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Thanksgiving is approaching quickly, and Americans are starting to think about the abundance of food that awaits them. Little known fact, roughly 88% of Americans stick to the traditional Thanksgiving day entree and sides of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, etc. However, this doesn’t mean that there are not a few odd and outdated dishes here and there that make the Turkey day meal cut. American families share interesting foods that have appeared on their dinner table on Thanksgiving.
Bologna Cake with Ranch Cream Cheese Icing
Beef Bologna cake with hot dog towers. Ranch dressing, mayonnaise and easy cheese icing. Garnished with green olives. Is it a #HellYesOrHellNo in your opinion? pic.twitter.com/USK4wc1vAE
— Pumpkin Spice Pyramids 😱☕🥧🕯🎃🍂 (@PositivePyrami1) November 6, 2020
It looks exactly as it sounds, a layered bologna cake with ranch cream cheese icing. If you are feeling fancy, it is not uncommon to line the outside with hotdogs. I was not aware this was something people did. There is no rush to see this on my table for Thanksgiving.
Frog Eye Salad
Frog eye salad does not involve frogs or eyes. It doesn’t even resemble a salad. This creamy side dish, beloved in the United States’ Rocky Mountain region, includes pasta, an egg custard, whipped cream, and canned fruits, topped with marshmallows and shredded coconut. pic.twitter.com/cNB6Nm18WR
— Atlas Obscura (@atlasobscura) April 10, 2020
If you’re from the United States’ Rocky Mountain region, you might have heard of this dish. However, the rest of us are clueless. Frog eye salad is a combination of pasta, egg custard, whipped cream, canned fruits, topped with marshmallow, and shredded coconut. This recipe is a tough one for me to wrap my head around. But many Americans are already on board and in love with the side.
Magic Tomato Soup Cake
My grandmother, who had zero cooking skills, used to make this every holiday.
While I miss her presence at the table, I’m definitely happy we don’t have to pretend to enjoy this abomination anymore. pic.twitter.com/h2gHrOJctV— Jennifer Volpe Douglas (@Volpinator1) November 23, 2019
It’s all the ingredients of your typical cake, but with 10oz of tomato soup. This recipe appears to be older and not as commonly seen as it used to be on Thanksgiving. However, that doesn’t mean some people don’t continue to include it for the sake of tradition.
Shrimp Aspic
6) This beauty is shrimp aspic. Just looking at it makes me ill. I have no idea how you'd use it with other #diabolicalbasket ingredient. Make sure it's really stuffed: tons of shrimp, and some walnuts, celery, carrots, apples…Oh did I mention that this gelatin is SWEET?! 7/11 pic.twitter.com/4zC663BVWR
— KJ (@Kelli_Jean_) February 19, 2020
Shimp aspic seems to be another dish we left in the past, and for a good reason. Essentially it is tomato juice, onion, celery, black olives, spices, and shrimp all encased in a lemon jello mold. I try to be adventurous in my foods and willing to taste everything at least once. However, I don’t think I could stomach this. The texture alone has me internally cringing.
Turkey Dinner Layer Cake
This savory layer cake composed of an entire turkey dinner is the mashup we want to hate but can't. https://t.co/9XKIQRWLRW pic.twitter.com/pyeesf1kiU
— Chowhound (@CHOW) November 19, 2017
This dish is your traditional Thanksgiving day meal but in the form of a cake. It gives you turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and stuffing all in one bite. I don’t mind food mixing on my plate, but this might be taking it a little too far.
Most people seek to include traditional Thanksgiving day dishes on their dinner table. However, that doesn’t mean someone from the family won’t bring a side of their own that you have never heard of or seen. And while I am all for trying new foods, some of these go a little too far.