The date of Thanksgiving Day celebration in the USA is floating: Americans celebrate this holiday every fourth Thursday of November. By the way, in Canada, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October. It is the "thankgiving celebration" that opens the festive season, which includes Christmas and lasts right up to the New Year.
Ukrainians are in solidarity with their American friends on this issue, so tomorrow everyone in Ukraine will also be able to "thank you" and taste turkeys.
Thanksgiving History
First Thanksgiving at Plymouth (1621) by Jenny A. Brownscombe
The holiday goes back to the very first settlers from England, who arrived on the shores of America in 1620. They landed in what is now Massachusetts and founded Plymouth Colony.
More than half of the approximately 100 arrivals could not survive the harsh winter and perished from cold, starvation and disease. The survivors established a colony and in the spring, with the help of local Indians, who taught them what crops to grow and how to grow on the rocky soil, they began to cultivate the land. A rich harvest was the reward for their efforts.
The first governor of the colonists, W. Bradford, proposed a day of giving thanks to the Lord. After gaining independence and the emergence of a single state of the United States, the first president of the country, George Washington, proposed to celebrate Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday every year on November 26th. In 1941, the US Congress passed a bill according to which Thanksgiving Day should be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.
Who do Americans thank?
Americans traditionally celebrate Thanksgiving with a large circle of family and friends at a richly laid table. Everyone says words of thanksgiving for all the good things that happened in his life. This could be gratitude.
Almighty - for mercy,
- Indians who helped the first settlers survive,
- the outgoing year - for the harvest,
- relatives and friends - for support and help,
- just a personal gratitude of each person for all the good things that happened to him this year.
Thanksgiving Traditions
On the eve of Thanksgiving, it is customary to do charity work to feed those in need.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, the President of the United States holds a solemn ceremony to pardon a turkey. He pardons one of the two birds chosen by the Americans in advance on the White House website, and she goes to the farm. The second (vice turkey) is cooked and served at a gala dinner at the White House.
Last year, then-President Barack Obama pardoned both birds, who will now go to Virginia Tech to live out their lives under student care.
Thanksgiving Parade in New York
On this day, a grandiose parade takes place in New York, the main attraction of which is huge inflatable toys (heroes of fairy tales, cartoons and TV shows) that are carried from Central Park to the entrance to Macy's department store (the organizer of the celebration) - opposite Herald Square. Anyone can watch the parade on TV live.
Why turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie should be on the holiday table
It is believed that on the festive table must be roast turkey with cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes (yam), pumpkin pie and a variety of corn dishes. Earlier, Vesti learned for its readers the top 3 Thanksgiving main dish recipes.
There is a legend about the turkey. Queen Elizabeth was eating a roast goose when she was told the news that an enemy Spanish armada had sunk en route to England. To celebrate, the queen ordered another goose, and since then the goose has become a favorite holiday dish of the British.
But in the colonies, in the USA, there were simply no geese, so the colonists replaced it with a turkey at the first festive dinner. Since then, the turkey has become a symbol of the holiday. In the people, this holiday is even called Turkey Day.
Cranberry sauce was also at the first festive dinner, as the Indians have long used cranberries for healing and dyeing fabrics. The first settlers used cranberries for prophylaxis, so as not to catch any disease, and it was tastiest of all to eat it with game. So cranberry sauce and entrenched on the holiday tables.
As for the pumpkin pie, it is a symbol of the autumn harvest. For many peoples, pumpkin is considered a symbol of fertility, home and prosperity. Although there is an opinion that the modern pie is an adapted version of the dessert at the first dinner. After all, the pilgrim fathers ate just a pumpkin with honey and syrup, since they did not have flour to bake a cake.
The day following Thanksgiving is Black Friday, which begins pre-Christmas sales in stores and on the Internet.
Recipe for roasted turkey stuffed in the oven. Baked turkey with cranberry sauce is a traditional Thanksgiving dish.
