
recreations. They entertained the Indians for three
days. The food was prepared in large quantities. The
ocean gave them oysters, fish and clams. They
feasted on wild turkey, geese, duck and venison.
Hardships With Compensations
They had cornbread, johnny cake and barley
bread. Rye, oats, beans and peas were plentiful. The
little farm plots had grown all sorts of roots and
herbs, besides parsnips, carrots and turnips, for their
winter's supply’. Onions, melons, cucumbers, radishes,
beets, skirets, coleworts and cabbages were all added
to their winter’s provisions. Many of these vegetables
were used at this week-long festival.
Wild grapes were plucked in large quantities and
were “very sweet and strong” at this time. Apples
sputtered in a row. The cider mug was in common
use at this festal board. Wines were used in mince
meat, much pastry, such as pudding sauces, cakes and
spiced fruit.
New England Thanksgiving Dinner
If one’s ancestors were New Englanders, then a
New England Thanksgiving feast is wanted in Novem
ber. The housewife will probably plan oyster soup
or escalloped oysters; if not oysters, then fish, clams,
lobsters or scallops will find a place in the menu.
Roast turkey appeals to the Yankees and is often
garnished with sausage cakes and Italian chestnuts.
It is said that Priscilla Mullen had no chestnuts, that
she used beechnuts in her turkey dressing.
Sweet potatoes baked or candied are usually a fa
vorite New England dish. Spiced fruit may be
peaches, pears, cherries or apples, but spiced fruit
it must be in some form or other to give a relish to
the meat course. Then come jellies and jams—goose
berry jelly has been a favorite one, but any spread
may be used that happens to be in the fruit cabinet.
Cauliflower with Hollandaise sauce is in good
taste and suggests the Pilgrim influence from Hol
land. Creamed onions, baked squash, diced turnips or
turnip cups are all used for a second vegetable dish.
Succotash sounds too familiar to be forgotten by a
New England woman.
Cranberry sauce, jelly or conserve should be
served with turkey or meat.
Favored Yankee Desserts
Ginger ice cream is a Yankee dish and is a happy
dessert for the Thanksgiving<feaat. Hot apple pie with
Neufchatel cheese or individual pumpkins pies are al«o
a necessary part.
A Thanksgiving pudding of some sort, perhaps a
Puritan pudding or some other delicious steamed fruit
pudding, with fruit, nuts, cider cup or black coffee
complete the New England Thanksgiving menu.
Thanksgiving in the South
The woman raised under southern influence will
probably plnn Virginia roast ham with cider sauce.
She knows just what to add to bring out its delicious
flavor—onions, carrots, parsley, bay leaf, cloves, pep
per corns, paprika and cider are used in just the cor
rect amounts.
It may be that her mind runs to a crown roast of
pork instead of ham; if so, you have a treat coming
in a browned roast topped with button onions and
garnished with potato and baked apples.
(Continued on Opposite Pflge.l
The Thanksgiving Dinner of Yesterday
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F ONE had lived in Priscilla Mullen’s day, the Thanksgiving dinner would have
been in process of preparation many days previous to Thanksgiving. In October,
1621, Gov. Bradford ordered a three days’ feast and celebration. This celebra
tion is said to commemorate the first Thanksgiving feast. Chief Massasoit and
other Indian friends were invited to attend these holidays.
The Indian guests brought an offering of five deer, wild turkeys, geese, ducks, water
fowl; various kinds of fish and vegetables. Combread and barley loaves formed a large
part of the Thanksgiving menu.
The Colonial Thanksgiving usually ended with a state dinner that contained some
f of the following dishes:
, MENU
I »
Clam Chowder Pickles Roast Turkey Brown Gravy
Spareribs (Pork) Spiced Peaches Baked Sweet Potatoes
Boiled Onions Mashed Turnips Cucumber Cups Boston Brown Bread
New England Thanksgiving Pudding
Mousselaine Sauce Hot Mince and Apple Pie Assorted Nuts
Stuffed Dates Black Coffee
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