Thanksgiving is chock full of food traditions, from roasting a turkey to serving squash and cranberry sauce on the sides. Thanksgiving food traditions are about as American as apple – er, pumpkin – pie. But not all Thanksgiving traditions fall within what most people consider the norm. There are actually quite a few oddball traditions out there that have solid followings. Here are three lesser known food-based Thanksgiving traditions. Will you be serving some of these things on your holiday table this year?
1. The Turducken
Oh, where do we start with the infamous Turducken, made popular by Creole culture in Louisiana. Although no one really knows where it first cropped up, it’s thought that Chef Prudhomme created it in 1983 in Duvall, Washington for the Duvall Days Festival. The basic premise is that you take a de-boned turkey, stuff a de-boned duck inside of that, stuff a de-boned chicken inside of the duck, and then add some sausage and stuffing inside of the chicken. Actually, on second thought you’d probably want to start with the stuffing and the chicken. Either way, it’s an intense dish that’s not for the faint of heart.
2. Crabs on the Coast
In San Francisco, lots of locals opt to ditch the turkey completely and instead pick up some of the local seafood. The Dungeness Crab is a large crab that’s found primarily on the West Coast of North America, and since dungeness crab season begins about a week before Thanksgiving, lots of people have it as their main Thanksgiving entree. The crabs are usually steamed or boiled and served with sweet potato fries and mulled wine after dinner. In fact, dungeness crabs are such a big part of Thanksgiving traditions in the Bay Area, there have even been odes written about them.
3. Chinese Takeout
Chinese takeout isn’t just a Christmas Eve tradition – it’s a pretty popular one for Thanksgiving too. For those that aren’t terribly inclined to cook a full Thanksgiving meal, Chinese food makes an appealing alternative. There’s almost always one Chinese takeout restaurant open and available nearby, and who can turn down Szechuan beef, sweet and sour chicken, or Peking duck – even if it is on Thanksgiving day.
If you’d rather cook your own food, but you’re in the mood to try something different, you could always try to cook your own Chinese inspired Thanksgiving meal. ChiChi Wang at Serious Eats came up with a few great menu ideas that perfectly marry Thanksgiving traditions with signature Chinese food style.
Does your family have any unusual Thanksgiving traditions that it celebrates every year? Share it with us in the comments!