The stuffed Thanksgiving turkey is an old American tradition. Why not cook a turkey for us, and use the holiday as an occasion to bring the whole family together or just friends and relatives? After all, cooking a turkey is a kind of ritual that creates a special atmosphere in the house, spreading an alluring aroma, mixed with the anticipation of the holiday. Agree, it's wonderful to eat together a delicious bird and remember family or friendly stories, funny or a little sad. Let me remind you that in the United States Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. This is one of the most beloved holidays among Americans, which they lazily spend with their family and loved ones. And also a kind of prelude to Christmas, because it is after Thanksgiving that Christmas sales begin and preparations for the holiday are in full swing. Turkey preparation and selection It is better to start preparing for Thanksgiving in advance by buying a turkey a few days in advance. First, choose a bird. In order for guests to be full, it is recommended to buy a turkey at the rate of 0.5 kg per guest, but if you get more, don’t worry, the leftovers will not be lost. Since many people buy birds from supermarkets, they are more likely to be frozen. But what you need to pay attention to is the label. The inscription on it fresh, unlike frozen, means that the bird was stored at a temperature of 0 degrees. Natural - a sign that the turkey was not fed with artificial additives, free range - that it was grazed in the wild, organic - that it was not fed with antibiotics. In addition, turkeys can be kosher, which means they have been rinsed in salt water and are therefore very wet. Defrosting a bird Defrost the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cool room. But do not defrost it in a warm room or under hot water. The turkey should be at room temperature. First you need to get the Patroch, which should be folded inside in a bag (if you buy a turkey in a supermarket). Then put the turkey on a plate and on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator. Weigh it or look at the packaging to calculate the roasting and defrosting time. Calculation per serving, defrosting and cooking time: turkey weighing 4-5 kg - for 4 servings - defrosted 65 hours - cooked 3-4 hours turkey weighing 5-6 kg - for 6 servings - defrosted 70 hours - cooked 4-5 hours turkey weight 6-7 kg - for 8 servings - defrosted 75 hours - cooked 5-6 hours turkey weighing 8-9 kg - for 10 servings - defrosted 80 hours - cooked 6-7 hours turkey weighing 9-11 kg - for 12 servings - defrosted 96 hours - cooked 7-8 1/2 hours. Marinated turkey Many people also advise to marinate the turkey before baking - this way it will turn out much more fragrant, tastier and more tender. To do this, soak the whole bird in the composition below for 2-3 days (depending on the size and weight of the bird) and keep it in the refrigerator or cold room during the entire marinating process: For a turkey, weighing 4-5 kg: 6 l water 125 g salt 3 tbsp. l. black peppercorns 1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces 1 tbsp. l. cumin seeds a few sticks of cloves 2 tbsp. l. hot mustard (prepared or powdered) 120 g sugar 2 onions, cut lengthwise into several pieces 4 large cloves of garlic, passed through a press 6 cm ginger root, grated (you can use powder) 1 orange with peel, cut into slices (squeeze the juice in solution, throw slices there) 4 tbsp. l. honey chopped fresh parsley On the morning of the holiday, remove the turkey from the solution, rinse in cold water and dry inside and out with paper towels. Leave the prepared bird in the kitchen for a few hours to come to room temperature before putting it in the oven. Turkey stuffing and preparation for roasting Usually the basis for toppings-garnishes are dried chopped bread, rice, vegetables, minced pork or buckwheat (in the Russian tradition), and vegetables, fruits, berries and mushrooms are often used as part of minced meat. When stuffing a bird, remember that you should not stuff the entire interior with stuffing. It is better to limit yourself to an apple or orange inside the bird, and place the filling loosely under the skin in the neck and on the back. So the filling will be baked. Surplus stuffing can be baked next to the bird or in a separate dish. Turkey is great with apples or oranges. By the way, it will be much tastier if orange slices are pushed under the skin, carefully separating it from the meat. Mix the butter with salt, pepper and herbs and brush the turkey under the skin from the neck down and out. Sewing a bird correctly so that it retains its shape during frying is a high art. Sometimes turkeys are sold with a lot of 'extra' skin, under which you can hide the legs. If this is not the case, simply tie the legs together with a harsh thread. Turn the wings towards the head or tie to the sides. Baking Lay the turkey on its back and wrap it loosely in foil: the envelope should be completely closed, but there should be enough room in it to allow air to circulate around, as if creating an “oven in the oven”. Put in a preheated hot oven and bake at 220 degrees for 40 minutes - this is necessary so that the heat penetrates the turkey and through the filling very quickly. Then lower the temperature to 170 degrees and bake for 3 1/2 hours. After this time, remove the turkey from the oven, unwrap and discard the excess foil. Pour over the juices from under the turkey and increase the temperature of the oven to 200 degrees. Bake, uncovered, for another 40 minutes. Take the turkey out of the oven. Pierce the thickest place with a stick and see how the juice flows - if the juice flows clean without a pink tint, the turkey is ready. Loosely cover the turkey with foil and leave for 45 minutes before serving so that it “rests”, the meat becomes softer, it becomes easier