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Seven days of questions and answers

Thanksgiving Trivia Answers Archive

Review earlier daily rounds, reveal the correct answer, and use the short explanation to learn the fact behind each question. Page 5 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. Which squash variety, with its bell-like shape and sweet orange flesh, is especially popular for Thanksgiving soups and purées?

    Answer: Butternut squash

    Butternut squash has a smooth, dense, and sweet flesh that purées easily, making it a favorite for Thanksgiving soups, side dishes, and even pie fillings where a smooth, creamy texture is desired.

  2. What is the largest float by dimension that has appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, introduced in the 2000s?

    Answer: Pikachu

    The Pikachu balloon, introduced to the Macy's parade, has been among the largest character balloons, reflecting the parade's tradition of featuring pop culture icons alongside classic figures.

  3. What is the primary role of the "bloom" (gelatin) found in canned jellied cranberry sauce?

    Answer: It helps the sauce hold its molded cylinder shape after opening

    Jellied cranberry sauce contains pectin (naturally occurring in cranberries) that gels the sauce into its characteristic solid cylinder shape, allowing it to be sliced and served in rounds that retain their form on the plate.

  4. Which of the following U.S. presidents issued Thanksgiving proclamations while the nation was engaged in a major war?

    Answer: James Madison

    James Madison issued Thanksgiving proclamations during the War of 1812, calling for national days of prayer and thanksgiving in both 1812 and 1815.

  5. In which New England state is the town of Plymouth, a common historical reference point in American Thanksgiving narratives, located?

    Answer: Massachusetts

    Plymouth, Massachusetts, was the site of the 1620 Pilgrim settlement and is referenced in many American Thanksgiving traditions, including Plymouth Rock as a symbolic landing spot.

Daily round

  1. What is the main nutritional characteristic that distinguishes dark meat from white meat in turkey?

    Answer: Dark meat has a higher myoglobin content from active muscles, giving it more iron and a darker color

    Turkeys use their legs and thighs more actively than their breast, resulting in higher concentrations of myoglobin—an oxygen-storing protein—in those muscles, which gives dark meat its color, richer flavor, and slightly higher iron content.

  2. Which autumn foliage pigment is responsible for the yellow and gold colors visible in maple and birch leaves during the Thanksgiving season?

    Answer: Carotenoid

    Carotenoids are the pigments that produce yellow, gold, and orange leaf colors in species like maples and birches during autumn, as they become unmasked when chlorophyll breaks down.

  3. Squash varieties commonly used in Thanksgiving dishes such as pumpkin pie and butternut squash soup belong to which plant genus?

    Answer: Cucurbita

    Pumpkins, butternut squash, acorn squash, and other common Thanksgiving squashes belong to the genus Cucurbita, a group of vine-growing plants in the gourd family.

  4. The tradition of presenting a live turkey to the U.S. president each Thanksgiving began during which administration?

    Answer: Harry S. Truman

    The National Turkey Federation began presenting a Thanksgiving turkey to the White House in 1947 during the Truman administration, though Truman is believed to have eaten the turkey he received.

  5. The English harvest festival tradition that influenced North American Thanksgiving customs is most closely tied to which seasonal activity?

    Answer: Autumn crop gathering

    The English Harvest Home festival, celebrated at the conclusion of the autumn harvest, contributed many customs and themes that shaped Thanksgiving traditions in both the United States and Canada.

Daily round

  1. Which New England state produces the majority of cranberries harvested in the United States for Thanksgiving consumption?

    Answer: Massachusetts

    Massachusetts is the leading cranberry-producing state and home to the Cape Cod region where cranberry bogs have been harvested for generations, supplying much of the fruit used at Thanksgiving.

  2. What does the term "self-basting" mean when printed on a store-bought turkey label?

    Answer: The turkey has been pre-injected or pre-treated with a seasoned broth or fat solution

    A self-basting turkey has been pre-injected with a solution of broth, water, butter, or other seasonings intended to keep the meat moist during cooking, meaning additional basting is not necessary.

  3. Which nut, commonly featured in Thanksgiving pies, is native to the south-central United States and northern Mexico?

    Answer: Pecan

    The pecan (Carya illinoinensis) is a species of hickory native to the southern United States and northern Mexico, making it a uniquely American nut that features prominently in Southern Thanksgiving desserts.

  4. The Dallas Cowboys began their annual tradition of hosting a Thanksgiving Day NFL game in which year?

    Answer: 1966

    The Dallas Cowboys played their first Thanksgiving Day game in 1966 at the Cotton Bowl, and except for a brief gap in the 1970s, have hosted one nearly every year since.

  5. Which ingredient gives traditional candied yams their characteristic toasted, golden topping?

    Answer: Miniature marshmallows browned under a broiler or in the oven

    The marshmallow-topped candied yam casserole—featuring a layer of miniature marshmallows browned under a broiler or in the oven—became a widely popular Thanksgiving dish in the United States during the twentieth century.

Daily round

  1. Which group of early settlers is credited with bringing American-style Thanksgiving harvest customs to Canada?

    Answer: United Empire Loyalists

    United Empire Loyalists who emigrated from the United States during and after the American Revolution carried Thanksgiving customs, including harvest festival traditions, into Canada.

  2. Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on which date each year?

    Answer: The second Monday of October

    Canadian Thanksgiving is observed annually on the second Monday of October, earlier than the American date, partly because the northern harvest season concludes sooner.

