[1][2] Along with attending church services, Thanksgiving dinner remained a central part of celebrations from the holiday's early establishment in North America.

[4] At Thanksgiving dinner, turkey is served with a variety of side dishes that can vary from traditional, such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce,[5] to ones that reflect regional or cultural heritage.

Winslow sent out four men who provided a variety of fowls, sufficient to feed the colony for a week, while Massasoit's hunters killed five deer.

[9] Most of what was served, however, according to some historians, as referenced in a letter from Edward Winslow written on 11 December 1621, would have been seafood, including lobster, fish, eels, mussels and oysters.

Austin described the Pilgrims a year after their arrival as feasting on turkey stuffed with beechnuts, other types of fowl, venison, boiled beef and other roasts, oysters, clam chowder, plum-porridge, hasty pudding, sea biscuit, manchet bread, butter, treacle, mustard, turnips, salad, grapes, plums, popcorn, ale, and root beer.

Austin's lavish description disregarded the historical record and the deaths due to starvation and malnutrition that occurred in the Plymouth Colony that winter.

The writings of Austin and others helped to establish the inaccurate image of the Pilgrim Thanksgiving feast in popular culture and make it a part of the national identity of the United States.

In her 1827 novel Northwood; or, a Tale of New England, Sarah Josepha Hale devoted an entire chapter to Thanksgiving dinner, emphasizing many of the foods that are now considered traditional.

Although many other meats are mentioned, "the roasted turkey took precedence on this occasion, being placed at the head of the table; and well did it become its lordly stations, sending forth the rich odour of its savoury stuffing".

The tradition of eating Turkey on Thanksgiving dates back to its role as an easily accessible and practical food source during early harvest celebrations.

[12] For dessert, "the celebrated pumpkin pie...occupied the most distinguished niche" and was described as "an indispensable part of a good and true Yankee Thanksgiving".

[9] The White House Cook Book, published in 1887 by Fanny Lemira Gillette, had the following menu: oysters on half shell, cream of chicken soup, fried smelts, sauce tartare, roast turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, baked squash, boiled onions, parsnip fritters, olives, chicken salad, venison pastry, pumpkin pie, mince pie, charlotte russe, almond ice cream, lemon jelly, hickory nut cake, cheese, fruits, and coffee.

[13] A Thanksgiving Day dinner served to the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935 included pickles, green olives, celery, roast turkey, oyster stew, cranberry sauce, giblet gravy, dressing, creamed asparagus tips, snowflake potatoes, baked carrots, hot rolls, fruit salad, mince pie, fruitcake, candies, grapes, apples, clams, fish, and many other foods, along with French drip coffee, cigars, and cigarettes.

[17] The dinner's were not simply frozen, but used a flash freezing technology that prevents the formation of ice crystals that alter the texture of meat.

[31][32] Other ingredients, such as chopped chestnuts or other tree nuts, crumbled sausage or bacon, carrots, cranberries, raisins, and/or apples, may be added to stuffing.

[33][34] Turkeys prepared as the main course of a Thanksgiving meal are traditionally roasted, though certain cooks and regional preferences may feature a bird that has been grilled, smoked, or which has had its individual cuts braised, or sous vide.

In recent years, the popularity of deep-fried turkey has grown substantially, owing to its shorter preparation time and production of a bird with moist interior meat and a crispy exterior skin.

The giblet is not a specific bird organ, but several that are traditional for the butcher to include in a small bag of turkey parts like the liver, kidney, gizzard, heart, and neck.

[43] Roasted goose, duck, or chicken, foods that were traditional European centerpieces of Christmas dinners, are sometimes served in place of a Thanksgiving turkey.

[49] John Madden, a longtime commentator on televised NFL Thanksgiving Day games, advocated for turducken: deboned turkey, duck and chicken nested inside each other and then cooked.

[50][51] At the other end of the spectrum, vegetarians or vegans may choose a tofu, seitan, or lentil-based substitute such as tofurkey,[52] or serve vegetable-based dishes such as stuffed squash, which are more often considered sides.

[63] Commonly served vegetable dishes include mashed winter squash, turnips, and sweet potatoes, the latter often prepared with sweeteners such as brown sugar, molasses, or marshmallows.

[64] Other vegetables served may include carrots or parsnips, beets, radishes, asparagus, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and creamed corn.

[70][71] A charcuterie board or relish tray, with various cheese, cured meats, crackers, pickles, olives, onions or peppers, is often included either with the meal itself or as a pre-meal appetizer.

[72] Bread rolls, biscuits, or cornbread, the latter particularly in the South and parts of New England, may also be served,[62] and macaroni and cheese is a common side dish in some Southern coastal areas.

Harriet Beecher Stowe described pie as "an English institution, which, transplanted on American soil, forthwith ran rampant and burst forth into an untold variety of genera and species.

Many African Americans, Black Canadians and Southerners serve baked macaroni and cheese and collard greens, along with chitterlings and sweet potato pie.

[90] One Mexican-American celebrity cook, rubs their turkey with banana leaves and a spicy paste from Yucutan, and makes a chorizo, pecan, apple, and cornbread stuffing/dressing.

[91] In Puerto Rico, the Thanksgiving meal is completed with arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), pasteles (root tamales), and potato salad.

[94] In Hawaii, the day ties in with traditional Hawaiian period from November to January called Makahiki which, in a similar vein as Thanksgiving Day, was a period of giving thanks to God for "blessing," peace, or good crops, and an important part of this was feasts that featured roast pork, fish, sweet potatoes, nuts, and other vegetables.