The tradition of Thanksgiving stretches back hundreds of years to 1620 when the Mayflower ship carrying Puritans fled from the Church of England across the Atlantic Ocean to North America.

Arriving on the new continent, the Pilgrims weren't prepared for the brutal winter that hit them between 1620 and 1621, and could not overcome the unforeseen and unfamiliar difficulties alone.

However, with the help of the kind Native Americans who taught them how to hunt, fish, and grow crops, the foreigners managed to make it through the winter.

To show their gratitude for the generosity of the Native Americans, the Pilgrims welcomed them to a harvest feast, thus establishing the holiday of Thanksgiving.

Roast turkey is a traditional dish that a Thanksgiving meal would be incomplete without, so as we prepare this dish let us reflect on all the things to be grateful for in our lives.

Ingredients and Materials

Ground peppercorn 3 tbsp, Rosemary 3 tbsp, Ground black pepper 3 tbsp, Minced garlic 3 ½ tsp, BBQ sauce 3 ½ tbsp, Salt 2 ½ tsp, Ginger juice 1 tsp, Lemon juice 1 tsp, Cooking wine 3 tbsp, Soy sauce 3 tbsp, Honey 4 tbsp, Camellia oil 2 tbsp, Shallots three stalks (each stalk is about 3cm), Fragrant leaves 5 leaves, Ginger 5 slices, 1 onion, 10 toothpicks

Instructions

1. Preparing turkey/chicken:
   1. Cut off claws.
   2. Scoop out intestines.
   3. Rinse thoroughly.
   4. Let it air dry.
   5. When completely dry, rub salt on inside and outside of turkey.
   6. Mix cooking wine, ginger juice, minced garlic, ground peppercorn, ground black pepper, lemon juice, and soy sauce together.
   7. Cover turkey with mixture.
   8. Let cure for 1-2 hours, flip turkey over, let cure for another 1-2 hours.
   
2. Prepare stuffing:
   1. Cut shallots into large pieces.
   2. Cut onion into large cubes.
   3. Cut ginger into slices.
   4. Stuff into the turkey.
   5. Use toothpicks to close the opening on turkey's abdomen to prevent stuffing from falling out.
   
3. Cook the turkey:
   1. Carefully place turkey on a baking pan.
   2. Brush turkey entirely with camellia oil.
   3. Preheat oven to 350⁰F.
   4. Bake turkey for 20 mins, remove and brush on BBQ sauce.
   5. Lower heat to 300⁰F and bake for 40 mins, then brush on a layer of honey.
   6. Bake for another 5 mins.
   7. If there is no blood when you pierce the turkey with a fork, it is ready to be served.
4. Gather your loved ones together to enjoy a hearty Thanksgiving meal, and don’t forget to keep the theme of gratefulness in mind all year round as well as the relevance of the holiday in our current world.

Tips

• It is best to use the oven with a turning spit so that the chicken can be heated evenly.
• Place a pan at the bottom of the oven to catch all the runoff oil and lessen the hassle of cleaning.