Immigrant Thanksgiving: Flavors of Home

Written by Miriam Priborkima and Kavya Sridhar

November 2023

A traditional American Thanksgiving conjures certain images in mind — turkeys, pies, and American football. However, not every family celebrates Thanksgiving the same way, often owing to an immigrant background. Society can use Thanksgiving day to also celebrate the contrast of rich traditions and our differences that make us human. Opening one’s mind to learning these cultures opens the doors to a whole new world of flavors and practices.

// Image from The Washington Post.

Kavya’s family is influenced by Indian traditions, commemorating her South Indian background. Like many American Thanksgivings, family dinner at her house is always a conjoined event; everyone pitches into the meal. In most cases, her aunt, uncle, cousins, and family friends come to her house for the meal, which means around fourteen people end up helping with dinner. The kitchen is always filled with laughter and warmth as her relatives and family cook. Bright music plays in the background while the aromas from spices linger in the air.

A Thanksgiving staple includes vegetable or chicken biryani, a mixed rice dish with several different spices such as bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, black caraway, and mace to add a savory note. Her mother’s signature dish is a spicy egg curry, complete with tomatoes, onions, and ground spices, like turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin. The curry is the main course, and the biryani acts as a complement. Her mother also makes familiar and delectable Indian foods, like paneer tikka masala, naan bread, and butter chicken. These curries contain a creamy tomato base, making them savory with a sweet aftertaste.

Along with the Indian dishes, meals inspired by traditional American Thanksgivings are also made, including baked ziti, mashed potatoes, green beans, apple pie, and some chicken dishes.

Afterwards, they all huddle together in the living room, watching a movie while eating ice cream, usually from a local Indian grocery store. These ice creams vary from malai kulfi, mango, and pistachio. It is not just the food that brings her family together but the love poured into each and every morsel.

❝ Opening one’s mind to learning these cultures opens the doors to a whole new world of flavors and practices.

In a similar vein, Miriam’s family is influenced by Russian culture. While her family does have the stereotypical turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing, they also serve traditional Slavic dishes. For example, Miriam and her father make olivier salad, potshuba salad, syrniki, vinaigrette, and kotlety. Each of these dishes are iconic in Russian and Slavic culture, which

makes them a must-have at her dinner table. Olivier and potshuba are Miriam’s personal favorites. Olivier salad is a delightful mixture of carrots, peas, ham, potatoes, eggs, and pickles drizzled with mayonnaise. Potshuba, meanwhile, is a layered dish, with beets, carrots, white herring, potatoes, egg, and mayonnaise. Syrniki are cottage cheese pancakes commonly eaten with sour cream or jam, while vinaigrette is a salad consisting of potatoes, beets, sauerkraut, pickles, carrots, and olive oil. Kotlety, which are meat patties made of mainly beef, were something Miriam had always enjoyed. As a child, most of these dishes were not her favorite, but their inclusion in Thanksgiving dinner helped expand her palate.

Much like Kavya's, Miriam’s kitchen bustles with noise; the room is filled with the sounds of the television as her father watches a soccer match, the voice of her mother as she tells him a story, and their hurried movements as the whole family cooks. After the meal, she and her family clean while listening to her mother’s favorite Russian music. “Tsunami” and “The 7th Element” are all too familiar after so many celebrations, but they are a part of her traditions. Miriam’s household listens to corny Russian songs during Thanksgiving, and they love it! Her family is one of warmth and love, something that their meals represent. These differences and similarities in culture, religion, experiences, and location help contribute to a diverse and unique world. Thanksgiving, in particular, carries a bevy of traditions and associations. While Thanksgiving celebrations all differ from family to family and culture to culture, it is important to remember that the convergence of family members are all due to the same values and motives: the love we have for one another. ❧