Thanksgiving is without a doubt my favorite holiday. Family and friends together, sharing food and conversation without the stress of hoping everyone likes their gifts. Oftentimes, holidays can tend to feel like a whirlwind as conversations go from one thing to the next. When you finally get your time to be heard fully amidst all the chatter, make it interesting! It is so fun to be the one at the table that knows a ton of random interesting facts regarding the holiday. I have listed some Thanksgiving trivia that will make everyone at the table believe sending you to a 50,000 a year school is worth it.
1. The first Macy’s Day Parade was held in 1924 and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo.
2. What did the first Thanksgiving menu consist of? Wild duck, Wild goose, venison, corn, fish, shellfish and eel.
3. Where did the Wishingbone Tradition Originate? Romans believed chickens had the ability to predict the future. When preparing the chicken, they would leave the wishbone out so people could hold, touch, and make wishes on the bone. This was passed onto England, and the English brought this tradition with them to America and applied it to turkeys.
4. Do Turkeys really Gobble? Yes- but only the males, and it is to attract the females during mating season.
5. How many Turkey’s are killed for Thanksgiving? According to the USDA, 45 million turkey’s are cooked and eaten on Thanksgiving
6. Where do the Turkey’s come from? Most of the turkeys in the US come from Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia and Indiana.
7. When was the first pumpkin pie recipe recorded? 1796, in a cookbook written by Amelia Simmons.
8. Does Turkey really make you tired? Turkey does contain the amino acid Tryptophan, which can cause drowsiness, however, this level is comparable in other meats and the drowsiness is really from the carbohydrate overload.
9. What is the correct temperature turkey needs to be cooked to? 165 degrees- no one wants food poisoning on Thanksgiving!
10. What part of the Thanksgiving meal is most prone to foodborne illness? The stuffing inside of the turkey cavity.
Hopefully these Thanksgiving facts will make you seem like an all-star at your table! Happy eating!
Xo,
Lauren