Heirloom Thanksgiving recipes are recipes for Thanksgiving dishes that have been passed down from generation to generation. Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to come together and spend quality time together socializing and celebrating the things that they are most thankful for each year.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving dinners consist of turkey, dressing or stuffing, sweet potatoes or yams, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, cranberry sauce, and a selection of desserts.http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/traditional-thanksgiving-dishes/ Heirloom Thanksgiving recipes can consist of different ways to cook these traditional foods, or new recipes that have become a tradition for your family specifically.

The first Thanksgiving took place in 1621, when the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians shared what was then called an autumn harvest feast. An official Thanksgiving holiday did not take place until November of 1863.http://www.history.co/topics/thanksgiving

Many of the foods that are traditionally served on Thanksgiving were probably not on the menu of the autumn harvest feast in 1621. Historians are not certain about specific dishes that were served back then, but they believe it could have included wild fowl, seafood, vegetables, wheat, nuts, meat, and fruit.http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving Though the menu has changed over the years, many of the foods served back them have evolved and become heirloom Thanksgiving recipes for many families.

It's never too late to start a family tradition. If your family has favorite recipes they enjoy each Thanksgiving holiday, record them in a handmade heirloom cookbook that can be passed on for the next generation. This may require a collaboration between family members in order to make sure that all the family recipes are included. Without a record of the recipe, the knowledge may get lost over the years.