<P> The White House Cook Book, 1887, by Mrs. F.L. Gillette, et al., had the following menu: oysters on half shell, cream of chicken soup, fried smelts, sauce tartare, roast turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, baked squash, boiled onions, parsnip fritters, olives, chicken salad, venison pastry, pumpkin pie, mince pie, Charlotte russe, almond ice cream, lemon jelly, hickory nut cake, cheese, fruits and coffee . </P> <P> Sugar, among other food commodities, was rationed from 1942 to 1946 . In 1947, as part of a voluntary rationing campaign, the Harry Truman Administration attempted to promote "Poultryless Thursdays," discouraging Americans from eating poultry or egg products on Thursdays . Because Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, this meant that turkey and pumpkin pie, two Thanksgiving staples, were forbidden, not only for that holiday, but for Christmas and New Year's Day as well, since those holidays landed on Thursday in 1947 . (Pumpkin pie was forbidden because it contained eggs .) The National Poultry and Egg Board furiously lobbied the President to cease promoting the plan; it culminated in a truce at the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation shortly before Thanksgiving . Turkey was no longer forbidden, but Eggless Thursdays remained for the rest of the year, meaning no pumpkin pie was served at the White House dinner that year . </P> <P> Turkey is the most common main dish of a Thanksgiving dinner, to the point where Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called "Turkey Day ." In 2006, American turkey growers were expected to raise 270 million turkeys, to be processed into five billion pounds of turkey meat valued at almost $8 billion, with one third of all turkey consumption occurring in the Thanksgiving - Christmas season, and a per capita consumption of almost 18 pounds (8.2 kg). The Broad Breasted White turkey is particularly bred for Thanksgiving dinner and similar large feasts; its large size (specimens can grow to over 40 pounds) and meat content make it ideal for such situations, although the breed must be artificially bred and suffers from health problems due to its size . </P> <P> Most Thanksgiving turkeys are stuffed with a bread - based mixture and roasted . Sage is the traditional herb added to the stuffing, along with chopped celery, carrots, and onions . Other ingredients, such as chopped chestnuts or other tree nuts, crumbled sausage or bacon, cranberries, raisins, or apples, may be added to stuffing . If this mixture is prepared outside the bird, it may be known as dressing . Deep - fried turkey is rising in popularity due to its shorter preparation time, but carries safety risks . </P>

What kind of turkey do we eat on thanksgiving