Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie; everyone has favorites and must-haves this holiday, and with all the mouth-watering food being served up, it’s no wonder Thanksgiving is America’s second favorite holiday. In the interest of feeding your minds as well as your bellies, here are some fun facts about America’s most delicious holiday.
– Turkey is the traditional centerpiece of a Thanksgiving meal, and 88% of Americans ate turkey on Thanksgiving in 2015.
– Turkey is so popular because it was the most plentiful type of meat available for the first Thanksgiving, and became a tradition from that point forward.
– Stuffing (also regionally called dressing or filling) was once almost exclusively cooked inside of the Thanksgiving turkey. As food safety information became more widespread, more and more Americans starting cooking their stuffing separately from the bird. Now, only 50% of Americans cook the stuffing inside the turkey.
– Cranberries, despite being considered a traditional Thanksgiving food, are only eaten by 2% of Americans on Thanksgiving!
– Conversely, we can all agree that pie is a Thanksgiving staple. 94% of Americans will have some sort of pie on Thanksgiving day!
– And last, but not least, we have the tireless efforts of Sarah Josepha Hale to thank for Thanksgiving itself. Best known for writing the nursery rhyme “Marry Had a Little Lamb,” Hale campaigned for 36 years to get Thanksgiving recognized as a national holiday!
May your Thanksgiving be bountiful, and may you and yours find much to give thanks for this holiday season!