Is it Stuffing or Dressing? That Depends

It’s nearly here! The food day of all food days! Thanksgiving Day is a few days away. Currently, we are expecting 12-15 dinner guests. I could not be more thrilled! I am ever grateful that I will have an abundance of great food and cheer to share with family and friends.
One of our guests asked if she could bring the “dressing.” I said yes, immediately followed by, “I assume you mean the stuffing?” We had a jolly chuckle over the differentiation of what is stuffing and what is dressing. My family always called the bread mixture that was packed into the cavity of the turkey, stuffing. What didn’t fit into the turkey, was added to a baking dish, and even though it was served separately, we still called it stuffing. My Texas-raised friend didn’t recall a difference between the mixture packed into the turkey or the mixture packed into a baking dish. It was all called dressing. We decided that in the end, while it didn’t make a difference, what one calls this bread mixture, depends on whether you say y’all or you all.
A bit of “googling” for dressing, landed me on several pages of recipes for dressings used for marinades and salads. I guess we know which side of the Mason-Dixon line google lies, as more sleuthing did indeed confirm that mostly it does depend on whether you’re a Northerner or a Southerner which term we use. While it’s an accurate description, It seems southerners think “stuffing” is rather crass, and so the term “dressing” is preferred.
Generally speaking, Southerners use cornbread and Northerners use white bread. My mother used homemade white bread that she cubed and dried. Other ingredients vary widely. I use whole wheat bread, onions, celery, Bell’s poultry seasoning, and butter.
Whether you prefer to say stuffing or dressing is not as important as making it delicious.
Friends, may we not be lonely on Thanksgiving Day or any day. May our lives be laden with abundance. And may our hearts be filled daily with gratitude.

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