Thanksgiving is a holiday filled with many traditions carried on by households across the United States. Thanksgiving is the most popular holiday ranking just above Christmas, according to a 2021 survey. One part of Thanksgiving I know I look forward to every year is going to relatives and having a big meal. Thanksgiving is also one of the most celebrated holidays in the United States. The most common part about Thanksgiving is the meal shared with family and friends.

     Within the meal of Thanksgiving, there are numerous dishes that are prepared yearly by families. Some of the traditional dishes prepared for Thanksgiving include stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, corn casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, and, of course, turkey. My favorite dish, however, would have to be sweet potato casserole. There are many different ways a sweet potato casserole can be prepared. While many people may prepare a sweet potato casserole with a pecan topping, my favorite way to enjoy sweet potato casserole is with marshmallows covering the sweet potatoes on top. In my opinion, there isn’t a better tasting side dish than a well-made sweet potato casserole. I would advise anyone who hasn’t tried a sweet potato casserole before, to do so.

     Sweet potato casserole has been around since 1917, which is when it was first introduced. A woman by the name of Janet McKenzie Hill first baked a sweet potato casserole for a marshmallow company in a campaign to assemble more recipes utilizing marshmallows. Sweet potato casserole is more common in southern states where it originated from. Having the sweet potato as its state vegetable, it is to no surprise that North Carolina produces the most sweet potatoes in the United States.

     Sweet potato casserole, however, isn’t the only dish I personally look forward to when going to a Thanksgiving meal. The main dish for me at Thanksgiving is ham, which is the most popular alternative to turkey across the United States. And even though about 12% of Americans skip turkey on Thanksgiving, I still enjoy eating turkey as well as ham on Thanksgiving. Also, about 80% of Americans actually prefer Thanksgiving leftovers rather than the actual meal. For sides other than sweet potato casserole, I enjoy eating chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie. These foods all make my Thanksgiving meal a favorite every year. But, nothing compares to the flavor of a sweet potato casserole.

     Every Thanksgiving there are activities that I look forward to partaking in. Whether it’s running in the annual Turkey Trot in Logansport, or just spending time with my cousins and relatives, Thanksgiving is definitely one of my favorite holidays every year. Above all, though, the meal is one of the best parts of Thanksgiving every year.

https://science.unctv.org/content/reportersblog/sweet-potato-casserole-origin#:~:text=The%20first%20recipe%20for%20sweet,by%20the%20Angelus%20Marshmallow%20company.

https://www.delish.com/holiday-recipes/thanksgiving/g3023/traditional-thanksgiving-menu/?slide=18

https://ruthschris.net/blog/sweet-potato-casserole-history-recipe/