The History of Stuffing & Dressing

Stuffing and dressings were first used during Roman times.  The stuffing then consisted of vegetables, herbs/spices, nuts and spelt (an ancient cereal ) and many times contained liver, brains and organ meat.  About 1880 the term stuffing was replaced by dressing in Victorian English.  Here in the US,  stuffing usually consists of dried bread or cornbread, onion, celery, spices, herbs and sometimes eggs.  Often sausage, seafood and fruits are added. For food safety purposes it is recommended that stuffing/dressing be cooked separately from the turkey.  The bird can be done but the stuffing has not reached a safe temperature thus harboring unsafe bacteria.  Whatever your stuffing/dressing recipe – enjoy!