to cut and the juice is distributed throughout the turkey. Roasting time for turkeys of different weights: 3.5-4.5 kg - 30 minutes at high temperature, then 2 1/2 - 3 hours at low temperature, then 30 minutes (not covered) at 200 ° C 6.5-9 kg - 45 minutes at high temperature, then 4-5 hours at low temperature, then 30 minutes (not covered ) at 200 C However, keep in mind that ovens, like turkeys, are all different, and the only way to know if a turkey is done is to test it by piercing it. Traditional cranberry sauce with brandy for turkey Poultry sauces are traditionally made from red currants, cranberries, lingonberries, rowanberries, or other sour berries, with added sugar, spices, brandy, or port wine. On Thanksgiving Day, turkey is usually served with cranberry sauce. The preparation of the sauce does not take much time, only then you need to let the sauce brew for several hours in the refrigerator. Cranberry sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for a long time without losing its qualities. To make cranberry sauce: * 350 g fresh or frozen cranberries (no need to defrost); * 1 medium orange; * sugar to taste; * some inexpensive brandy or cognac; * 1/2 tsp grated cloves or 10-15 sticks; * 1/2 tsp grated fresh or dried ginger. Rinse the cranberries and put them in an enamel saucepan in which the sauce will be prepared. Finely grate the orange zest and add it to the cranberries. Squeeze the juice from this orange and add it to the cranberries too (you can just add 100% orange juice). Add cloves and ginger. Put the cranberries to boil, after boiling, reduce the heat and cook slowly until the cranberries soften (5-10 minutes). Remove the saucepan from the heat and mash the cranberries a little with a fork. Add sugar to taste and 1-2 tablespoons of brandy or cognac. After the sauce has cooled, put it in the refrigerator for several hours. You can make the sauce a day or two before the holiday feast and keep it in the refrigerator.When Americans are asked about their favorite Thanksgiving meal, the majority answer is "turkey stuffing" (stuffing). But you don't have to wait for this holiday to come. You can cook this dish at any time of the year. The filling consists of breadcrumbs, spices and fried meat, which are baked inside a turkey or cooked in a baking dish. Read the article Wikihow to learn how to do it.
What will you need
- large bowl
Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Turkey or roasting dish
Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
4 cups breadcrumbs
8 slices white bread (break it into small pieces)
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups chicken broth
1 large white onion
2 celery stalks
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
250 g pork sausage, minced
Method 1 of 3:
First, mix the filling and fry it in a pan.
- Fry the sausage. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and put the sausage in it. While it is cooking, cut the sausage into small pieces with a fork. Cook it until it is completely brown. Then put the sausage on a plate to drain the fat.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. You will need a large skillet to hold all the ingredients.
3. Cut the onion and celery.
4. Saute the onion and celery over low heat. Stir them with a wooden spoon until the onion is translucent.
5. Add breadcrumbs and broth to skillet. Stir everything well so that the crackers are saturated with broth.
6. Add spices.
7. Add sausage.
8. Add white bread.
9. Remove the skillet from the heat and let it stand.
- If the filling seems too dry, then add 1/2 cup of broth to it.
- If the filling seems too thin, then add more slices of bread to it.
Method 2 of 3:
Bake stuffing in turkey
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Prepare the turkey. Cut off the neck and remove the innards. Rinse the turkey in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Stuff the turkey neck cavity with stuffing. After filling the neck, close it with skin.
4. Fill the carcass with stuffing. Cover the opening with leather, a piece of bread, or tie the legs together.
5. Start roasting the turkey. As a general rule, poultry should be cooked for 20 minutes per 450g (lb) weight. Check the doneness of the turkey with a thermometer before removing it from the oven. The temperature of the legs should be 82 degrees Celsius, and the breasts should be 76 degrees.
6. Take the turkey out and let it “rest” for 20 minutes before removing the stuffing. Serve the filling in a separate bowl.
Method 3 of 3:
Bake the stuffing in a baking dish
1. Lubricate the form.
Thanksgiving Day is a public holiday in the United States and Canada, celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. This holiday has its roots deep in American history, to the very first settlers from England, who arrived on the shores of America in 1620 on the now famous Mayflower ship. They landed after a hard voyage across a stormy ocean in what is now Massachusetts on a frosty November day and founded the Plymouth Colony.
More than half of the approximately 100 arrivals could not survive the harsh winter and perished from cold, starvation and disease. The survivors established a colony and in the spring, with the help of local Indians who had taught them what crops to grow and how to grow on this inhospitable rocky soil, they began to cultivate the land. An unexpectedly rich harvest was the reward for their efforts. The first governor of the colonists, W. Bradford, offered to spend a day of giving thanks to the Lord. For a holiday in the fall of 1621, the Pilgrim Fathers invited the leader and 90 more Indians of the tribe that helped them survive in unfamiliar conditions. This meal, shared with the Indians, was the first Thanksgiving celebration. Subsequently, the colonists celebrated a good harvest with occasional Thanksgiving festivities.
