One of America's most beloved holidays, Thanksgiving, is approaching. This holiday is strongly associated with a chic table, which is bursting with all sorts of goodies. Each hostess has her signature Thanksgiving recipes, which she gladly treats to all guests. Let's take a peek at American cuisine today and see what dishes sizzle so appetizingly under the lids and languish in the ovens.

Traditional American Thanksgiving Food

For this holiday, the food that was harvested a few days ago is most often prepared. After all, this historical Thanksgiving Day is dedicated to gratitude to God and nature for the harvest that will help to survive the winter.

So most often on the table are mashed potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin pie and, of course, the star of the evening - the baked turkey. This bird is always served with cranberry sauce. Of course, for any other family favorite dishes, you can find a place on the festive table.

Today we will cook a baked turkey, Brussels sprouts and pumpkin pie.

baked turkey

Without this dish, the Thanksgiving table is the same as New Year without a tree. Despite the fact that on this day, according to statistics, Americans eat about 46 million turkeys, there may not be any left in the store the day before the holiday. After all, this bird appears on the table on Thanksgiving Day for 88% of Americans. Anyway, for the next Thanksgiving recipe, we need to start cooking the turkey ahead of time.

For the recipe we need:

1 turkey - 1 turkey
Sage - sage
rosemary - rosemary
Thyme - cumin
parsley - parsley
4 tbsp kosher salt - 4 tablespoons salt (labeled kosher, but any will do).
1 tbsp black pepper - 1 tablespoon black pepper
An onion - 1 onion
2 carrots - 2 carrots
2 celery stalks - 2 celery stalks
Garlic - garlic (head head)
Half of leek - half a leek
A stick of butter - 1 stick of butter (approximately 113 grams)
4-5 slices of pancetta - 4-5 slices Italian bacon (plain bacon will do)

Cooking method:

1. Finely chop herbs (sage, parsley, cumin, rosemary)
2. Mix herbs, salt and pepper
3. Coat the turkey inside and out with the mixture.
4. Wrap the turkey in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 days
5. After 3 days, take out the bird and wipe it from the juice that appeared from
6. Make a “hat” for the poultry breast out of foil (so that the meat does not burn in this place)
7. Cut all vegetables (carrot, celery, leek, onion) and half garlic
8. Chop the leftover garlic, butter and bacon
9. Fry the bacon over medium heat until most of the fat has evaporated. set aside bacon
10. Saute the garlic in the same pan until soft.
11. Stir in garlic and bacon and let cool.
12. Gently place the resulting mixture and pieces of oil between the skin and poultry meat.
13. Stuff the bird with half of the vegetables
14. Bandage the turkey
15. Put the remaining vegetables in a baking dish and place the turkey on top of them.
16. Roast the bird at 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 °C) for 30 minutes
17. Remove the turkey and put a foil cap on the bird's breast
18. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees (177 °C) and bake for another 2.5 hours
19. Roasted turkey should be 180 degrees (82°C) inside the leg and 160 degrees (71°C) at the thickest part of the breast
20. Before serving, cover the bird and let it rest for 30 minutes

Detailed video instruction on how to cook a baked turkey

Useful words in English:

To chop - cut
Herbs - herbs
To combine - mix, combine
To wrap - wrap
To refrigerate - store in the refrigerator, refrigerate
To mold a foil - make a foil mold
To detach - separate, separate
To stuff - stuff
To tie - tie
String - rope, twine

brussels sprouts recipe

This vegetable is not yet very popular in Russian cuisine. However, Brussels sprouts are rich in vitamins and useful substances. So try adding this product to your family menu. And our super-easy recipe will help you with this.

For the recipe we need:
brussel sprouts
Olive Oil (2tbsp)
black peppercorns
sea ​​salt

Our actions:

1. Wash the cabbage, peel it of old leaves
2. Cut cabbage in two
3. Place on baking tray
4. Brush with olive oil
5. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and sea salt
6. Bake at 350 degrees (177°C) for about 30 minutes

Detailed video instruction on how to cook Brussels sprouts

Useful words in English:

To remove - remove, remove
To split - split, divide
To coat - smear
teaspoon - teaspoon
To bake - bake

pumpkin pie

This is a classic Thanksgiving dessert. Sometimes they buy it, sometimes they make it themselves. Most often, however, the crust of the pie (crusting, crust) is bought, for which the hostess herself makes the filling. This recipe uses ready-made crust dough. But we can make it ourselves. All you have to do is mix together 2 cups flour, 1 cup cold milk, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1 cup soft butter (if you don't have soft butter, try melting the required amount of the ingredient in the microwave). The compilers of this Thanksgiving recipe insist that this variation of pumpkin pie is the easiest and most delicious. Well, let's check it out for ourselves.

