Thanksgiving Day: Foods

On Monday, October 12, the second Monday of October, Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day. In an old tradition, it's a day set aside to give thanks for the year's harvest, so it's celebrated at the end of the Fall and as Winter is setting in. Americans, a little bit to the south of us, wait a little longer, and celebrate it on the fourth Thursday of November. The traditional family-and-friends meal celebration, in both countries, comes from indigenous foods: the turkey, potatoes, pumpkin, squash, cranberry sauce, corn -- all foods presented to Europeans by the First Nations of the Americas. New Canadian and Americans from non-European backgrounds often prepare other foods. It's a great holiday and a chance to get together with family and friends.

Cf. Qual é a relação do Black Friday com o Thanksgiving?

Here are some of the foods and staples the original Americans shared with the world:

The turkey
Beans (all kinds!)
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Chili / sweet peppers
Peanuts
Manioc (cassava)
Chocolate (cacao)
Vanilla
Sweet potatoes
Corn
Papaya
Guava
Passion fruit
Pinapples
Pecans
Cashews
Sunflower seeds
Avocados
Rasperries
Cranberries
Blueberries
Strawberries
And
Quinoa (I'd never heard of this one, but it's important)

Since Brazilian Thanksgiving Day falls on the same day as the American, you still have time to think of some recipes with genuine foods from the Americas. I will be having roasted turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, cranberry sauce, squash, and pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Red wine, of course. And an expresso at the end.

All the best