
Alexander Hamilton is believed to have said, “No one should eat turkey on Thanksgiving.” For more than 200 years, families across America have followed his instructions.
Many families don’t think twice about what they’re going to eat on Thanksgiving: it’s always turkey. However, not every Thanksgiving table will feature the traditional Thanksgiving bird.
As a vegetarian, I haven’t eaten turkey in decades, and my children have never eaten turkey at Thanksgiving. Instead, my family eats tofu chicken – as the name implies – a faux turkey made from tofu. After some trial and error, I discovered a Tofurkey recipe with caramelized onions and roasted dried cherries that even meat-eating guests would enjoy. My family is also big on hearty side dishes and desserts.
But the reasons families decide not to make the traditional turkey the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving table are as varied as the country itself. Not only do vegetarians not cut the turkey on Thanksgiving, but what families use instead of turkey varies.
It’s a very relevant topic for families who struggle to find compromise in the kitchen when they gather for a holiday meal,” says Andrew Noyes, Eat Just’s vice president of global communications and public affairs, “especially with the rise of diets that limit and raise awareness of how the food we buy and eat affects our own health of awareness.”
Some families don’t like turkey
“No one in my family likes turkey,” says Kathy Meyer Larson. Instead, Larson says her children, who range in age from 8 to 14, “would rather eat tacos, hot dogs or spaghetti.” However, the family compromised on steak as Larson’s mother vetoed the idea of a Thanksgiving frittata bar.
Arbella Odishoo Parrot said she would “always pick something other than turkey” for Thanksgiving. In recent years, her family has dined at a restaurant for Thanksgiving. She will often eat fish if it’s on the menu, but will choose vegetarian food to avoid turkey if needed.
“I’ve recently found that people secretly admit they don’t really like turkey, but may feel obligated to eat it because it’s tradition,” she says.
Some families have allergies
“A few years ago, my father was allergic to turkey, so we had to switch homes,” Suzanne Brown says. Now, she cooks Ina Garten recipes for roast chicken on Thanksgiving. “Everyone loves it – even our kids – so no one misses turkey,” Brown said.
She adds that making the chicken is easier because supermarkets never run out of stock. “[On Thanksgiving] no one is looking for chicken,” she said, “so we’re happy to be able to shop easily.”
Some families think turkey is too much work
Ashley Austrew says, “A turkey makes it feel like a lot of work for not that much reward.” She adds that she’s tired of eating turkey year after year. “We tend to make traditional sides and then use the main course as an opportunity to try something that sounded good back in the day.”
In recent years, she has substituted pork tenderloin, stew meat and Cornish hens for turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
Some people like fall dishes
“Anything pumpkin …… seems to be fall [and] ‘Thanksgiving’ to me,” says Carolyn Grant. Grant, a vegetarian, says, “People often have an urge to substitute other roasts for the roast at the table.”
She doesn’t think it’s necessary. Instead, Grant often makes stuffed squash for Thanksgiving, adding, “Sometimes we just do all the delicious sides and call it a day.”
Muriel Penoty, a vegetarian who lives abroad, no longer celebrates Thanksgiving. When she does, she often makes “a seasonal casserole with wild rice, roasted [nuts], cranberries, raisins, scallions, basil and cilantro.”
Some people prefer meat substitutes
Kale and Aubry Walch founded The Herbivorous Butcher, the first vegan butcher store in the U.S. The siblings began eating turkey substitutes at Thanksgiving more than 25 years ago when kale became vegetarian. At first, they were the only ones in the family who chose not to eat turkey, but as the two developed better recipes for a completely meatless Thanksgiving meal – including roasted turkey substitutes – the whole family got on board. Three generations of the Walch family now enjoy a vegan feast for Thanksgiving dinner as a family.
For Aubry Walch, that means “it’s really becoming a family sitting around the holiday table and eating a whole meal together.”
“Stop saying, ‘It’s yours, it’s ours,'” she says.
Some like to indulge
“Thanksgiving is a more festive day for me and requires something more substantial [than turkey],” Chary Otinggey says. Instead, Otinggey eats a roasted suckling pig.
Larry Snider opted for duck. “Duck is much richer than turkey, and when it’s pan-roasted, it’s very tasty,” he told Yahoo Lifestyle. “I made it with a pan sauce made with fresh mushrooms, red wine and herbs.”
Vared DeLeeuw eats rib-eye steak on Thanksgiving, even though it’s much more expensive than turkey. “We look at it as a special treat we enjoy once a year,” she says, noting that the cost is worth it because the rib-eye steak tastes so much better. “On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give a perfectly prepared turkey a 7 and a perfectly prepared rib-eye roast a 10,” she says.
Some respect cultural traditions
Some families blend the American Thanksgiving holiday with traditional foods from other cultures. Blogger Gennifer Rose says, “My husband is Mexican-American, and one of my favorite things about my Mexican in-law family is that instead of turkey, we make tamales for Thanksgiving.”
Rose explains, “It’s very similar to setting aside turkeys for the holidays because making them requires a lot of labor and a batch of tamales takes at least five hours to make.”
“Making tamales is usually a social event,” she adds, “where family and friends get together to make a large batch of tamales and then distribute them among the family.”
Some people get tired of turkey
Kyle MacDonald used to eat turkey for Thanksgiving, but his family got tired of eating the same thing year after year and decided to try something new. Now, making something other than turkey is their own tradition, and the family eats something different every year.
“One year, we made lasagna completely from scratch,” he says. The next year, the family had a traditional Indian meal. “Put Thanksgiving on discovering new foods from around the world instead of eating the same turkey year after year,” he suggests.
Some people think turkey is wasteful
Jessica Fisher, a budget-conscious cookbook author and food blogger, believes it only makes sense to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving “if your guests really like it and you can use it up or get a lot out of it.”
Even as a family of eight, Fisher often finds herself with lots of turkey leftovers that no one wants to eat. Instead, she turns to “baking chicken thighs for the kids, cooking ham in the pan and roasting turkey breasts for the purists at the table.” Fisher’s children are happy to have more chicken legs available, and she enjoys being spared the hassle of cooking turkeys that no one really likes.