What pie is traditionally served on Thanksgiving in the United States?

Pumpkin pie is traditionally served on Thanksgiving in the United States. Its spiced, custard-like filling and harvest-season association have made it the holiday’s most recognizable dessert.

Pumpkin pie developed from ingredients brought together through the Columbian Exchange: North American pumpkins, European wheat and baking traditions, and Old World sugar and spices. Early American colonists did not always make the modern pie; some cooked pumpkin with milk and spices inside a hollowed pumpkin or prepared savory pumpkin dishes.

A more recognizable sweet pumpkin pie appeared in the 1796 cookbook American Cookery by Amelia Simmons. By the nineteenth century, pumpkin pie had become closely linked with Thanksgiving, although regional alternatives such as apple pie, pecan pie and sweet potato pie remain popular.

Canned pumpkin purée is common in modern recipes, while fresh “pie pumpkins” are smaller and less stringy than carving pumpkins. The filling is usually flavored with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves or allspice, and the finished slice is often served with whipped cream.