Thanksgiving is a beloved American holidays, harking back to the earliest time of our country.  You might be surprised to find it has Jewish roots. The Pilgrims read about the Biblical holiday of Sukkot (Feast of the Tabernacles). When they survived their first arduous year, in 1621, with the help of Squanto and the Wampanoag people and Chief, Massasoit, the Pilgrims recreated the Jewish harvest, with its thanks to the Almighty for the bounty of the earth. The first holiday meal was eaten outside, as we do at Sukkot and lasted 3 days. The menu was not the same (no pumpkin pie!), as the Pilgrims had no ovens built yet, but there was cooking over a fire. While there were proclamations of thanksgiving from George Washington on, it wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln that Thanksgiving became an official US holiday.

Thanksgiving brings out nostalgia in many of us, remembering dinners from our childhood, with family and friends. Many of us love the traditional foods—turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. In the links given, you will find menus traditional, with fish, vegetarian and vegan. Soups and sides, mostly vegan, non-dairy and pareve, and enough desserts to satisfy any sweet tooth. All recipes are noted with easy to categorize labels, such as meat, vegetarian or vegan.

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