  3. At the first NFL Thanksgiving game in 1934, which team defeated the Chicago Bears in a matchup hosted by the Detroit Lions?

    Answer: Detroit Lions

    The Detroit Lions won their first Thanksgiving Day football game on November 22, 1934, defeating the Chicago Bears 19-16 before a sold-out crowd at the University of Detroit Stadium.

  4. Green bean casserole, a common Thanksgiving side dish, was invented by which company's test kitchen in 1955?

    Answer: Campbell Soup Company

    Campbell Soup Company home economist Dorcas Reilly created the green bean casserole using cream of mushroom soup, green beans, and crispy fried onions as a simple dish that used ingredients most home cooks already had.

  5. Which explorer's 1578 thanksgiving ceremony in the Canadian Arctic is considered one of the earliest recorded North American thanksgiving observances?

    Answer: Martin Frobisher

    Martin Frobisher held a thanksgiving ceremony on Baffin Island in 1578 after enduring a perilous search for the Northwest Passage, predating many other North American thanksgiving events.

Daily round

  1. Which grain was a staple crop cultivated by Indigenous peoples of the Northeast that became central to the Thanksgiving harvest narrative?

    Answer: Maize (corn)

    Maize, or corn, was one of the "Three Sisters" (along with beans and squash) cultivated by many Indigenous nations of eastern North America and occupies a central place in the agricultural history surrounding Thanksgiving.

  2. What is the best practice for safely cooling a large pot of hot turkey stock or gravy before refrigerating it?

    Answer: Divide into shallow containers so it cools quickly to below 40°F

    Dividing hot liquids into shallow containers increases their surface area, allowing them to cool to a safe temperature (below 40°F) within the recommended two-hour window before being transferred to the refrigerator.

  3. Canadian Thanksgiving was officially established as an annual national observance by Parliament in which year?

    Answer: 1879

    The Canadian Parliament proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving on November 6, 1879, though the specific date would change multiple times before being fixed in 1957.

  4. Which U.S. president moved Thanksgiving up by one week in 1939, a decision that divided the nation?

    Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt

    Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving from the last Thursday to the third Thursday of November 1939 to extend the holiday shopping period and help retailers during the Great Depression.

  5. Which NFL team has played a game on Thanksgiving Day every year since 1934, making it the longest continuous Thanksgiving football tradition?

    Answer: Detroit Lions

    The Detroit Lions have hosted a Thanksgiving Day game every year since 1934, when team owner George A. Richards arranged the first matchup as a promotional event.

Daily round

  1. In which country did the celebration known as Chuseok, a major harvest thanksgiving festival typically observed in autumn, originate?

    Answer: Korea

    Chuseok is a major Korean harvest festival, also known as Hangawi, celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month with ancestral rites and traditional foods like songpyeon.

  2. Which ingredient is traditionally used as the primary thickening agent in pan gravy?

    Answer: Roux made from fat and flour

    Classic pan gravy begins with a roux—a mixture of equal parts fat (typically drippings) and flour cooked together—which is then whisked with pan juices and stock to create a smooth, thickened sauce.

  3. The first official national Thanksgiving holiday in Canada was proclaimed in which year?

    Answer: 1879

    Canada's first official national Thanksgiving was proclaimed on November 6, 1879, though the date has shifted several times before settling on the second Monday of October in 1957.

  4. In many Southern U.S. traditions, what distinguishes "dressing" from "stuffing"?

    Answer: Dressing is baked in a separate dish rather than inside the bird

    While the terms are often used interchangeably, many Southern cooks reserve "dressing" for the version baked in its own casserole dish, distinguishing it from "stuffing" that is cooked inside the turkey cavity.

  5. Which of the following Canadian provinces does NOT recognize Thanksgiving as a statutory holiday?

    Answer: Nova Scotia

    Nova Scotia, along with New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, does not designate Thanksgiving as a statutory holiday, although many employers choose to observe it.

Daily round

  1. Which U.S. president declined to issue Thanksgiving proclamations, citing concerns about the federal government encroaching on religious matters?

    Answer: Thomas Jefferson

    Thomas Jefferson, a strong advocate for the separation of church and state, chose not to issue Thanksgiving proclamations during his presidency, believing such proclamations exceeded constitutional authority.

  2. Which governor general of Canada issued the 1879 proclamation that began the tradition of annual national Thanksgiving observances?

    Answer: The Marquess of Lorne

    The Marquess of Lorne, Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883, issued the 1879 proclamation designating a national day of thanksgiving on November 6 of that year.

  3. Which autumn phenomenon causes the green pigment in leaves to break down and reveal the yellow, orange, and red pigments beneath?

    Answer: Decreasing day length and cooler temperatures

    Shorter days and cooler autumn temperatures trigger the breakdown of chlorophyll in leaves, allowing underlying carotenoid and anthocyanin pigments to become visible.

  4. Which of the following is a traditional component of a Southern-style relish tray at Thanksgiving?

    Answer: Olives, pickles, and raw vegetables such as celery sticks

    A classic relish tray typically offers an assortment of olives, various pickles, and crisp raw vegetables like celery, carrot sticks, and radishes, serving as a light appetizer before the main meal.

  5. In which U.S. region is oyster stuffing, made with fresh oysters and breadcrumbs, a traditional Thanksgiving side dish?

    Answer: New England coastal areas

    Oyster stuffing has been a traditional Thanksgiving dish in New England coastal communities and other Atlantic coastal regions where fresh oysters were readily available during the autumn harvest season.