Is it Dressing or is it Stuffing? An Expert Ends the Confusion

The Great Thanksgiving Debate: Dressing or Stuffing?

https://www.newsbreak.com/doc-lawrence-1599273/3691891806831-the-great-debate-dressing-or-stuffing?s=ws_em

The confusion has continued too long. Is it “dressing” or “stuffing?” Not wanting to be rude by correcting a cook or host, I asked my most dependable source for all things Southern, Richmond’s Richard Lewis for some help. Lewis’ bona fides include a stint at LSU, being a native son of Mississippi and most importantly a penchant for Old Fashioned cocktails as the sun sets.

I knew Richard was for real when, on request, he recited all members of Liberty Mississippi’s Ledbetter family.

Richard Lewis has ended the debate, settling once and for all time why this gloriously delicious dish has only one name.

“Our favorite Thanksgiving side dish is suffering from an identity crisis and needs our help,” Richard told me. “It arrives at the table alongside the turkey, a billow of baked deliciousness consisting of bread chunks, celery, onions, chicken stock, sage, and other goodies. In the Deep South we have always called it ‘dressing;’ in other regions some call it ‘stuffing.’”

Richard continued: “I do not understand those who use the word ‘stuffing.’ Way back in grandma’s day they used to actually stuff the concoction into the body cavity of the turkey before committing it to the oven, rendering a tasty and moist dish. But,” observed Lewis, “there are two problems with that. First, if slightly undercooked, bacteria can leech into the stuffing, causing later distress among the feasters. That’s why hardly anyone stuffs anymore. Second, and far more importantly, the amount that can actually be stuffed into the bird is barely enough for Cousin Eddie, who always takes enough to make a pillow.”

“Down here,” Lewis continued, “we call it dressing, and there is a very good reason: it tastes better when you call it that. Clinical tests” he maintains, “prove it. When one hears the word dressing, it cranks up the saliva glands and creates an inner yearning. And, aesthetically, the dish dresses up a Thanksgiving table sweeter than any floral arrangement.”

Richard, now getting even more animated, said that “Steam rises, wafts, and beckons. Compare that to digging into a turkey’s backside like you’re trying to clean out clogged plumbing.”

There are other differences, observed Richard, “between our dressing and other folks’ stuffing. Some well-meaning cooks pride themselves on how dry they can make stuffing. Bone dry!” he proclaimed, adding that it could be “dry enough to absorb all the moisture in the room. To each their own, but we prefer it nice and moist, soaked in homemade chicken stock. Stick-to-your-ribs sticky. It just tastes better that way.”

Richard Lewis addressed the importance of cornbread. “Few things in life, he told me, “are so utterly satisfying as good cornbread dressing, made from scratch,. And, he emphasized, “there is simply no such thing as cornbread stuffing.”

Like Southern accents, Richard observed, “there are many variations on Thanksgiving dressing found throughout the region. Along the Gulf Coast and inland, many good cooks prepare dressing laden with Gulf oysters. Oyster dressing done right is a life-changing experience. The addition of Jimmy Dean country sausage or Conecuh sausage along with grapes or apples creates a heavenly sweet/savory experience that is downright addictive.”

“But now,” concluded Richard, “as we say our Thanksgiving blessing, let us wish peace and happiness to those who still call it stuffing. If you stuff it, we reckon it’s stuffing. Just remember to use a good meat thermometer. Meanwhile, we will over-eat, as required by Southern custom, and the main culprit will be our dressing, covered in gravy. It ‘dresses up’ any plate, be it Wedgwood Florentine or Crate & Barrel white”