WWII Thanksgiving: Oyster Dressing

A WWII Thanksgiving dinner from 1944: Candied Sweet Potatoes, Oyster Dressing, and Molded Cranberry Sauce

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City/Region: United States of America

Time Period: 1944

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The United States’ promise to make sure that everyone serving in the military during WWII would get Thanksgiving dinner meant that there was a serious shortage of turkeys at home. After the military gobbled them all up, there was a bout of black market turkeys and price gouging, all to obtain the precious Thanksgiving centerpiece. I only hope that no one went turkey-less when making this dressing.

There’s no broth or liquid in this recipe besides the melted butter, so it turns out very, very dry. The flavor is actually good, and you get the herbs, onions, and celery coming through even though you don’t use a lot of them. I imagine that it would be moister if it was stuffed inside a turkey, but the recipe said it can be eaten as-is, making it the driest dressing ever.

“Bread Dressing or Stuffing
Combine bread cubes, thyme, sage, salt and pepper.
Fry onions and celery in fat until clear. Add to bread. Mix lightly but thoroughly.
Place in greased baking pan. Brush with remaining fat.
Bake in moderate oven (350°F.) 1 hour.

Oyster Dressing
Cook oysters over low heat in oyster liquor until edges begin to curl. Drain. Add to Bread Dressing or Stuffing. Mix carefully. ”

— The Cook Book of the United States Navy, 1944

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Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450 g) day old white bread, cut into cubes (Wonder Bread was popular at the time)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 stick (28 g) butter, divided
• 1/2 cup canned oysters

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a baking dish.
2. Toss the bread cubes with the thyme, sage, salt, and pepper.
3. Heat half of the butter in a pan and fry the onions and celery until they’re translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the onions and celery to the bread mixture and toss until it’s mixed well. Transfer the stuffing into the prepared baking dish.
5. Melt the remaining butter and drizzle it over the stuffing, then bake for 1 hour.
6. Heat the oysters in their juice until the edges start to curl. Take them out of the juice, chop them up, then add them to the stuffing and mix.
7. Serve it forth with roast turkey, Molded Cranberry Sauce, and Candied Sweet Potatoes.

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