Thanksgiving is the only truly and completely North American feast that my family celebrates: all others have their roots deep in European ground, and are either specific national dinners like St. Patrick’s Day, or broader Christian celebrations like Easter and Christmas.

Thanksgiving dinner is the most rigidly traditional meal that most North American families share.  For Easter and Christmas, families choose between ham and turkey, or possibly roast beef.  They may serve scallop potatoes, or mash.  Dessert could be any number of pies or cakes.  The specifics depend on the family, where they are on the continent, and where their ancestors came from.  Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is more uniform, and centres on a few distinctly New World ingredients … Continue reading.