Give Thanks for Thanksgiving!

If you’re coming to America, you want to enjoy some genuine experiences of Uncle Sam, right? Well, when it comes to November, there is no more star-spangled occasion than the annual holiday of Thanksgiving.

This uniquely American occasion celebrates a 400-year-old festival that originated between the early settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and the Wampanoag native peoples who lived there. True, it didn’t become an official holiday until 1863, but Thanksgiving has been a fixture on the calendar ever since, and its annual observance is now the recipe for a huge culinary undertaking.

It is held on the fourth Thursday of the month (November 27 this year), is the cue for major family get-togethers, and, most importantly, it will feature the traditional Thanksgiving menu that legend insists stems from that 1621 meeting between settlers and native Americans.

And, if you have never been in Orlando for this festive occasion, you’ll probably be amazed to learn that THIS is the day for the big annual turkey dinner, with all the trimmings, and not Christmas. It is genuinely a worthy rival to the classic British Christmas dinner, with a reputation for both quantity and originality, and it features some tasty dishes that are likely to be new to visitors from Europe.

It’s turkey time!

Just to start with, just about every dining table centrepiece will highlight the full turkey (albeit a few will go for a roast ham as the main course or as a significant side dish). Brined, basted and roasted, this is the stuff of several hundred years of tradition, and it represents a feast for the ages, with the firm idea there will be plenty of leftovers for Ron (Later Ron, of course).

However, in the American version, the side dishes are just as important as the main dish because they make up the bulk of the meal and form a time-honoured array of accompaniments that go perfectly with turkey. Pride of place goes to the mashed (not roast) potatoes, followed by the usual line-up of sweet potato casserole (topped with toasted marshmallows – yes, really), green bean casserole, gravy and bread stuffing, as well as cranberry jelly, cranberry sauce and, in some instances, cornbread.

And it is backed up for dessert by a full and zesty pumpkin pie – a deliciously smooth and spiced mixture of pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice – and a healthy dollop of whipped cream. This is not the time to be counting your calories or on any kind of diet. It is the full Monty in American terms, a major blowout where most households are cooking for two or three days, plus meals to send home with any guests.

To cook or dine out?

Now comes the big question for all our UK visitors – do you ‘Have a go’ yourself, and tackle this major US cooking challenge in your villa’s expansive kitchen, or do you opt for someone else to do the cooking and washing up?

If it’s the former, the local supermarkets all make it super-easy for you in providing all the essential ingredients in handy displays that feature each of the main ingredients. Whether it’s Publix, Winn-Dixie, Sprouts, Whole Foods or Walmart, they all lay out their seasonal shopping essentials in easy-to find sections and displays. You can even order a fresh (not frozen) bird from the likes of Whole Foods, Publix and Sprouts.

Just be aware that this is a serious culinary undertaking. Just like our Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving is the full-on kitchen caper, a juggling act that requires timing, precision and no small amount of baking nous. And remember that all US cookers are tuned to Fahrenheit, NOT Celsius, hence roasting your oven-ready bird at 200© back home is probably not going to get the job done in a typical villa oven. You’ll need to start at 450(F) and then go down to 350(F).

Happily, for those who don’t want the challenge of tackling this Great American Bakeoff, thanks to Visit Orlando, there are plenty of Orlando restaurants that will cater for visitors who either can’t or don’t want to cook for themselves. Many hotels will offer a Thanksgiving buffet on the day itself, while other restaurants add traditional menu items for the whole week.

The key is to check out the choice and make your booking asap, as this is the day that most restaurants are likely to put up the “Fully booked” signs.

Head for Disney Springs

Now, if you want our recommendation for that all-American dining experience, your best bet is to head for Disney Springs, which offers no fewer than five standout restaurants that will all feature a Thanksgiving meal to remember. Choose from any of the following (just remember to book as soon as you can), including our long-time favourite:

The Boathouse: This upscale Springs location will feature a traditional Thanksgiving dish in addition to its full á la carte menu. Try the roasted turkey with gravy, whipped potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce ($33) for a classic taste of the holidays, while a child-sized turkey dinner (minus the green beans and cranberries) will be available for $13.

CityWorks: Their headline offering on November 27 will be a sumptuous herb-roasted turkey entrée, plus a special turkey dish for kids and several fun cocktails for adults. Enjoy this holiday favourite paired with creamy mashed potatoes, traditional stuffing, corn casserole and gravy, plus Brussels sprouts with lardons ($34.95 for adults, $19.95 for children). Speciality beverages like the Cranberry Mojito, Burnt Orange Old Fashioned and Spiced Pear Red Sangria will lend an extra grown-up touch.

Homecomin’ Kitchen: For a real locals approach to the traditional meal, Homecomin’ will serve Thanksgiving fun all weekend, with a side of good ol’ Southern hospitality. Dig into a special turkey entree on Thanksgiving Day, or continue the festivities with Chef Art Smith’s famous Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, available on November 28.

Raglan Road: Our favourite Irish bar and restaurant offers possibly THE epitome of the meal du jour. The Raglan Thanksgiving Day Menu will feature a hearty, hand-crafted dinner featuring butter and herb roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, duck fat roasties, honey glazed carrots, bacon-braised Brussels sprouts, sausage meat stuffing, red wine jus and cranberry sauce. Served from opening time to closing on Thanksgiving Day only (or until the turkey runs out), it is $45 for adults and $22.50 for children 10 and under. The traditional live Irish music and dancing will be performed from 4.30pm through to closing. Reservations recommended online on this link.

Not ready for the full sit-down experience? Try Cookes of Dublin, the fast-food version of Raglan Road’s Irish-themed temptations. Starting on Thanksgiving Day (Nov 27), and continuing right through to Christmas Day itself, Cookes will offer two new dishes to celebrate the season: Thanksgiving Turkey Pie served with chips (aka fries), stuffing and cranberry sauce and a Buttermilk Cajun Turkey Sandwich, with garlic mayonnaise, stuffing, cranberry sauce and fries, both at $15.99.

Have you ever been in Orlando for Thanksgiving? Tell us about your experiences on our Facebook, X and Instagram pages.