Will you roast an 18 pound turkey? Maybe you’ll roast two smaller ones so you can have four drumsticks. One thin for sure; most of us will have a whole lot of leftover turkey.

What do you do with that leftover bird? Is it alright to eat it after it’s been sitting out from the time it came out of the oven, through dinner, dessert, and two loads run through the dishwasher?

Once it’s in the fridge, how long can it stay there?

Once Your Bird Is Cooked, Does It Matter How Long You Leave It Out?

Yes, yes, yes! It definitely matters – and the clock starts ticking as soon as the bird comes out of the oven, fryer, or off the grill.

According to the Centers for Disease Control the number of reported cases of food borne illness (food poisoning) increases during the holiday season. Leaving cooked food at room temperature is an invitation for bacteria that can cause food poisoning to multiply and reheating leftovers doesn’t always destroy their toxins or spores.

You shouldn’t leave turkey or any perishable food out for more than two hours. To save turkey leftovers, remove the stuffing from the cavity, cut the turkey off the bone, and refrigerate or freeze all leftovers.

The Basic Rules For Leftovers

According to the USDA the mantra is:

2 Hours–2 Inches–4 Days

• 2 Hours from oven to refrigerator: Refrigerate or freeze your food within 2 hours of cooking (from when you first take the food off the heat or out of the oven). Throw your leftovers away if they are out longer than that. Think about your buffet table or your holiday dinner table. How long did the bird, stuffing, and accompaniments sit out while everyone ate and then went back for seconds?
• 2 Inches thick to cool it quick: Store your food at a shallow depth–about 2 inches–to speed chilling. Are you guilty of piling the food high in storage containers or in a big mound covered with tin foil?
• 4 Days in the refrigerator–otherwise freeze it: Use your leftovers that are stored in the fridge within 4 days. The exceptions are stuffing and gravy. Both should be used within 2 days. Reheat solid leftovers to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and bring liquid leftovers to a rolling boil. Toss what you don’t finish.

How Long Can Leftover Turkey Stay In The Freezer?

Frozen leftover turkey, stuffing, and gravy should be used within one month.

To successfully freeze leftovers:

• package them properly using freezer wrap or freezer containers. Use heavy-duty aluminum foil, freezer paper, or freezer bags for best results and don’t leave any air space.
• Squeeze the excess air from the freezer bags and fill rigid freezer containers to the top with dry food. Without proper packaging, circulating air in the freezer can create freezer burn – those white dried-out patches on the surface of food that make it tough and tasteless.
• Leave a one-inch headspace in containers with liquid and half an inch in containers filled with semi-solids.

The post How Long Can Turkey and Stuffing Safely Stay On The Table and In The Fridge? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Once Your Bird Is Cooked, Does It Matter How Long You Leave It Out?

It definitely matters – and the clock starts ticking as soon as the bird comes out of the oven, fryer, or off the grill.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of reported cases of food borne illness (food poisoning) increases during the holiday season. Leaving cooked food at room temperature is an invitation for bacteria that can cause food poisoning to multiply and reheating leftovers doesn’t always destroy their toxins or spores.

You shouldn’t leave turkey or any perishable food out for more than two hours (one hour when the air temperature is 90 degrees or above), any time of the year. Food that stays in the temperature “danger zone” which is 40-140 °F (4-60 °C) for more than 2 hours should be discarded. To save turkey leftovers, remove the stuffing from the turkey cavity, cut the turkey off the bone, and refrigerate or freeze all the leftovers.

The Basic Rules For Leftovers

According to the USDA the mantra is:

2 Hours–2 Inches–4 Days

• 2 Hours from oven to refrigerator: Refrigerate or freeze your leftovers within 2 hours of cooking (taking them off the heat or out of the oven). Throw them away if they are out longer than that. Think about your buffet table – or even your holiday dinner table. How long does the bird, stuffing, and accompaniments sit out as people eat, go back for seconds, and pick their way through the football game and conversation?
• 2 Inches thick to cool it quick: Store your food at a shallow depth–about 2 inches–to speed chilling. Are you guilty of piling the food high in storage containers or in a big mound covered with tin foil?
• 4 Days in the refrigerator – otherwise freeze it: Use your leftovers that are stored in the fridge within 4 days. The exceptions are stuffing and gravy. They should both be used within 2 days. Reheat any solid leftovers to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and bring liquid leftovers to a rolling boil. Toss what you don’t finish.

