by Diane Walsh

Created on: October 25, 2009

It is difficult to tell what a traditional thanksgiving dinner is today. Many Americans go with the turkey, stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce as the first choice. Families in Texas feast on quail. Families on the west coast indulge on Dungeness crabs. Irish families enjoy a delicious prime rib dinner. The only food listed above that might have been at the first thanksgiving dinner in 1621 is crabs.

The first thanksgiving dinner included: ducks, geese, lobster, clams, bass, venison, green vegetables, dried fruits, corn, beans, squash and corn bread. The corn was served as ersatz bread. The Indians women would boil the corn, knead it into round cakes and fry it in venison fat. Not exactly the buttery corn we enjoy today. The cranberries were not served as whole berries or jelled. The berries were boiled and mashed into a sauce that was served over meat. History books state the men went hunting for fowl, but there is no proof the bird was what we call turkey.

Many families in the South include hominy and deviled eggs with a traditional thanksgiving dinner. Baltimore restaurants list sauerkraut as a staple during thanksgiving. The stuffing, depending on your area, can include oysters, apples, chestnuts, raisins, sausage or giblets.

Your dinner should be what you enjoy eating and what you enjoy cooking. This could be just about anything. What would be considered a traditional ethnic meal could be your answer to a non traditional thanksgiving dinner.

For Irish dinner start off with potato leek soup with Irish soda bread. Followed by Pork Chops in a Jameson Irish whiskey and raisin sauce, served with whipped maple-glazed sweet potatoes, topped with pecans and sided with green beans. The finishing touches would be Irish bread pudding with Baileys Cream sauce. Potatoes were not part of the first thanksgiving because the Irish immigrants had not brought the potato to American at the time.

The Italian families are known for large maybe huge dinners. They start off with the antipasto salad. The Italian buffet includes, but not limited too: ravioli, lasagna, spaghetti, meatballs, and baked ziti. Then they add the turkey, stuffing, corn, potatoes and complete American dinner. This pays homage to their American freedom.

The French roast guinea hens, stuffed with chestnut, and pork sausage, the potatoes and carrots are roasted along with the hens. Sides include creamed spinach and ending with baked apple cake.

Mexican families roast a whole suckling pig, stuffed with apples, pineapples, tomatoes, green olives and oregano. The sides include chorizo and Brussels sprouts.

Chinese enjoy some dim sum along with Peking duck prepared with Asian spices. A crisp fried ginger string beans and coconut yams top off their thanksgiving meal.

Enjoy!

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