15 Louisiana Thanksgiving Foods Residents Say You’ll Always Find on the Table

(KPEL-FM) - Every year, families across the country prepare for a ritual that began in 1621 with the colonists in Plymouth, Massachusetts and became an official holiday in 1863 thanks to Abraham Lincoln. Thanksgiving is the time of year when families come together to celebrate another year of life and give thanks for all the blessings throughout the year. It's also a time for the consumption of untold numbers of calories with recipes that (thankfully) only show up once a year, or else more of America would end up needing amped up doses of weight loss medicines.

Why Louisiana Thanksgiving Meals Are So Good

Louisiana is no stranger to food, as we have developed a style of cuisine that has been imitated but rarely duplicated elsewhere. Some of it stems from traditions and menus passed down from generation to generation from influences that span continents. Other items come from creativity and ingenuity found in kitchens across the state. Louisiana residents are more than willing to show off their cooking prowess at any event from tailgating to weddings and funerals to holidays like Labor Day and yes, Thanksgiving. From gator to raccoon (yes, raccoon), nothing's off limits in the Bayou State.

Read More: Dive In to a Cajun Thanksgiving Dinner

That being said, we do have more familiar food items that we consider staples for a Thanksgiving meal. Parties at my parents' house had ritual items like cream cheese and pepper jelly with Club crackers while guests were waiting for the meal, along with Ranch Oyster Crackers that I always thought were something that my dad invented, but later found out its existence spread far beyond our house.

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There are just some things you expect to see when you sit down for a good old Louisiana Thanksgiving dinner. We asked our listeners what is always on their menu for the big day and compiled the responses into the 15 items that appear most on the table for Thanksgiving.