How Long Can Leftover Turkey Stay In The Freezer?

Frozen leftover turkey, stuffing, and gravy should be used within one month. To successfully freeze leftovers, package them using freezer wrap or freezer containers. Use heavy-duty aluminum foil, freezer paper, or freezer bags for best results and don’t leave any air space. Squeeze the excess air from the freezer bags and fill rigid freezer containers to the top with dry food. Without proper packaging, circulating air in the freezer can create freezer burn – those white dried-out patches on the surface of food that make it tough and tasteless. Leave a one-inch headspace in containers with liquid and half an inch in containers filled with semi-solids.

Turkey: Nutrition

Keep that turkey safe to eat because whether you’re eating it during the holidays or for several days afterward, it’s good to know that it is low in fat and high in protein. A 3.5 oz serving is about the size and thickness of a new deck of cards. The fat and calorie content varies because white meat has less fat and fewer calories than dark meat and skin.

Calories in a 3.5 oz serving (from a whole roasted turkey):

• Breast with skin: 194 calories; 8g fat; 29g protein
• Breast without skin: 161 calories; 4g fat; 30g protein
• Wing with skin: 238 calories; 13g fat; 27g protein
• Leg with skin: 213 calories; 11g fat; 28g protein
• Dark meat with skin: 232 calories; 13g fat; 27g protein
• Dark meat without skin: 192 calories; 8g fat; 28g protein
• Skin only: 482 calories; 44g fat; 19g protein

The post How Long Can Your Turkey Safely Stay On The Table And The Leftovers In The Fridge? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Once Your Bird Is Cooked, Does It Matter How Long You Leave It Out?

It definitely matters – and the clock starts ticking as soon as the bird comes out of the oven, fryer, or off the grill.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of reported cases of food borne illness (food poisoning) increases during the holiday season.

You shouldn’t leave food out for more than two hours, any time of the year. To save turkey leftovers, remove the stuffing from the turkey cavity, cut the turkey off the bone, and refrigerate or freeze all the leftovers.

The Basic Rules For Leftovers

According to the USDA the mantra is:

2 Hours – 2 Inches – 4 Days

• 2 Hours from oven to refrigerator: Refrigerate or freeze your leftovers within 2 hours of cooking (taking them off the heat or out of the oven). Throw them away if they are out longer than that. Think about your buffet table – or even your holiday dinner table. How long does the bird, stuffing, and accompaniments sit out as people eat, go back for seconds, and pick their way through the football game and conversation?
• 2 Inches thick to cool it quick: Store your food at a shallow depth–about 2 inches–to speed chilling. Are you guilty of piling the food high in storage containers or in a big mound covered with tin foil?
• 4 Days in the refrigerator – otherwise freeze it: Use your leftovers that are stored in the fridge within 4 days. The exceptions are stuffing and gravy. They should both be used within 2 days. Reheat any solid leftovers to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and bring liquid leftovers to a rolling boil. Toss what you don’t finish.

How Long Can Leftover Turkey Stay In The Freezer?

Frozen leftover turkey, stuffing, and gravy should be used within one month. To successfully freeze leftovers, package them using freezer wrap or freezer containers. Use heavy-duty aluminum foil, freezer paper, or freezer bags for best results and don’t leave any air space. Squeeze the excess air from the freezer bags and fill rigid freezer containers to the top with dry food. Without proper packaging, circulating air in the freezer can create freezer burn – those white dried-out patches on the surface of food that make it tough and tasteless. Leave a one-inch headspace in containers with liquid and half an inch in containers filled with semi-solids.

Turkey: Nutrition

Keep that turkey safe to eat because whether you’re eating it on Thanksgiving Day or for several days afterward, it’s good to know that it is low in fat and high in protein. A 3.5 oz serving is about the size and thickness of a new deck of cards. The fat and calorie content varies because white meat has less fat and fewer calories than dark meat and skin.

Calories in a 3.5 oz serving from a whole roasted turkey:

• Breast with skin: 194 calories; 8g fat; 29g protein
• Breast without skin: 161 calories; 4g fat; 30g protein
• Wing with skin: 238 calories; 13g fat; 27g protein
• Leg with skin: 213 calories; 11g fat; 28g protein
• Dark meat with skin: 232 calories; 13g fat; 27g protein
• Dark meat without skin: 192 calories; 8g fat; 28g protein
• Skin only: 482 calories; 44g fat; 19g protein

The post How Long Can Your Turkey Safely Stay On The Table — And The Leftovers In The Fridge? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

The big meal is over and the back and forth to the kitchen for leftovers begins. We all know that leftovers can really bump up the holiday calories, but how do you tell if the leftovers are actually safe to eat?

