2. 1. North Carolina was on the cutting edge of
celebrating Thanksgiving in the south! North
Carolina’s first Thanksgiving Day was November
15 1949, over 30 years before the rest of the
country caught onto it. What can we say, offer a
day just to eat and you have got one happy state
of southerners!
3. 2. Previously to 1949, Thanksgiving was
considered a “Yankee” holiday and totally
ignored by the south. Since embracing the
simple beauty of Thanksgiving sweet
potatoes and pecan pie have become staples
of the national feast.
4. 3. North Carolina is still in the top seven states to
consume turkey and the top six states to produce
turkeys.
5. 4. The first Thanksgiving was comprised of approximately
52 puritans and 90 Native Americans as opposed to the
87,236 people that live in Asheville!
6. 5. In the mountains of North Carolina in the 18th
century chicken, goose and turkey were
relatively common for meals, so holiday fair
was a little different. Meat pies and opossums
caught in cages and fed sweet corn to
improve the flavor were the special treat
people hankered for around the holidays.
7. 6.Moving away from opossum and meat pie, the south
has started a new trend that has caught on rapidly
with the rest of the country – deep fried turkey.
Initially when my dad told me that we were going to be
having deep fried turkey for Thanksgiving one year,
well, I was absolutely horrified. However, with some
seasoning in the oil, it can be pretty delicious!
8. 7. Corn is one of the “traditional” Thanksgiving foods
that’s grown naturally in North Carolina for years. It
grows in a variety of colors associated with fall,
however blue and white corn were especially
revered as sacred by some Native Americans.
9. 8. Before Sitting down to your fabulous Thanksgiving
meal this year, check out West Carolina’s Marching
Band in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2014!
10. If you’re cooking Thanksgiving dinner for your family this
year, don’t forget to check out our post on the awesome
Farmers’ Market in downtown Asheville!
If you’re just relaxing and letting someone else do the
cooking, you can look at our post about what’s open on
Thanksgiving Day!
Either way, you’re in for a unique experience spending
your holidays here in Asheville.
