November 21st is an ideal day for National Stuffing Day with Thanksgiving right around the corner. Since we are already thinking about the delicious turkey stuffing that is a traditional part of Thanksgiving dinner.
- The first known documented stuffing recipes appeared in the Roman cookbook, Apicius “De Re Coquinaria.” Most of the stuffing recipes in this cookbook included vegetables, herbs and spices, nuts and spelt (an old cereal). Some recipes also included chopped liver and other organ meat.
- About 50% of Americans stuff their Thanksgiving birds with stuffing.
- There are regional differences with stuffing- in the South cornbread stuffing is popular, and white bread is common is most other parts of the country. Although, there are many variations to ingredients added with the bread.
- The First Thanksgiving lasted for three days.
- At the original Thanksgiving, there was no milk, cheese, bread, butter, mashed potatoes, corn or pumpkin pie.
- The brand Stove Top introduced their famous boxed stuffing in 1972.
- Stove Top now sells around 60 million boxes of their stuffing around Thanksgiving.
- There is no evidence to support that stuffing was served at the first Thanksgiving.
- The original cornucopia was made from a curved goat’s horn
- Thanksgiving was not declared a National Holiday by Congress until 1941
- President Thomas Jefferson did not like the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day.
- In 1924, the annual Thanksgiving parade started in Newark, New Jersey by Louis Bamberger at the Bamberger’s store was transferred to New York City by Macy’s. In New York, the employees marched to Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes.
- The presenting of the live turkey to the President has been a tradition since 1947. The President then pardons the turkey, allowing it to live out its remaining years on a farm.
- Scientists have found fossils suggesting that Turkeys roamed North America 10 million years ago
- When Columbus discovered North America, he thought the turkey was a type of peacock, which roam India.
- Abraham Lincoln chose the last Thursday in November for Thanksgiving.
- The woman behind “Mary Had a Little Lamb” is also responsible for Thanksgiving’s recognition as a national holiday. Writer and editor Sarah Josepha Hale convinced President Abraham Lincoln to officially declare Thanksgiving a national holiday that recurred every year after years of persistent lobbying.
- A Thanksgiving mix-up inspired the first TV dinners. In 1953, a Swanson employee accidentally ordered a colossal shipment of Thanksgiving turkeys (260 tons, to be exact). To get rid of them all, salesman Gerry Thomas took inspiration from the prepared foods served on airplanes. He came up with the idea of filling 5,000 aluminum trays with the turkey – along with cornbread dressing, gravy, peas, and sweet potatoes to round out the meal. The 98-cents meals were a hit, especially with kids and increasingly busy households.
- About 46 million turkeys are cooked for Thanksgiving each year.
- According to the National Turkey Federation, only 88% of Americans chow down on turkey.
- Most Americans like Thanksgiving leftovers more than the actual meal. Fans of the almighty turkey, stuffing, and mashed potato leftover sandwich: You’re in the majority. Almost eight in 10 Americans agree that the second helpings of stuffing, mashed potatoes, and of course pie beat out the big dinner itself, according to a 2015 Harris Poll.
- The Butterball Turkey Talk Line answers almost 100,000 calls each season.
- An estimated 50 million pumpkin pies are eaten on Thanksgiving.
- Black Friday is the busiest day of the year for plumbers. Thanks to all that food we gobble up on Thanksgiving and houseguests stressing out the plumbing system, Roto-Rooter reports that kitchen drains, garbage disposals, and yes, toilets, require more attention the day after Thanksgiving than any other day of the year.
- Miles Standish stuffing stars cubes of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, as well as crumbled pork breakfast sausage, turkey gizzard and turkey heart [source: Guarnaschelli].
- Some Thanksgiving menus feature stuffing made with leftover breakfast: stale bagels. Plain, whole wheat, rye, pumpernickel or even an everything bagel could work. Season as you might a traditional turkey stuffing, with aromatic vegetables (onions and celery), butter and herbs such as parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme [sources: Balsley, Taste of Home].
- Chinese sticky rice — naw mai fan — makes an Asian-inspired stuffing. Sticky rice stuffings are traditionally made with short-grain glutinous rice (the stuff sold in American markets as “sushi rice” works well), combined with shiitake mushrooms (both fresh and reconstituted), lap cheung, egg, shallots and scallions, and seasoned with oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and sugar [source: Chang].
- Popcorn may or may not have been part of the menu at early Thanksgivings (although corn and ground corn are sure to have been), and while you can add it easily to your traditional Thanksgiving menu in the form of popcorn balls or another snack, some people use it as a culinary curveball in their holiday stuffing.
- Maybe you like Twinkies deep-fried, or in Paula Deen’s famous Twinkie pie, or just straight out of the package — there’s no doubt that Americans love them as a snack tradition, but have you considered using them as part of your traditional Thanksgiving holiday meal? That’s right: “The Twinkie Cookbook” includes a recipe for Twinkling Turkey, with a cornbread and Twinkie-based turkey stuffing.
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