40 Thanksgiving Trivia Questions and Answers for Adults

1. Edward Winslow's eyewitness letter about the 1621 harvest feast was printed in 1622 in which book?

2. Which Plymouth governor wrote the colony history known as Of Plymouth Plantation?

3. Which early president declined to issue Thanksgiving proclamations during his time in office?

4. Sarah Josepha Hale pushed for a national Thanksgiving from her job as editor of which popular magazine?

5. When FDR moved Thanksgiving a week earlier in 1939, critics gave the holiday what nickname?

6. The term Black Friday for the day after Thanksgiving was popularized by police in which city?

7. Before they were called Pilgrims, the Mayflower's church members were known as what, because they broke away from the Church of England?

8. How many adult men signed the Mayflower Compact in November 1620?

9. In March 1621, Massasoit made a mutual-defense treaty with which Plymouth governor?

10. Massasoit's title, sachem, means what in Wampanoag society?

11. Plymouth Colony was built on the site of which village, the home of Tisquantum?

12. Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving proclamation was issued in the middle of which conflict?

13. Washington's first national Thanksgiving in 1789 and Lincoln's in 1863 both fell on which November date?

14. From which English port did the Mayflower make its final departure in September 1620?

15. Norfolk Island, which celebrates Thanksgiving thanks to visiting American whalers, is an external territory of which country?

16. In what year did Canada hold its first official annual Thanksgiving, on November 6?

17. What minimum internal temperature does the USDA say a cooked turkey must reach?

18. When thawing a turkey in cold water, how often should you change the water?

19. Food-safety experts call the range where bacteria multiply fastest the Danger Zone. What range is it?

20. Within how many hours should Thanksgiving leftovers go into the fridge, according to USDA?

21. Which common turkey-prep step does USDA advise against because it spreads bacteria around the kitchen?

22. The post-dinner nap is often blamed on which amino acid in turkey?

23. Sweet potatoes, often labeled yams, belong to which plant family?

24. Who wrote American Cookery (1796), the first cookbook by an American author, which includes an early pumpkin pie-style recipe?

25. The bird's English name, turkey, comes from confusion with which other bird, once imported through Turkey?

26. Which spice comes from the dried flower buds of a tree?

27. Mace is the lacy covering of the seed that gives us which other baking spice?

28. Brussels sprouts, the side dish many people learn to love as adults, are named after a city in which country?

29. What is the cooked mix of fat and flour that thickens many gravies called?

30. Spooning pan juices over a roasting turkey is called what?

31. Soaking a turkey in salty water before roasting is called what?

32. Removing a turkey's backbone and flattening it so it roasts faster is called what?

33. Which trio of chopped vegetables makes the classic French mirepoix used in many stuffings?

34. The classic 1955 green bean casserole is finished with what topping?

35. Potatoes belong to which plant family, along with tomatoes and peppers?

36. What is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox traditionally called?

37. A tourist who travels to see fall foliage is nicknamed what?

38. Pouring broth into the hot roasting pan to loosen the browned bits for gravy is called what?

39. Tying a turkey's legs and wings close to its body with kitchen string is called what?

40. Japan's Labor Thanksgiving Day on November 23 grew out of Niinamesai, an ancient festival celebrating what?