This Once-Popular Thanksgiving Side Dish Belongs In The Past

Let's be honest: Thanksgiving sides play a significant role in the holiday meal. Sure, the turkey is our go-to bird of choice and receives the spotlight, but the accompaniments actually comprise most of the plate. So when you glance at the Thanksgiving veggie sides and see a dish like old-school creamed onions, the moment can startle.

Small alliums, sitting in a bowl of heavy cream, cooked to a soft (nearly mushy) state — it's indeed a peculiar sight. The recipe's been outdated for decades, with peak enjoyment occurring during the early 20th century. Yet, there is a nostalgic appeal to these simmered pearl or bulb onions; for select families, this vegetable dish is a continued treasured addition.

As the turkey's roasting, the small onion bulbs are meticulously peeled, boiled for just a couple of minutes, then finished in a smooth béchamel spiced with nutmeg or aromatic herbs like sage, parsley, or thyme. Prepared properly, the result's rich, saucy, and lightly sweet. They function less as a textural vegetable complement, and more so as another sauce option — a decadent complement to turkey, potato dishes, or even stuffing. So if you encounter these abnormal alliums, bite in; it's a tasty step back in time.

With all of the involved peeling and subsequent slow-simmering, creamed onions certainly aren't a last-minute Thanksgiving side. Perhaps their laborious nature eliminated them from tables. Or maybe it's simply their bland, beige appearance; creamed onions aren't the ideal candidate for an Instagrammable spread. Regardless of what rendered them into obscurity, the dish comes with a century-old history.

Originally, creamed onions started as an English meal, traditionally accompanying meaty mains like a roast. Recipes date to as early as 1902, with preparation potentially occurring even earlier. The underlying béchamel – one of the French mother sauces — had already existed for well over a century, making the addition of onions the dish's genesis.

At some point early in the 20th century, these alliums made it onto the American Thanksgiving table, functioning as a go-to side whipped up by parents and grandparents nationwide. The dish still survives precisely in such a light, a faint onion-flavored memory long buried in family recipe books. Sure, a full-on revival may not occur, but a bowl of creamed onions is still worthy of Thanksgiving side status. If you want to surprise your family with something new (but old), then consider bringing a pot to your next family gathering.