For the filling we need:
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin - 1 pumpkin puree (15 ounces - 425 grams). If there is no puree, then simply peel the pumpkin, cut it into pieces and boil it until soft. Then remember, and now our puree is ready!
¾ cup of sugar - ¾ cup of sugar
A little bit of salt - a little bit of salt. Or as we say, "salt on the tip of a knife"
2 whole eggs - 2 eggs
1 egg yolk - 1 egg yolk
Buttermilk - kefir
Vanilla - vanilla extract
2 tea spoons of cinnamon

Our actions:
Stage 1 - preparation of the "crust"

1. Arrange the dough in the form on which we will bake the cake
2. Cover the dough with baking paper and sprinkle the beans on it. Don't be scared, we won't eat beans. This is necessary in order for the dough to hold its shape while baking in the oven for the first time.
3. Put the dough in the oven for 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 ° C)

Stage 2 - preparation of the filling
Add and mix all the ingredients from the filling list and pour the mixture into the dough mold

Stage 3 - baking

1. Place the cake back in the oven for 10 minutes (425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 °C))
2. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees (163°C) and bake for another 35-40 minutes
3. Take the dessert out of the oven and let it cool for about an hour.

Detailed video instruction on how to cook pumpkin pie

It may seem that this recipe is only suitable for those who know English at 5+. But in fact, everything is not so hard. Just check our Russian instructions, listen to the words of the chef and you will succeed. Good luck!

Useful words in English:

To stir - stir, shake
To add - add
To fill - fill
To cool - cool down
Filling - filling, filling
To garnish - decorate, garnish
Whipped cream - whipped cream
Cinnamon - cinnamon

Shutikova Anna

Thanksgiving Day: the history of the holiday

At the very beginning, the festival carried a spiritual background - all believers tried to express their gratitude to the Lord for the blessings and joys of life. Today, the celebration has practically lost its purely religious features, becoming generally accepted for all people, regardless of their faith. The most interesting is the tradition of celebrating in the USA, started in the 17th century by the first settlers of the continent who arrived from foggy England.

The ship with the colonists arrived at the North American coast at the end of November, and the people who got on it called their haven Plymouth Colony. The harsh winter in the new place was not easy, and not every nomad could survive the climate change, difficult conditions and many hardships. More than half of them died, and by spring about fifty people remained in the colony. They were given the task of developing marginal local lands. The abyss was not given to them by the friendly and generous indigenous inhabitants of the continent - the Tiskvontum Indians, who shared their secrets of growing various crops on very scarce soils.

Having gathered their first harvest in the fall, the settlers decided to throw a feast to thank God for having mercy on them and helping them cope with all the hardships and difficulties. Of course, the main guests of this celebration, called Thanksgiving, were precisely the Indians.

When to Celebrate Thanksgiving

The first president of independent America, Abraham Lincoln, decided to include this celebration in the list of public holidays. Celebrating Thanksgiving every year on November 26 is his personal initiative. But since then, the traditions have changed somewhat, and now this date falls on the fourth Thursday of November.

In Canada, the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October. It has a very different origin, but is called Thanksgiving. It was first registered on April 15, 1872 and until 1931 was celebrated on the third and fourth weekends of the month.

Thanksgiving Customs and Traditions

Despite the fact that Thanksgiving has long been not only religious holiday in the States, this significant date there is a mass interesting traditions. It is now customary to celebrate it in many other countries of the world, including Russia.

One of the main customs is that it is customary to spend this day with the family, gathering for dinner in parental home. All those present should remember and tell what significant and pleasant things happened during the year, and also join the common prayer of thanksgiving to the Almighty.

