80 Thanksgiving Dinner Trivia Questions with Answers
80 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Thanksgiving Dinner trivia focuses on the foods, ingredients, regional traditions, and unusual main dishes associated with the holiday table. Questions include pumpkin’s botanical history, Atlantic Canada’s salt-beef boiled dinner, New England Indian pudding, Puerto Rican pavochón, and the famous turducken.
The set reaches beyond standard roast turkey to include Dungeness crab on the West Coast and Norwegian flatbread served in parts of the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. It suits family gatherings, food-themed game nights, culinary classrooms, seasonal pub quizzes, and players who enjoy discovering how Thanksgiving menus vary by region and cultural tradition.
Which U.S. president issued the 1863 proclamation that made Thanksgiving a national holiday?
Answer
Abraham Lincoln
Which crab is noted as a West Coast alternative main dish for Thanksgiving?
Answer
Dungeness crab
Which cooking method submerges a Thanksgiving turkey in hot oil?
Answer
deep frying
Sweet potato pie is usually made in what kind of pie shell?
Answer
open pie shell
Sweet potato pie is especially associated with which U.S. region?
Answer
Southern United States
Libby's canned pumpkin uses only which Cucurbita species for its purée?
Answer
Cucurbita moschata
What common pie topping is sometimes served on pumpkin pie?
Answer
whipped cream
Pumpkin pie spice is a blend made to flavor the filling of what dessert?
Answer
pumpkin pie
Which spice company commercially introduced blended pumpkin pie spice in 1934?
Answer
McCormick & Company
Who created the green bean casserole recipe in 1955?
Answer
Dorcas Reilly
Which company employed Dorcas Reilly when she created green bean casserole in 1955?
Answer
Campbell Soup Company
Pie pumpkins are typically about how many inches in diameter?
Answer
6 to 8 inches
What pumpkin variety does Libby's canned pumpkin use solely for its purée?
Answer
Dickinson pumpkin
Who supplied U.S. presidents with Thanksgiving turkeys from 1873 to 1913?
Answer
Horace Vose
Which U.S. president was first reported to spare his presented Thanksgiving turkey?
Answer
John F. Kennedy
Which organization began presenting live Thanksgiving turkeys to U.S. presidents in 1947?
Answer
National Turkey Federation
Which 1947 Truman campaign discouraged poultry on Thursdays?
Answer
Poultryless Thursdays
What 1953 surplus inspired the first frozen TV dinner?
Answer
turkeys
What appetizer board may include cheese, cured meats, crackers, pickles, and olives?
Answer
charcuterie board
Which winter squash soup may be served as a Thanksgiving appetizer?
Answer
butternut soup
In Canada, Thanksgiving dinner is tied to a holiday on which October Monday?
Answer
second Monday
What pasta-and-cheese dish is a common Thanksgiving side in parts of the U.S. South?
Answer
macaroni and cheese
What material was the original TV Dinner tray made from?
Answer
Aluminum
What recipe method is used in turducken, stuffing one animal inside another?
Answer
Engastration
Which NFL commentator promoted turducken during Thanksgiving games?
Answer
John Madden
Which company owns the Tofurky trademark?
Answer
Turtle Island Foods
What fall drink may be served still or sparkling at Thanksgiving dinner?
Answer
Apple cider
What crisp topping is a main ingredient in green bean casserole?
Answer
French fried onion
Green bean casserole was created to promote what canned soup?
Answer
Cream of mushroom soup
Which 1796 cookbook first mentioned cranberry sauce as a companion to turkey?
Answer
American Cookery
Thanksgiving Dinner trivia — quick answers
What are good Thanksgiving dinner trivia questions?
Good Thanksgiving dinner trivia questions cover turkey, stuffing, pumpkin, regional side dishes, desserts, breads, seafood alternatives, and holiday recipes from different cultures. Questions about turducken, pavochón, Indian pudding, boiled dinners, Dungeness crab, and lefse can make a food quiz more varied and memorable.
How hard is Thanksgiving dinner trivia?
Thanksgiving dinner trivia is generally moderate. Familiar foods such as pumpkin pie and turkey make some questions approachable, while regional dishes, international traditions, historical recipes, and culinary terms such as turducken or pavochón require more specialized knowledge.
What is turducken?
Turducken is a festive dish made by placing a deboned chicken inside a deboned duck inside a turkey. The birds are often layered with stuffing or other fillings before being roasted. Its name combines the words turkey, duck, and chicken, and it is associated with elaborate holiday meals.
What is pavochón?
Pavochón is a Puerto Rican-style Thanksgiving turkey seasoned and prepared in the manner of lechón, or roast pork. Its seasoning commonly features ingredients associated with Puerto Rican cooking, such as garlic and adobo-style spices. The dish reflects the island’s adaptation of Thanksgiving to local culinary traditions.
What is Indian pudding?
Indian pudding is a traditional New England dessert made with cornmeal, milk, and molasses. It is slowly cooked into a soft pudding and may be served warm, sometimes with ice cream or another dairy topping. Despite its name, it refers to cornmeal rather than cuisine from India.