EES Presents Food Ways

"Food ways" is an expression that dates back to 1946. It refers to the eating habits and culinary practices of a people, region, or historical period. Food Ways Presented by Everyday Exotic Spices: Food finds for foodies and food lovers - curated content from around the web, sharing the ways we all like to enjoy our food! Food history, recipe sharing, and all things food-related. This foodie blog is aimed at newbie cooks or beginners. But everyone is welcome!

Showing posts with label Thanksgiving traditions. Show all posts

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Customs, Traditions and Symbols : The Cornucopia

In the USA, since 1863, we have celebrated Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday of November.

Here is a little bit of background information about this national holiday:

POTUS George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation – Thursday, Nov 26, 1789 proclaimed a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer”. (* Source: The Heritage Foundation)

POTUS Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens”, to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November, even though, at the time, the country was engaged in the Civil War. (** Source: National Archives)

Now to get the highlight of this post. The cornucopia. I love the cornucopia.

A cornucopia, also called “horn of plenty”, is a symbol of a harvest – usually pictured as a goat’s horn overflowing with various fruits like apples, grapes, oranges, etc.; corn on the cob; pumpkin; and some even have flowers.

In America, the cornucopia is a symbol included in our celebration of Thanksgiving Day. People don’t usually like to break with familiar customs and traditions that have been accepted and practiced for years. But if I could, I would champion a change to the traditional filling of the cornucopia. My horn of plenty would reflect a harvest that included exotic or tropical fruits. Pomegranates, mangoes, kiwis, and pineapples are at the top of my list.

As for vegetables? Haven’t really given them much thought. Maybe some zucchini and a bunch of collard greens, kale or Swiss chard!

What about you? Ever give any thought to refilling a cornucopia? What fruits and/or veggies and/or flowers would go into your horn of plenty? Don’t you think it makes an excellent gift? A customized cornucopia for a friend or family member. A horn of plenty loaded with fresh fruits and veggies that they like!

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◊ If your country does not celebrate a Thanksgiving Day, I’m sure there is a similar holiday where you take time to give thanks and show appreciation for the life you live. If you don’t use the cornucopia, do you have a symbol that represents the harvest of bountiful blessings of planet earth?

Link of Interest:
Cornucopia – American Thanksgiving

Waving flag image credit: glitter-graphics.com

* * Content first published at Literacy Base on April 9, 2017.

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— EverydayExoticSpices (@EverydaySpices) August 30, 2019

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— EverydayExoticSpices (@EverydaySpices) August 30, 2019

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Friday, November 22, 2024

Foodie Friday : Apples and Pumpkins

Autumn is the season for apples and pumpkins. My favorite recipes are apple cobbler and pumpkin pie, which (in my humble opinion) are true American holiday cuisine. I enjoy these desserts for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

FUN FACTS:

Cobblers originated in the British American colonies. "The earliest recipe dates from 1824. Apple Cobbler – Cobblers (stewed fruit topped with batter, biscuit, or dumplings) originated in the British American colonies with the term “cobbler” recorded in 1859. Cobblers can be made with any type of fruit or berry and are also known as slumps, grunts, and pandowdy." (SOURCE: M. E. Bond)

A cobbler is not the same as Crisp, Crumble, Betty, Or Buckle? What's the difference? "Cobblers are a fruit dessert baked with biscuit-style topping. It's called a cobbler because its top crust is not smooth like a pie crust but rather “cobbled” and coarse. It's usually dropped or spooned over the fruit, then baked. Individual fruit cobblers." (SOURCE: Farmers' Almanac)

"Northeastern Native American tribes grew squash and pumpkins. The Native Americans brought pumpkins as gifts to the first settlers, and taught them the many uses for pumpkin. This led to serving pumpkin pie at the first Thanksgiving in America about 50 years later." (SOURCE: The History Behind Pumpkin Pie)