DIY home interior decorations

On this bright day, the owners try to make their home more comfortable and festive. Since Thanksgiving is a celebration of the harvest and gratitude for food, it is customary to use natural elements in decorating the house and table. That's why front door usually adorns a wreath-amulet made of autumn leaves, sprigs of needles, dry spikelets and even colorful shreds of fabric.

When serving a festive table, it is best to choose bright dishes, beautiful cotton tablecloths and napkins for guests. An interesting solution would be such a composition as cone turkey, around which you can lay out fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as seasonal flowers. Festive candlesticks will become a symbol of family warmth and unity. A variety of dried flowers, berries, branches and even small decorative pumpkins are used to decorate them.

Thanksgiving Main Dishes and Treats

The dishes served on this day to the table have also become traditional. Appetizing fried turkey with prunes, cranberry sauce is not just a familiar dish, but a real symbol of celebration. It is believed that it was this bird that the colonists managed to shoot and serve as a treat during the very first Thanksgiving Day celebration. And the sweet and sour cranberry sauce (in some families, cranberry jam is used instead) allows you to emphasize the excellent taste of the cooked bird.

As a side dish, it is customary to serve dishes of vegetables, potatoes baked in sour cream sauce are ideal. In addition, it is simply an invaluable storehouse of useful elements, so the inhabitants of Russia willingly adopted this recipe from the Americans.

The list of traditional treats does not end there. In almost all countries, on Thanksgiving Day it is customary to cook pumpkin soup and pie, cornbread, cranberry jelly and pear salad with grapes and nuts, and also serve apple or pear ciderharvested in September-October. These dishes and drinks have become a kind of symbols of fertility, diligence and a rich harvest, which at one time saved the lives of some of the colonists. Delicious sugar cookies were prepared for children, as well as turkey-shaped cookies as a fun table decoration.

Helping others is another integral part of the celebration. On the eve of Thanksgiving, Americans and residents of other countries try to make every effort to charity: feed the poor, donate clothes, as well as useful things to people who do not have enough. In the United States, by mid-November, volunteer points have already been opened in many cities so that citizens can bring money and a variety of products for gala dinner disadvantaged. It's nice that Russians are adopting this experience more and more every year, showing mercy and helping their compatriots.

Turkey presidential pardon

Thanksgiving is the most long-awaited holiday not only for ordinary people but also for those in power. During the reign of the 33rd President of America, Harry Truman, a funny custom arose, consisting in the so-called "pardon" of one of the two turkeys offered to the presidential table. One of the birds is destined to become the main dish of the gala dinner at the White House, and the "pardoned" one is destined for a completely different fate - to live on a special farm until her death.

Sales and parades

The grand New York City parade is another great Thanksgiving tradition that began in the 24th year of the last century at Macy's Department Store chain stores. On the main streets of the metropolis at that time, the first carnival took place with a procession of animals from the local zoo, which meant the beginning of the season of treasured sales before Christmas.

A few years later, at such parades, people began to launch balloons with images fairytale heroes and various animals, which, of course, delighted all participants in the action - from young to old. The atmosphere during the procession is simply amazing. In addition, famous personalities, popular actors and show business stars, talented musicians, as well as illusionists and circus performers often take part in them.

AT Russian Federation The Thanksgiving celebration hasn't gotten that big yet. But who knows, maybe soon on our streets you can watch the same fun performances and fun, designed to raise more money for charity through large sales during the holiday, since today this day has become a symbol of charity in many large cities of Russia, and many families gather around fireplaces and indulge in turkey.

Some Fun Facts About Thanksgiving

• Before the celebration in America, more than 45 million turkey carcasses are sold every year, which were not lucky enough to be among the "pardoned".
• Shops and shopping centers open as early as possible on this day so that everyone has time to buy gifts for relatives and loved ones.
• The Friday immediately following Thanksgiving is referred to as "black" Friday - this is the so-called starting point for the largest Christmas sales.
• No modern parade is complete without inflatable figures of the dog Snuppy - a favorite character of children and adults.
• Bar owners are looking forward to the night before this celebration with special impatience, because it promises them huge profits. This is explained by the fact that Americans who come to their parents at this time also try to see old friends, and there is simply no more convenient place than such establishments for such meetings.
• Even American astronauts, while in outer space, celebrate Thanksgiving in all the rules.
• Canadians spend this holiday earlier - on the second Monday of October.