Once Your Bird Is Cooked, Does It Matter How Long You Leave It Out?

It definitely matters – and the clock starts ticking as soon as the bird comes out of the oven, fryer, or off the grill.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of reported cases of food borne illness (food poisoning) increases during the holiday season.

You shouldn’t leave food out for more than two hours, any time of the year. To save turkey leftovers, remove the stuffing from the turkey cavity, cut the turkey off the bone, and refrigerate or freeze all the leftovers.

The Basic Rules For Leftovers

According to the USDA the mantra is: 

2 Hours–2 Inches–4 Days

• 2 Hours from oven to refrigerator: Refrigerate or freeze your leftovers within 2 hours of cooking (taking them off the heat or out of the oven). Throw them away if they are out longer than that. Think about your buffet table – or even your holiday dinner table. How long does the bird, stuffing, and accompaniments sit out as people eat, go back for seconds, and pick their way through the football game and conversation?
• 2 Inches thick to cool it quick: Store your food at a shallow depth–about 2 inches–to speed chilling. Are you guilty of piling the food high in storage containers or in a big mound covered with tin foil?
• 4 Days in the refrigerator–otherwise freeze it: Use your leftovers that are stored in the fridge within 4 days. The exceptions are stuffing and gravy. They should both be used within 2 days. Reheat any solid leftovers to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and bring liquid leftovers to a rolling boil. Toss what you don’t finish.

How Long Can Leftover Turkey Stay In The Freezer?

Frozen leftover turkey, stuffing, and gravy should be used within one month. To successfully freeze leftovers, package them using freezer wrap or freezer containers. Use heavy-duty aluminum foil, freezer paper, or freezer bags for best results and don’t leave any air space. Squeeze the excess air from the freezer bags and fill rigid freezer containers to the top with dry food. Without proper packaging, circulating air in the freezer can create freezer burn – those white dried-out patches on the surface of food that make it tough and tasteless. Leave a one-inch headspace in containers with liquid and half an inch in containers filled with semi-solids.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The post How Long Can Your Turkey Safely Stay On The Table — And The Leftovers In The Fridge? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Once Your Bird Is Cooked, Does It Matter How Long You Leave It Out?

It definitely matters – and the clock starts ticking as soon as the bird comes out of the oven, fryer, or off the grill.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of reported cases of food borne illness (food poisoning) increases during the holiday season.

You shouldn’t leave food out for more than two hours, any time of the year. To save turkey leftovers, remove the stuffing from the turkey cavity, cut the turkey off the bone, and refrigerate or freeze all the leftovers.

The Basic Rules For Leftovers

According to the USDA the mantra is: 

2 Hours–2 Inches–4 Days

• 2 Hours from oven to refrigerator: Refrigerate or freeze your leftovers within 2 hours of cooking (taking them off the heat or out of the oven). Throw them away if they are out longer than that. Think about your buffet table – or even your holiday dinner table. How long does the bird, stuffing, and accompaniments sit out as people eat, go back for seconds, and pick their way through the football game and conversation?
• 2 Inches thick to cool it quick: Store your food at a shallow depth–about 2 inches–to speed chilling. Are you guilty of piling the food high in storage containers or in a big mound covered with tin foil?
• 4 Days in the refrigerator–otherwise freeze it: Use your leftovers that are stored in the fridge within 4 days. The exceptions are stuffing and gravy. They should both be used within 2 days. Reheat any solid leftovers to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and bring liquid leftovers to a rolling boil. Toss what you don’t finish.

How Long Can Leftover Turkey Stay In The Freezer?

Frozen leftover turkey, stuffing, and gravy should be used within one month. To successfully freeze leftovers, package them using freezer wrap or freezer containers. Use heavy-duty aluminum foil, freezer paper, or freezer bags for best results and don’t leave any air space. Squeeze the excess air from the freezer bags and fill rigid freezer containers to the top with dry food. Without proper packaging, circulating air in the freezer can create freezer burn – those white dried-out patches on the surface of food that make it tough and tasteless. Leave a one-inch headspace in containers with liquid and half an inch in containers filled with semi-solids.

