Well, Thanksgiving is almost here, so it's time for everyone to romanticize their favorite autumnal foods and explain their origins. The folks at the Wall Street Journal have put together an illustrated history of "stuffing." This is a shame, because as we all know, it's dressing.
The WSJ admirably notes that the "stuffing" name is disputed, but then the narrator uses that moniker throughout the entirety of the video. "Southerners often use cornbread stuffing," the narrator says. No, they do not. They use cornbread dressing.
If you want to make an argument for Thanksgiving "stuffing" by pointing to the product that is cooked inside a turkey, that's fine. The dish is much tastier and safer cooked in a casserole pan on its own, but that's fine. However, this video hardly mentions cooking "stuffing" inside the bird. There's talk of pre-packaged stove-top "stuffing." There's mention of an ancient poultry recipe with a side dish that was an ancestor to "stuffing." Our narrator even admits turkey at the first Thanksgiving was stuffed with onions and herbs, as opposed to a bread dish.
So, no, this video does not tell the story of "stuffing." But, it does a nice job illustrating the history of the greatest Thanksgiving dish, dressing.
• An Illustrated History of Thanksgiving Stuffing [WSJ/YouTube]
• Everything You Need to Know About Southern-Style Dressing [E]
• All Video Interludes [E]