Outcome

Thanksgiving Day can be another great occasion for all Russians to visit their relatives and gather at one big table. friendly family or to show friendliness and nobility by helping the poor and disadvantaged. Although this holiday has not yet gained such great popularity in our country as in the West, it will never be superfluous to express our gratitude for all the happy moments of life, and also to share the joy of meeting loved ones.

On the last Thursday of November, Americans celebrate one of their most significant celebrations. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in a narrow family circle at a table filled with traditional delicacies. Turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie - this is not a complete list of dishes revered on this day.

Turkey - a symbol of the holiday

No Thanksgiving table is complete without a big, juicy, oven-roasted turkey. The bird has become a symbol since 1620, when the first settlers from England arrived in the New World. The Indians, who helped them survive the winter, brought unusual birds to the harvest festival - Indian chickens. Benjamin Franklin even wanted to make this bird the main symbol of the United States.

There are hundreds of turkey recipes, the most popular of which are:

• American turkey;
• turkey stuffed with cornbread and pecans;
• turkey Vermont with herbs;

American style turkey recipe

• First you need to prepare the marinade:
• Water - 500 ml
• Apple juice - 7 l
• Fresh rosemary leaves - 50 g
• Zest of three oranges
• Garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, bay leaf.

Mix all ingredients and bring to a boil. When the marinade is cold, put the turkey in it for a day. After that, the bird can be stuffed with vegetables - onions, carrots, celery - and sent to the oven, heated to 200. By the way, Americans are very fond of the filling, but they think that if there is a lot of it, the turkey will not fry. Therefore, they decided not to completely put the filling inside, but to cook it separately.

For the recipe for turkey with herbs, you need to mix the ingredients:

• Lemon - 1 pc.
• Bulb - 1 pc.
• Thyme - 10 sprigs
• Rosemary - 5 sprigs
• Sage - 2 branches
• Parsley - 10 branches
• Bay leaf - 4 pcs.
• Vegetable oil

The grated carcass is placed in the oven, heated to 240 degrees and poured with broth every 15 minutes.

Cranberries and pumpkins are the main ingredients

Thanksgiving food is mainly made from vegetables and berries. Traditional turkey is served with regular mashed potatoes. Many dishes are made from pumpkin and cranberries. They are revered by the Americans for the fact that they saved the forefathers-immigrants from starvation.

Cranberry sauce is the perfect accompaniment to a turkey. Grated fresh ginger, orange peel, ground cinnamon, sugar and water are added to the berries. As a result, an unusually fragrant, refined sauce is obtained, ideal for poultry meat.

Thanksgiving in America is characterized by delicious and healthy vegetable side dishes:

• Sweet potato with maple sauce;
• Carrots glazed in port;
• Corn casserole;
• cabbage with bacon;
• Baked sweet potatoes with cheese.

Thanksgiving Dessert - American Pie

Pumpkin pie is the main dessert for the holiday. The pumpkin symbolizes the end of the harvest, so it is a welcome guest on the table at the end of November. Americans love this vegetable and have come up with a million recipes for its preparation.

For one of their main holidays, they cook a pumpkin pie. American pies are known all over the world, easily recognizable by their shortbread base, in which you can put all kinds of fillings. Pumpkin filling is not only very fragrant, bright, sweet, but also healthy!

The air smelled of winter. This means that very soon we will start preparing for the New Year and Christmas. But when the moment comes that allows you to choose without remorse Christmas tree, eat tangerines and wait for the New Year's miracle? In the US, there is a date after which preparations for the holiday season are considered officially open. it Thanksgiving Day when, having gathered at the festive table, it is customary to express their gratitude. But to whom and for what - let's figure it out.

History of Thanksgiving

As we remember from the lessons of history, the first settlers from England arrived on the shores of America in 1620. They landed on the continent in November and established a colony. But the first winter was harsh on the new inhabitants, many of them died. The next year, the local Indians taught these white people how to properly grow crops in the new land. When it was time for the harvest, the first governor of the colonists suggested a day of giving thanks to the Lord. Of course, the Indians were also invited to this holiday, who helped the settlers so much. This day was the first Thanksgiving celebration.

