6 classic Thanksgiving side dishes that have disappeared from American tables

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Thanksgiving may be a time for turkey — but for many people, the real stars of the holiday table have been the sides.

While mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and mac and cheese might be the most popular dishes to pass around the table, the spreads of decades ago looked very different.

From oyster stuffing to rich gravies that didn't let any part of the bird go to waste, several dishes tell the story of how America used to cook and celebrate. 

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Here's a look at six. 

1. Oyster stuffing

Oyster dressing called for combining shucked oysters and their brine with classic stuffing ingredients including bread, celery and spices. 

Classic side dishes once accompanied roast turkey at Thanksgiving tables across America. (iStock)

It was a Thanksgiving staple in the 1800s, when oysters were regularly available for purchase from refrigerated railcars, Food52 reported. 

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The dish, with roots in British culinary traditions, fell out of favor in the Northeast as oyster populations declined and tastes shifted toward ingredients such as sausage.

2. Ambrosia salad

Often made with canned pineapple, mandarin oranges, marshmallows and whipped topping, ambrosia salad was once considered a symbol of luxury on Thanksgiving tables in the 1800s and early 1900s, Chowhound reported. 

Ambrosia salad was once a symbol of luxury on Thanksgiving tables across America. (iStock)

Though it has since fallen out of fashion, it remains a nostalgic Southern favorite. It's also inspired regional variations such as frog eye salad, which adds a tiny, round pasta, and Watergate salad, which has a pistachio pudding twist.

3. Mashed turnips

Once considered a "poor man's" vegetable, turnips offered a slightly sweeter and less starchy alternative to potatoes and were mashed with butter and seasoned for a lighter, earthy alternative.

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Though they've fallen out of favor due to their reputation and the risk of a bitter taste if overcooked, food experts say it may be time for this humble root to make a comeback.

4. Corn pudding

Corn pudding bridged the gap between cornbread and creamed corn in traditional Thanksgiving spreads. (iStock)

This creamy, custard-like mix of corn, eggs, cream and butter was once a Thanksgiving favorite, somewhere between cornbread and creamed corn. 

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Dating back to precolonial times, corn pudding has many regional versions, from Pennsylvania Dutch recipes made with dried corn to New England's sweeter Indian pudding, which is made with molasses. 

5. Giblet gravy

Traditional Thanksgiving gravy once got its rich, savory flavor from simmering the giblets — the turkey's liver, heart, gizzard and neck. 

The turkey's liver, heart and neck were simmered in old-fashioned giblet gravy. (iStock)

The old-fashioned method faded from tradition partly because modern turkeys are sold without giblets and store-bought gravy mixes have become more convenient, according to The Daily Meal.

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6. Cranberry fluff

A colorful mix of cranberries, marshmallows, applesauce and whipped cream, cranberry fluff was a popular 1960s and 1970s Thanksgiving treat that reflected the era's love of gelatin-based "salads." 

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A favorite in the South, the fluff is often speckled with pecans and served right alongside the main Thanksgiving meal.