After gaining independence and the emergence of a single state of the United States, the first president of the country, George Washington, proposed to celebrate Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday annually on November 26th. In 1864, at the end of the Civil War, A. Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November each year as Thanksgiving Day. In 1939, F. D. Roosevelt replaced this date with the penultimate Thursday of November, but his declaration was not binding. This caused a split among the states, with 23 states celebrating Thanksgiving on the penultimate Thursday, and 22 on the last. Other states (such as Texas) have declared both days as public holidays. In 1941, the US Congress passed a bill according to which Thanksgiving Day should be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. On December 26, 1941, Roosevelt signed this bill, thus establishing the scheme that has been in effect to this day.
Thanksgiving is full of traditions. Several generations of the same family gather in the elders' house for a festive dinner. Everyone says words of thanksgiving for all the good things that happened in his life. On this day, modern Americans eat the same thing that their ancestors ate back in 1621 at the first Thanksgiving dinner. Many dishes have become not only a tradition, but also symbols of the holiday: a stuffed turkey with cranberry jam and a big sweet pumpkin pie. Bright young pumpkins, ears of "Indian" corn, apples, oranges, chestnuts, nuts, dry leaves and bunches of grapes hanging from the dish as if from a cornucopia, not only serve as a traditional table decoration, but also personify the abundance of autumn gifts of nature. Bouquets of golden, orange and red-brown chrysanthemums, complemented by sprigs with berries, complete the feeling of abundance and generosity of nature, a real celebration of a rich harvest.
A grand parade is taking place in New York City, organized by the world's largest department store Macy's since 1927. Its main attraction is huge inflatable toys (cartoon characters, fairy tales and TV shows) that are carried from Central Park to the entrance to department store (between Seventh Avenue and Broadway). On the eve of the parade, a toy inflation ceremony takes place. In the evening, fireworks are arranged over the East River. All of this is broadcast live on television.
Quite a long time already, probably 6 years ago, I came up with such a chip.
Host a Thanksgiving turkey pardon in our town.
In general, the pardoning of a turkey is carried out by the President of the United States on the lawn near the White House. 2 turkeys are brought to him. He chooses the largest one and sends it back to the farm (i.e., produces a pardon), and the second goes to the traditional gala dinner at the White House.
Having pardoned a turkey - thus he gives her life, she brings offspring, and accordingly, turkeys will not stop being found, and there will always be plenty of them. The approximate meaning of this act is this.
I called one of our television companies, since there are many journalists I know in all television companies.
And he offered them to organize, film and show this whole thing.
I say:
- You will have an exclusive story, which was not in all of Russia, for sure.
- To the Consul General of the United States - it will probably be pleasant to play the role of the President of the United States in the distant Urals
- Well, an extra informational occasion will not hurt me, of course.
No sooner said than done.
We agreed with the Consulate, discussed everything. I brought a turkey, and take it from me and break out and let's run around the territory of Gen. Consulates. I caught it, fell into the snow, but in the end I caught it. The Consul just approached, we had a nice conversation, since I was finishing an English school, I still remember something. Made an act of pardon for this turkey. Gene. The consul promised to come and visit the bird, but the next year he was recalled from Russia.
But in any case, we did what we wanted. Filmed a cool story, talked to the Consul, unobtrusively promoted
Then, several times, Consulate employees bought both turkeys and meat from other poultry from me.
Last year, I don’t remember whether I myself called the Consulate, or they, but that’s not the point. They invited me to take part in a concert organized by children from the American Cultural Center, this center is naturally supported by the US Consulate General in Yekaterinburg. The kids are mostly from English schools, ie. ours, but there were also Americans.
There was a concert of songs, dances, contests, riddles, and at the end of all this action, I showed up with a live turkey in my hands. Naturally, it was a surprise for everyone. And especially for the turkey
After I told a little about these wonderful birds, everyone began to take pictures. I don't know about the turkey, but I felt like a monument to Lenin. I'm sitting on a chair, with a turkey in my arms, around the pioneers with cameras " Junior group- do not push, go with a turkey (that's me) to take pictures after middle group""Vasya, don't pull the turkey, otherwise he will bite" "Masha, you're not alone standing here near the turkey, don't block the rest" and so on.
