Turkey Trivia
HISTORY
Although widely associated with the Pilgrims, this U.S. president—more than 240 years after the first 1621 harvest feast—set the precedent for Thanksgiving as an annual national holiday by issuing a proclamation during a time of national conflict.
ANSWER
Abraham Lincoln
This large bird is the traditional centerpiece of most Thanksgiving dinners.
Turkey
This orange pie is the most iconic Thanksgiving dessert.
Pumpkin Pie
The Pilgrims traveled to North America on this ship.
Mayflower
This famous parade occurs every Thanksgiving morning in New York City.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The sandwich made from turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce the next day is called a Thanksgiving this.
Leftover Sandwich
The fleshy red flap of skin that hangs from a turkey’s neck is called this.
Waddle
Mashed potatoes are often topped with this brown sauce.
Gravy
The Pilgrims landed in this modern U.S. state.
Massachusetts
This NFL team hosts a Thanksgiving Day game every year, along with the Cowboys.
Detroit Lions
This common term describes falling asleep after the big meal.
Food Coma
This sound is commonly associated with a male turkey.
Gobble
This tart red berry is boiled with sugar to make a classic side dish.
Cranberry
This Native American tribe assisted the Pilgrims during their first winter.
Wampanoag
In Friends, this character gets a turkey stuck on their head.
Joey (Monica also does it)
This amino acid in turkey is often blamed (incorrectly) for post-meal sleepiness.
tryptophan
A group of turkeys is called this, similar to a group of wolves.
Flock
Green Bean Casserole traditionally uses this crispy topping.
Fried Onions
This Native American interpreter famously helped the Pilgrims grow crops.
Squanto
This Charlie Brown special features a makeshift Thanksgiving meal of toast and popcorn.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
The name for the shopping day after Thanksgiving.
Black Friday
The small bit of cartilage in the turkey’s chest, often dried and snapped for luck, is called this.
Wishbone
Stuffing baked outside the turkey is often called this.
Dressing
The year of the first widely recognized Thanksgiving.
1621
Adam Sandler wrote this comedic holiday song.
The Thanksgiving song
Putting everything from the meal into one bowl is jokingly called this kind of “meal.”
Mash-up
The skin over a turkey’s beak that can expand and contract is called this – a “snooty” name.
Snood
This type of bread is the most common base for stuffing.
Corn Bread or White Bread
Before leaving for America, the Pilgrims had been living in this European country.
Netherlands
In How I Met Your Mother, the disastrous recurring holiday is called this.
Slapsgiving
This type of pie often gets overshadowed by pumpkin but is made from nuts.
Pecan Pie
This U.S. President began the tradition of “pardoning” a Thanksgiving turkey.
Who is Harry Truman? (commonly cited) / Who is George H. W. Bush? (modern formal tradition)
This root vegetable, often served mashed or roasted, is sometimes confused with sweet potatoes.
Yam
This document, signed aboard the Mayflower, established early self-governance.
Mayflower Compact
This chef and TV personality is known for the famous “turkey brine” recipe.
Alton Brown
Thanksgiving dinner is often so large that these stretchy pants become necessary.
Sweatpants
Wild turkeys can surprisingly do this at speeds up to 55 mph.
FLY
This Thanksgiving dessert uses a custard-style filling made from molasses and spices.
Sweet Potatoe Pie
This English-born leader served multiple terms as governor of Plymouth Colony.
William Bradford
This animated film features turkeys traveling through time to stop Thanksgiving.
Free Birds
This term describes family arguments that inevitably happen around the dinner table.
Holiday Drama
Turkeys see in this type of spectrum, allowing them excellent daytime vision.
Ultraviolet
This fluffy side dish made from whipped egg whites is sometimes called a “salad,” especially in the Midwest.
Ambrosia Salad
The harvest celebration lasted this many days.
3
In WKRP in Cincinnati, the station’s failed promotion involved dropping these from a helicopter.
Turkeys
Some believe the turkey is secretly this animal’s arch-nemesis—especially on Thanksgiving.
Human
The native region of the turkey that gave the bird its scientific name Meleagris gallopavo.
North America
Oyster stuffing, a colonial-era favorite, was likely brought to New England by settlers from this European region.
East Anglia
This Wampanoag leader, also known as Massasoit, formed an alliance with the Pilgrims.
Ousamequin
This 1987 comedy film stars Steve Martin and John Candy trying to get home for Thanksgiving.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
This humorous term refers to the challenge of fitting all leftovers into a too-small fridge.
Tetris-ing the fridge