The post How Long Can Your Roasted Turkey Safely Stay On The Table — And The Leftovers In The Fridge? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Did you roast an 18 pound turkey?  Maybe you roasted two smaller ones so you could have four drumsticks.  Inevitably, most of us will have a whole lot of leftover turkey.

What do you do with all of that leftover bird? Is it alright to eat it after it’s been sitting out from the time it came out of the oven, through dinner, dessert, and two loads run through the dishwasher?

Once it’s in the fridge, how long can it stay there? Are you certain the leftovers are safe to eat?

Once Your Bird Is Cooked, Does It Matter How Long You Leave It Out?

Yes, yes, yes! According to the Centers for Disease Control the number of reported cases of food borne illness (food poisoning) increases during the holiday season. You shouldn’t leave food out for more than two hours. To save turkey leftovers, remove the stuffing from the cavity, cut the turkey off the bone, and refrigerate or freeze all leftovers.

The Basic Rules For Leftovers

According to the USDA the mantra is: 

2 Hours–2 Inches–4 Days

• 2 Hours from oven to refrigerator: Refrigerate or freeze your leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. Throw them away if they are out longer than that.
• 2 Inches thick to cool it quick: Store your food at a shallow depth–about 2 inches–to speed chilling.
• 4 Days in the refrigerator–otherwise freeze it: Use your leftovers that are stored in the fridge within 4 days. The exceptions are stuffing and gravy. Both should be used within 2 days. Reheat solid leftovers to 165 degrees F and liquid leftovers to a rolling boil. Toss what you don’t finish.

How Long Can Leftover Turkey Stay In The Freezer?

Frozen leftover turkey, stuffing, and gravy should be used within one month.

To successfully freeze leftovers:

• package them properly using freezer wrap or freezer containers. Use heavy-duty aluminum foil, freezer paper, or freezer bags for best results and don’t leave any air space.
• Squeeze the excess air from the freezer bags and fill rigid freezer containers to the top with dry food. Without proper packaging, circulating air in the freezer can create freezer burn – those white dried-out patches on the surface of food that make it tough and tasteless.
• Leave a one-inch headspace in containers with liquid and half an inch in containers filled with semi-solids.

The post Leftover Turkey? How Long Can You Keep It? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Calories in a 3 and 1/2 ounce serving (from a whole roasted turkey):

• Breast with skin: 194 calories; 8g fat; 29g protein
• Breast without skin:  161 calories; 4g fat; 30g protein
• Wing with skin: 238 calories; 13g fat; 27g protein
• Leg with skin:  213 calories; 11g fat; 28g protein
• Dark meat with skin:  232 calories; 13g fat; 27g protein
• Dark meat without skin:  192 calories; 8g fat; 28g protein
• Skin only:  482 calories; 44g fat; 19g protein

Once The Turkey Is Cooked, Does It Matter How Long It Stays Unrefrigerated?

Yes, yes, yes! According to the Centers for Disease Control the number of reported cases of food borne illness (food poisoning) increases during the holiday season. Food shouldn’t be left out for more than two hours.

If you’re saving turkey leftovers, remove all of the stuffing from inside the turkey, cut the turkey meat off the bone, and refrigerate or freeze all of the leftovers.

The Basic Rules For Leftovers

According to the March 2010 edition of the Nutrition Action Healthletter (Center for Science in the Public Interest) the mantra is: 

2 Hours–2 Inches–4 Days

• 2 Hours from oven to refrigerator: Refrigerate or freeze your leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. Throw them away if they are out longer than that.
• 2 Inches thick to cool it quick: Store your food at a shallow depth–about 2 inches–to speed chilling.
• 4 Days in the refrigerator–otherwise freeze it: Use your leftovers that are stored in the fridge within 4 days. The exceptions are stuffing and gravy.They should be used within 2 days. Reheat solid leftovers to 165 degrees F and liquid leftovers to a rolling boil. Toss what you don’t finish.

How Long Can Leftover Turkey Stay In The Freezer?

Frozen leftover turkey, stuffing, and gravy should be used within one month. To freeze leftovers, package them properly using freezer wrap or freezer containers. Use heavy duty aluminum foil, freezer paper, or freezer bags for best results and don’t leave any air space. Squeeze the excess air from the freezer bags and fill rigid freezer containers to the top with dry food. Without proper packaging, circulating air in the freezer can create freezer burn – those white dried-out patches on the surface of food that make it tough and tasteless. Leave a one-inch head space in containers with liquid and half an inch in containers filled with semi-solids.

