It Isn't Thanksgiving Without Ree's Favorite Dressing (2024)

FAQs

Who says stuffing and who says dressing? ›

But for the Thanksgiving side dish in the South, the term dressing was adopted in place of stuffing, which was viewed as a crude term, during the Victorian era. Although dressing and stuffing are interchangeable terms, the signature ingredient of this Thanksgiving side dish in the South is cornbread.

What is dressing? In the context of Thanksgiving, the word dressing is commonly used to mean the same exact thing as stuffing—including when it's cooked inside the bird.

Stuffing remained a popular dish past the Roman empire, and has gathered several names over the centuries, including: farce (from the 14^th century), forcemeat (from the 17^th century), and most recently, the 19^th century term dressing.

Juices from the turkey soaked into the stuffing, infusing it with fat and flavor. "You've got those juices, and those juices taste great,” Smith said.

While most New Englanders and the majority of West Coasters referred to the dish as “stuffing,” about half of Texans and the majority of Southerners call it “dressing.” Likewise, while most other parts of the country use a base of dried bread, many Texans instead opt for cornbread or dried biscuits.

The term dressing, per the History Channel, originated around the 1850s, when the Victorians deemed stuffing too crude for the dish to be named. This happened around the same time that the term “dark meat” began to refer to chicken legs and thighs.

As with many food traditions in the U.S., regional loyalties to stuffing vs dressing abound. Many Southerners are die-hard dressing fans, while Northerners tend to prefer stuffings, but these are not hard and fast rules. Nor is the language used to describe either dish.

Just as the name implies, stuffing is a mixture of dried bread, herbs, and other flavorful mix-ins that's literally stuffed in your holiday bird.

A sweater and jeans are always a safe bet, but consider ditching the denim for a stretchy fabric that's easy to lounge in. For instance, you could wear a ribbed velvet matched set with slippers, or try sweatpants, a comfy cotton tee and sneakers.

So, to the question “What did the Pilgrims eat for Thanksgiving,” the answer is both surprising and expected. Turkey (probably), venison, seafood, and all of the vegetables that they had planted and harvested that year—onions, carrots, beans, spinach, lettuce, and other greens.

What is the oldest dressing? ›

The Tarkhan Dress, a V-neck linen shirt currently on display in the UCL Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, has been confirmed as the world's oldest woven garment with radiocarbon testing dating the garment to the late fourth-millennium BC.

The late Ruth Siems, a 1953 home economics graduate, is credited with the invention of Stove Top stuffing. The product hit shelves in 1971 as a dish appropriate for Thanksgiving but also for everyday meals. The secret behind the dish is the dimensions of the bread crumbs, which General Foods patented in 1975.

Despite the benefits of stuffing a turkey, it's not a safe practice, says Baker. That's because the turkey and stuffing might cook at different rates, often leaving the stuffing uncooked and unsafe to eat by the time the turkey is ready.

BRIDGET LANCASTER: If you know that the stuffing has been cooked to a safe temperature (which is 165 F) then you can eat that stuffing.

China's Interpretation of Giving Thanks

In-keeping with the view that celebrating Thanksgiving is a way to recognize both cultures, many people bring personal twists to the holiday to reflect Chinese culture. For instance, the Chinese may sometimes prepare duck instead of turkey, and crab rangoons instead of rolls.

So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish. Additionally, dressing, especially in the American South, is often made with cornbread instead of pieces of a baguette or plain ol' white bread.

a mixture of chopped and seasoned ingredients with which poultry, meat, etc, is stuffed before cooking. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): stuffing.

In Pennsylvania, some people even call it filling. What people may not understand is that there is a difference between all three. Dressing is a Southern term for stuffing however it is not used to stuff a turkey. Unlike stuffing, dressing is made with cornbread and baked in a casserole dish.