Turkey Archives - Food Travelist

by Diana Laskaris

It’s that time of year when people all over the world celebrate the bountiful harvest feast and nature’s grandeur. We know that each Food Travelist appreciates the wonder of seasonal delights and sometimes spends them with friends or family in places known and new. Because I have been a hostess on many such occasions, I want to share some of my favorite tips with you for having your own successful harvest feast, keeping it fun, and making it memorable. Here are my top 8 ideas to help you create a wonderful harvest feast of your own.

1. Whatever form your harvest feast takes, enjoy your traditions and celebrate your heritage.

If there’s any ethnic identity you want to celebrate, include it in the dishes you prepare. Grilled halloumi is a family favorite.

2. Sharing the harvest bounty with loved ones makes it memorable and comforting. If there’s no one for you to celebrate with at home, please consider visiting a local house of worship, shelter or other social service organization and give your time generously to help them out feeding those in need, or just being there to encourage and support those less fortunate. You will be immeasurably enriched and have a true feast for your spirit.

3. If you’re the one who’s doing the cooking be sure to have something for everyone at your table.

Don’t be afraid to surprise them with something new or different!

And don’t forget to offer some old favorites as well.

Bring back an old family recipe if you have one. And share any stories that may go with it.

4. Be sure to celebrate the harvest with vegetables that are in season.

Making dishes that are so special to the harvest season.

They add so much color to the table.

And provide so many wonderful options for those who don’t eat meat.

5. Don’t worry too much about the calories at this feast. It’s a feast, after all.

And making special homemade items that take a little effort just makes it that much more meaningful. Here’s a terrific recipe for homemade bread.

6. Be sure to enhance your feast with a little extra special decor. Celebrate the season, your guests, the occasion, and everything by making a feast for all the senses.

7. Don’t be afraid to finish off with a flourish. Pies made with seasonal ingredients are always a favorite.

8. And be sure to make the most of your leftovers. The dishes of the feast sometimes provide the most cherished and delicious meals of the year in the days ahead. Turkey Tetrazzini is one of our favorites.

I hope this gives you a few ideas on how you can have a fabulous harvest feast. Whether you celebrate a holiday such as Thanksgiving, Harvest Moon, Volksfeste, Chuseok or just enjoy nature’s bounty at this time of year, share your love and think about others around the world and you will surely have the most memorable feast ever. Cheers to you during this wonderful season of delicious delights!

Also, check out Turkey Around the World to learn more about how different cultures prepare turkey.

THE QUICK BITE: Here are 8 favorite tips to help you enjoy nature’s bounty and have the most memorable harvest feast ever.

No matter how you slice it, Turkey is a treasured part of many Thanksgiving dinners. While the wild turkey is native to North America, it was imported to Europe by the Spaniards, passing through Turkey, the country, which is how the bird got its name; Native Americans called it “peru.”

Food Travelist Diana Serving Up The Turkey

Interestingly, it seems that Israel consumes more turkey than the U.S. (28.9 pounds per Israeli versus 17.6 pounds by each American). Canadians, Europeans, Brazilians and Australians are the top turkey-eaters after Israelis and Americans. Mexico imported nearly 400 million pounds of turkey in one year. China, Hong Kong and the Dominican Republic all seem to have a taste for the bird as well.

So it appears that there are many ways to enjoy turkey whether at a Thanksgiving table or otherwise. So here are a few ethnically inspired ideas for you to enjoy that big bird, wherever you may be.

1. Greek – Add garlic, oregano and lemon juice to your basting liquid (with olive oil, of course!). Skip the stuffing and serve it with roasted onions, carrots and potatoes.

2. Chinese – Marinade your bird with a combination of hoisin, soy and oyster sauces with a little honey and garlic. Serve with a dressing of sticky and long grain rice.

3. Dominican – Lavish a mix of citrus such as bitter orange and lime juice with wine over turkey, and stuff with mix of Spanish olives, garlic, smoked ham or pork and chiles. Use the juices from the pan to make a nice citrus gravy.

4. Israeli – Coat with extra virgin olive oil, paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic, coriander, parsley and some white wine. Make a stuffing with couscous and some lovely dried fruit like raisins, sultanas, apricots and cranberries and mixed nuts like pine nuts, hazelnuts (filberts) and almonds.

5. American Turducken – You may or may not have heard of this crazy combo, which originated in the specialty meat stores of South-Central Louisiana in the United States. It consists of a deboned chicken inside a deboned duck inside a deboned turkey, traditionally with different stuffings such as sausage, rice, cornbread and oyster layered in between. The poultry is usually rubbed in butter or olive oil, inside and out, then with a spicy rub that can included onion and garlic powder, oregano, basil time, paprika, and black, white, and cayenne pepper.

This is a fun time to try some new traditions and expand your turkey horizons. With turkeys on tables around the world, you can bring a little of the world to your own turkey table.

THE QUICK BITE: While Americans love their turkey especially on Thanksgiving Day, lists of people around the world enjoy turkey all year long. Here are some global ideas about turkey tastes that you can bring to your own table.

Turkey

8 Tips for the Best Harvest Feast Ever

Turkey Around The World