Turkey is the meat traditionally served as the centerpiece of Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States.
Turkey became associated with Thanksgiving because it is native to North America, large enough to feed a crowd, and historically available as a wild or farmed bird. Modern Thanksgiving meals commonly pair roast turkey with stuffing or dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.
The popular image of turkey at the first Thanksgiving in 1621 is more certain than the historical evidence allows. Accounts of the Plymouth harvest feast mention wild fowl and venison, but they do not definitively identify turkey as the main meat. The turkey-centered menu developed more strongly during the nineteenth century as Thanksgiving became a national American holiday.
Families do not all follow the same menu: ham, goose, chicken, beef, or vegetarian dishes may replace turkey. Nevertheless, when a quiz asks for the traditional Thanksgiving meat in America, turkey is the standard answer. The bird is also native to Mexico and parts of the United States and was domesticated in the Americas long before modern holiday traditions formed.