Every fall, across America, people celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving in many different ways, but there is one common unifying factor: an abundance of food. Thanksgiving is known for many things, including awkward family conversations and football, but the wide variety of foods served at a Thanksgiving dinner are quite interesting.
Those who have grown up eating these foods perhaps don’t think twice about them, but to people outside of America, some can be a little strange. I have put together a list of five strange American foods, according to some of my British friends who have decided to be judges of this food contest, ranked best to worst.
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ranked first on the list, this dish seems to be the most tame, and while our British judges have never tried it, they have decided that this doesn’t seem so bad. This food isn’t really a salad, instead it’s more of a pie. Crushed pretzels make up the crust and whipped cream is spread on top. Strawberries and jello are mixed together and poured on top of the whipped cream, then this dish is refrigerated until the jello sets. My family has this quite often, not solely at Thanksgiving so I am partial to this food.
- Corn Pudding
This dish has Native American roots and has been adopted by many Southerners as not only a Thanksgiving dish, but something served around the year. Corn pudding is commonly made with stewed corn, butter, milk and cornstarch, but it has many variations. If you ever find yourself in the South, make sure you try this food because it is quite delicious.
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- Sweet Potato Marshmallow Casserole
This is considered a staple Thanksgiving dish in many homes around the country, but apparently it’s a weird dish to be served. Personally, this is one of my favorite Thanksgiving foods, but the British do not agree. This (incredible) dish is made with sweet potatoes or yams, mixed with a little brown sugar, and butter and baked with mini marshmallows on top. Delicious!
- Ambrosia Salad
While I have never had this exact dish, I have eaten a variation of it, and it was certainly interesting. Ambrosia salad is made with any kind of fruit, coconut, cool whip, sour cream and mini marshmallows. It sounds mostly good, but the sour cream and cool whip together is making me question some things. Another no from the British judges.
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- Frog Eye Pudding
What is it with Americans and marshmallows? We seem to be obsessed with putting them in every food. This name is very off-putting, but I have good news: it isn’t actually frog eyes. This pudding is made with acini de pepe pasta, which looks like frog eyes when cooked, coconut, pineapple, mandarin oranges and marshmallows. Pasta and fruit make an interesting combination, one that I’m not sure I would be willing to try.
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Well there you have it my friends, a list of weird American Thanksgiving foods and dishes. The British judges wanted me to say that their food is better than ours, but I’m afraid I cannot condone this. Once they stop eating beans and toast for breakfast, we can talk.