The post Let’s Talk Turkey – How Long Can It Safely Stay On The Table And In The Fridge? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Stuffing – most of us love it, eat it, go back for seconds (thirds?), and then eat the leftovers.

But did you ever really think about stuffing – like why it’s called stuffing (or dressing) and what makes it taste so good?

Ten Stuffing Tidbits

1. There’s some difference of thought about stuffing vs. dressing.  For a lot of people, stuffing is stuffing whether it’s cooked inside the bird or in a separate baking dish. Some people call stuffing the stuff that is stuffed into the bird and they call dressing the stuff that is cooked separately, even if it’s made from the same recipe.  Others go a bit further and maintain that dressing is pourable therefore stuffing is stuffing regardless of how or where it’s cooked.  People in different parts of the country favor different terms. The Amish often call it filling.
2. Although there are some historical references about the use of stuffing in Ancient Italy, according to Bonappétit.com, stuffing comes from “farce,” which is the word for stuffing in French.  In the 16th century,  the term “stuffing” replaced farce. Farce, the stuffing and farce, the form of comedy, both started out as the Latin farcire, which means “to stuff.” The farce made to be eaten was a filler for a roast. Initially, the theatrical farce was a theatrical improvisational padding of French religious dramas and the actors, for laughs, were expected to ham it up.
3. Semantics! Cookbook authors favored “dressing,” in the 19th century, but used stuffing and dressing interchangeably or wrote recipes that called for cooked birds with the dressing stuffed inside.
4. In 1972 when Stove Top introduced an instant stuffing mix that could be made without the bird, was cooked on top of the stove, and was cheap and easy to make, “stuffing” became the go to word.
5. Stove Top sells 60 million boxes of stuffing every Thanksgiving. When prepared according to box directions and with no additional additives, a ½ serving has: 105 calories, 4.2g fat, 14.7g carbs, 336mg sodium, 2.1g protein.
6. Stuffing is a seasoned mix of vegetables and starches and sometimes eggs or other protein. Stuffing recipes vary regionally. Southerners usually use cornbread while people from other parts of the country generally use white or wheat bread as the base. Often celery or other vegetables, chestnuts, apples, cranberries, raising, oyster, sausage, turkey giblets, sage, onion, or pecans can be added.
7. Stuffing is extremely porous. If it is “stuffed” into a turkey, as the turkey cooks the turkey juices that may contain salmonella get into the stuffing. To be safe and prevent salmonella problems, the stuffing must be heated to 165 degrees Farenheit. Cooking the stuffing to 165 degrees usually means the turkey will be overcooked and dry.
8. If you’re putting the stuffing in the turkey, do it just before roasting – not the night before — so the juices with possible salmonella don’t have all night to soak into the stuffing. Allow 1/2 to 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound and don’t pack it in too tightly which might cause uneven cooking and not all of the stuffing reaching 165 degrees.
9. If you’re cooking your turkey on an outdoor grill, or in a water smoker, or you’re using a fast-cook method, don’t stuff it because the turkey will be done before the stuffing reaches 165 degrees.
10. There’s no historical evidence that stuffing was served at the first Thanksgiving.  Stuffing is really thought of mainly as a Thanksgiving food. Before the advent of Stove Top many home cooks wouldn’t have made stuffing for the holidays.  Stove Top, cheap, quick and easy helped stuffing become very popular.

If you’re beginning to get antsy about holiday eating, download my book, The Sensible Holiday Eating Guide: How To Enjoy Your Favorite Foods Without Gaining Weight, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009VOFIK8 on Amazon.

Then sign up for a free ½ hour teleseminar on Thanksgiving Eating: Challenges and Solutions, https://eatouteatwell.com/thanksgiving-teleseminar-signup.  It’ll be recorded if you can’t make it, but you still need to sign up so I know where to email the link to the recording.

The post 10 Turkey Stuffing Tidbits You Want And Need To Know appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Where I live, I often have to stop my car and wait for the wild turkeys to cross the road.  I’m not kidding.  They start climbing over a stone wall from a wooded area one after another.  Gorgeous, they’re not.   And they don’t cross in a timely fashion, either.  They’re sort of in a line but sometimes one shows an independent streak and turns around to look for the others.  Quite a sight – and, quite annoying when I’m in a hurry having seen this parade many times before – although it makes me smile every time!