After gaining independence from England, the country's first president George Washington proposed to celebrate Thanksgiving every year on November 26. Over time, this holiday was assigned its own day - the last Thursday of November. The US Congress even passed a bill on this subject in 1941. And so, over time, Thanksgiving has become one of the biggest holidays in the United States. This year it falls on November 26.

Useful words in English

Colonist - colonist, settler
American Indian - American Indian
Thanksgiving Day
Harvest - harvest, harvest
Feast - feast, holiday
Meal - eating, eating
Thursday - Thursday
Tradition - tradition
To celebrate - celebrate

Thanksgiving celebration

Today, Thanksgiving Day is one of the three most important holidays in the United States (the other two are Christmas and Independence Day, which is celebrated on July 4th). Therefore, it is not at all surprising that it is celebrated on a special scale. The whole country is dying: shops and all government offices are closed for this holiday. Many Americans get the day off and the day after the holiday.

Religious people must attend church. The less religious stay at home, watch the parade and cook special American food. There must be a turkey on the table. This is the main Thanksgiving dish. By the way, the turkey is served not just like that, but with cranberry sauce. Each family often has its own secret recipe for such a sauce. According to American tradition, you can find mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, green beans on the table.

On Thanksgiving, the average American eats about 4000 calories. As we remember, 2000 calories is more than enough for a person per day. So it is not surprising that after eating so much, people have difficulty moving and seem to fall into a kind of coma due to overeating. Americans call this condition food coma. By the way, quite a large number of Thanksgiving jokes are devoted to this topic.

All day long, Americans remember what they are grateful for this year. So do not be surprised if on the pages of your foreign friends on social networks you will find long lists that day telling about who and for what they are grateful.

Useful words in English

Sauce - sauce
Cranberry sauce - cranberry sauce
Stuffing - turkey stuffing
Turkey - turkey
Gravy - gravy
Dinner - dinner
Pumpkin pie - pumpkin pie
Leftovers - Leftovers
To carve - cut a turkey

Thanksgiving Traditions

Like any holiday, Thanksgiving has its own traditions that are unique to it.

Useful words

Soup kitchen - free dining
parade - parade
To worship - bow, honor
Charity - charity
To give thanks - thank
Gobble - the sound that a turkey makes; gobble

Thanksgiving Turkey

Let's talk about the main character holiday table. It is believed that the weight of the average Thanksgiving turkey for the holiday is 8-9 kilograms. Therefore, small families sometimes buy only a turkey breast. Of course, it can be difficult to bake such a large bird in the oven. So sometimes you need help with cooking such American food.

That is why it works on holidays telephone hotline, where they will help you not to burn the idea. It is believed that this line has been in operation for about 30 years. On the other end of the wire there are a little more than 50 people who will advise what to do in a critical "turkey" situation. This emergency line operates in November and December. According to the site, they answer more than 100,000 questions about the preparation of the main course during these months. Your question can be answered in both Spanish and English. Moreover, a couple of representatives of the stronger sex also work on the support line. They probably think that only a man can explain to another man how to properly roast a turkey.

For vegetarians, there is also a turkey, although it consists of tofu. And that's what she's called Tofurky(tofu + turkish). Of course, it doesn't look like a real bird. Tofurky can accept different types from sausages to minced meat. But on Thanksgiving they usually buy something that looks a lot like chunks of meatloaf with stuffing. Only this meatloaf has no meat. There are plenty of vegetarian recipes on the internet and in food magazines that you can try to replace the good old turkey.

Useful words

Hotline - telephone hotline
recipe
Frozen turkey - frozen turkey
To defrost - defrost
To roast - bake
Giblets - giblets
Pop-up thermometer - a small thermometer that will stick in a turkey. A small part of this thermometer will pop up when the meat inside the turkey reaches the correct temperature.

Pop up thermometer

We, unfortunately, know this holiday only thanks to television shows and films. Let's see how we get into the spirit of Thanksgiving and see how our people celebrate this day. Good friends from various series.

The series “Modern family” (“Modern family”)

The series “Friends” (“Friends”)

The series “How I met your mother” (“How I met your mother”)

Shutikova Anna

Recipe for roasted turkey stuffed in the oven. Baked turkey with cranberry sauce is a traditional Thanksgiving dish.