The origins of Thanksgiving date back to when the first Jamestown settlers united with the local natives and hosted a feast in celebration of their thankfulness. According to HISTORY, fish and vegetables such as carrots, cornmeal and spinach were most likely to have been eaten at the first Thanksgiving. Also present was a variation of modern pumpkin pie, where a hollow pumpkin was used as a makeshift crust and then filled with a honey and spiced custard.
Nearly 400 years later, this tradition is still alive even though the food may differ. Families come together towards the end of November to give thanks and share a meal. If you were to ask anyone what true thanksgiving food is, you might find them saying something along the lines of ‘turkey’, ‘stuffing’ or even a list of the one million different variations of casserole, but there are numerous other traditional Thanksgiving dishes. In hopes of either narrowing down the very many options, or providing variety to a bland, repetitive tradition, a survey was taken to find the ultimate Thanksgiving lineup.
Sixty different individuals were asked what their all-time favorite Thanksgiving dish was, and the answers ranged from the obviously expected pumpkin pie to nontraditional cupcakes. Along with the cupcakes, corn casserole and ham each had one vote. Stuffing, yams, and green bean casserole were all tied with three votes each, and cranberry jelly received a total of four votes. Sweet potato pie, a much lesser-loved contender in the Thanksgiving pie choices, was only the favorite of five individuals. The last of the underrated answers—mashed potatoes—received only seven votes.
The most popular answers were as expected. Pumpkin pie came in third place, receiving just over 16% of the votes with 10 individuals in support of it. The debate of what the ‘ultimate’ Thanksgiving food is still ongoing however, as the survey ended in an 11-vote-tie between two foods. The ever-popular turkey and the underdog macaroni and cheese each received 18.3% of the total votes. These choices were certainly shoe-ins though, as they have been found in nearly every kitchen and on every plate in Thanksgivings prior.