Well, I don’t know, this photo shoot lasted about 30 minutes. The turkey, and it was a turkey, by the way, (a big, 14 kilogram snow-white handsome man) was silent, practically did not move and, apparently, he was very worried about his life, because everyone stroked him, looked into his eyes, touched him in every possible way. and admired. And only the bastard quietly shitted on my Vooot suit so I spent my last Thanksgiving day.
Today, however, a girl from the Consulate called, something no show is planned today, but today they were delivered their holiday order.
This is how Thanksgiving is celebrated in Yekaterinburg.
- Alexey Evgenievich's blog
- 3067 views
Here is a photo and text from the local newspaper "Evening Yekaterinburg" November 2007
And in the USA yesterday she decorated any feast
The surprise worked. The people, no matter big or small, were literally dumbfounded when Alexei VOLOZHANIN, the director of the farm, brought a snow-white 12-kilogram turkey into the hall. The feathered one, however, also could not get rid of the shock, and therefore sat quietly on strong male knees like a soldier.
Ask what happened? Why did a civil institution turn for a time into a kind of branch of the zoo? It's simple - in the American Information Center, which is based on the squares of the Library of the head of Yekaterinburg, yesterday, perhaps the most important overseas holiday, Thanksgiving Day, was celebrated. A holiday that is simply unthinkable without a turkey. That's how it happened historically.
Well, we will return to history, but for now a few words about today. The children sang, danced, showed models of clothes and their own drawings. Anna STROMAYER, daughter of the US Vice Consul in Yekaterinburg, talked about how all her considerable relatives gather at the huge table that day. What are the words of gratitude for the good that is in life. How amazingly her father cooks a traditional dish, again from a turkey, what magnificent salads come from the hands of her mother and how much joy falls to adults and children. The Mirror Fairy Tales Theater of the Nadezhda Children's Club made the guests laugh with the dialogues of Dr. Pilyulkin and his colleague Medunitsa. The school of young ladies won me over with charm and grace. School of creativity - knowledge in English. Young artists - colorful works, and the Children's International Charitable Center for Private Initiatives - a demonstration of drawings of real Indians, more precisely, small residents of the US state of South Dakota.
Someone, after reading these lines, will probably wince and say with displeasure: “Not our holiday.” Certainly not ours. But if someone was pleased with the performances of young artists, if the artists themselves had fun, if the pumpkin pie - also a traditional treat of the day, recreated by the organizers - turned out to be delicious, then everything was not in vain.
Why do people eat turkey on Thanksgiving?
In the 17th century, early European settlers brought turkey breeds bred in Europe to America and began to cross these birds with their wild American ancestors. Today, the most popular breed in the US is the white Dutch turkey, which produces the most white meat. However, even after this embarrassment, the turkey managed to prove to humanity that she is a real American. And it was like this... On December 11, 1620, the first English colonists from the Mayflower ship set foot on the granite boulder of Plymouth Rock, the American continent, which was still unfamiliar to them. Their first winter turned out to be incredibly difficult, and by the beginning of the autumn of 1621, out of 102 people, only 56 remained alive. But their first harvest in their new homeland turned out to be unexpectedly generous, and their first governor, William Bradford, ordered to celebrate it with a grand feast. All the remaining colonists and 91 Indians took part in the celebration, without whose help the poor fellows would hardly have been able to survive. Four hunters were sent for meat provisions, who, with the help of friendly Indians, obtained such a quantity of wild turkeys that they were enough for a whole week of feasting.
In fact, according to historians, hunters were sent for wild geese and ducks, and there is no exact evidence that it was wild turkey that was on the menu. However, since the colonists called all the feathered game unfamiliar to them “Indian”, our heroine nevertheless entered the legend. Be that as it may, it was decided to celebrate the holiday annually, giving thanks to the hospitable North American land for the warm welcome of the colonists. Since then, without a turkey, not a single American family can imagine its own holiday table Thanksgiving Day, which is celebrated on the last Thursday of November and is considered one of the main American holidays. As a result, by 1829, the phrase Thanksgiving turkey (Thanksgiving turkey) had steadily entered the everyday life of Americans, and by 1916 Thanksgiving Day itself was even sometimes called Turkey Day (Turkey Day).
But there is another connection of this bird with real Americans. Despite external unattractiveness, this large bird has a proud look.(it’s not for nothing that both in the USA and in Russia a pompous person is called a “turkey”), independent character and excellent fighting qualities, which makes her very similar to the first American colonists. The author of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), once even stated: “It is a pity that the bald eagle was chosen as the symbol of the United States ... A respectable turkey, which, moreover, is a true American, would be more suitable for this ".