These are not the turkeys that most of us will find on our dining room tables – but certainly are distant relatives of those eaten by the early New England settlers.

Turkey Is A Very Good Source Of Lean Protein

Turkey is low in fat and high in protein. A 3 1/2-ounce serving is about the size and thickness of a new deck of cards. The fat and calorie content varies because white meat has less fat and fewer calories than dark meat and skin.

Once Your Turkey Is Cooked, Does It Matter How Long You Leave It Out?

Absolutely! According to the Centers for Disease Control the number of reported cases of food borne illness (food poisoning) increases during the holiday season. You shouldn’t leave food out for more than two hours. To save turkey leftovers, remove the stuffing from the cavity, cut the turkey off the bone, and refrigerate or freeze all leftovers.

The Basic Rules For Leftovers

According to the March 2010 edition of the Nutrition Action Healthletter (Center for Science in the Public Interest):

The mantra is:  2 Hours–2 Inches–4 Days

• 2 Hours from oven to refrigerator: Refrigerate or freeze your leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. Throw them away if they are out longer than that.
• 2 Inches thick to cool it quick: Store your food at a shallow depth–about 2 inches–to speed chilling.
• 4 Days in the refrigerator–otherwise freeze it: Use your leftovers that are stored in the fridge within 4 days. The exceptions are stuffing and gravy  which should be used within 2 days. Reheat solid leftovers to 165 degrees F and liquid leftovers to a rolling boil. Toss what you don’t finish.

How Long Can I Keep Leftover Turkey In The Freezer?

Frozen leftover turkey, stuffing, and gravy should be used within one month. To successfully freeze leftovers package them properly using freezer wrap or freezer containers. Use heavy duty aluminum foil, freezer paper, or freezer bags for best results and don’t leave air space. Squeeze the excess air from freezer bags and fill rigid freezer containers to the top with dry food. Without proper packaging, circulating air in the freezer can create freezer burn – those white dried-out patches on the surface of food that make it tough and tasteless. Leave a one inch head space in containers with liquid and half inch in containers filled with semi-solids.

Happy Thanksgiving

The post How Long Can Your Turkey Safely Stay On The Table — And In The Fridge? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Turkeys and cranberries, part and parcel of our modern Thanksgiving (and Christmas) menus, are both native to the Americas.

About 46 million turkeys landed on US dinner tables last Thanksgiving, around  736 million pounds of turkey meat.  US farmers produce 735 million pounds of cranberries, 1.9 billion pounds of sweet potatoes and 931 million pounds of pumpkins.

Thanksgiving “Food Coma”

Urban myth is to blame the bird for your Thanksgiving “food coma.” Wrong.  You may have post-meal fatigue, but the turkeys are getting a bad rap.  The amount of sleep-inducing tryptophan in most turkey meals isn’t responsible for your coma-like state – blame the number of calories, the booze, and your relaxed state instead.

What Was on the First Thanksgiving Menu?

American Indians, Europeans, and cultures around the world often feasted to celebrate the harvest and to thank the higher powers for sustenance and survival.

We know that the first Thanksgiving dinner in the Plimoth (Plymouth) Colony, in October 1621 in what is now Massachusetts, was attended by about 50 English colonists and 90 Wampanoag American Indian men.

The Wampanoag killed five deer, the colonists shot wild fowl, and maybe some geese, ducks, or turkey. Some form of Indian corn was served and probably supplemented with fish, lobster, clams, nuts, wheat flour, pumpkin, squash, carrots, and peas.  They were true seasonal eaters and it was harvest time.

Was The First Thanksgiving The True Thanksgiving?

Although the 1621 Plimoth Thanksgiving is thought of as the first Thanksgiving, it was really a harvest celebration. The first “real” Thanksgiving didn’t happen until two centuries later. (In the 17th century a day of Thanksgiving was actually a day of fasting.)

What is known about the three day Plimoth gathering comes from a letter written by Edward Winslow, a leader of the Plimoth Colony in 1621.  It had been lost for 200 years and was rediscovered in the 1800s.

In 1841 Alexander Young, a Boston publisher, printed Winslow’s description of the feast and called it the “First Thanksgiving,” which caught on.

In 1863 President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving Day a national holiday. The current date for the observance of Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November, was established in 1941 by President Franklin Roosevelt.

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