Thanksgiving is, naturally, not an event that the French mark, and although there are a few restaurants in Paris that hold special dinners, these usually get booked up months in advance.

That means for most Americans, it’s a home-made Thanksgiving. You might have to miss out on watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and American football on TV (not to mention the public holiday), but it’s still possible to create your own special day. 

We asked our American readers for their tips on creating the perfect Thanksgiving when they are a long way from US stores.

Everyone agreed that the key thing is advance planning – stores in France won’t stock up on Thanksgiving items and some of the things you want may be hard to find, so you need to get organised.

In terms of cooking, there are some items that are hard to find in France, but alternatives are usually available, although you’re likely to be doing more cooking from scratch.

Turkey

The centrepiece of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner is of course a turkey. 

Remember that the French for turkey is une dinde – not le dindon as that applies to the living animal. They are available in France but farmers are mostly aiming at the Christmas market, so if you want a big turkey for Thanksgiving you will need to order it in advance from your butcher (at least one week or so).

You can also try larger supermarkets, like Costco, but your butcher is a safer bet.

Reader Chris told us: “It is unlikely that you will be able to walk in and find a turkey.

“They’re bred to be ready for Christmas so you need to order in advance. They will be small (around 4 kilo) for the same reason as above.”

If you didn’t order your turkey in time, or you just fancy a change, French butchers are well stocked with alternative poultry – try a pintande (guinea fowl) or oie (goose) or a farm-reared chicken (poulet d’élevage). 

French poultry is usually not bred to be massive – farmers say it kills the flavour – so if you’re having a lot of guests you will probably need several birds.

Pumpkin pie

This classic dessert is not a particular favourite in France, so if you want one you’re probably going to have to make it.

Canned pumpkins are not easy to find, but you usually can order them online (on Amazon.fr, for example). You might also want to check to see if you are located near an American grocery store. In Paris, you might test out the ‘Real McCoy’ store in the 7th arrondissement.

You can also consider making your own. Pumpkins and squashes are very much in season in November so French markets and supermarkets will be full of them – then all you have to do is peel, bake and purée the pumpkins yourself, before you start on the pie. You can find a sample recipe here.

If all that sounds a bit too much like hard work, be aware that in many cities there are private cooks and catering services who will bake whatever desserts or pies you want, and probably deliver them too, in exchange of course for a fee. One example is Nadege’s Cakes, more info here.

Many of these are located around the capital area, and some offer full Thanksgiving meals. 

Trimmings 

Likewise most of the trimmings of your dinner will be available in France, but probably not all in the same place. You might consider trying the international section in large chains, like Auchan. If you live near Paris, the ‘Grand Épicerie‘ often has a large selection of typically ‘American’ items.

Yams (or sweet potatoes as they’re sometimes known – patate douce in French) are available from bigger supermarkets and in some markets, especially in areas with a large African population. If you want them candied, you’re going to have to add your own sweet treats.

Likewise corn is available, usually whole and on the cob rather than creamed, from supermarkets and markets.

Cranberry (canneberges in French) sauce is hard to find ready-made, but fresh cranberries can be bought at bigger markets in the winter so you can make your own sauce. Recently, Picard has begun selling bagged frozen cranberries.

In short, if you’re expecting to run down to the market the day before and grab everything you need for your Thanksgiving dinner, then you’re likely to be disappointed – although many readers told us that ingredients are easier to find than they used to be.

Reader ChrisInParis responded to The Local on Twitter. He said: “Unlike in the past, it’s now fairly easy to buy everything you need, though count on paying a lot (€80) for a turkey. Sweet potatoes used to mostly only at Château Rouge markets but are everywhere. Even cranberries are easy to find. Expensive but overall quality is higher here.”

Cooking tips

You’re likely to be doing a lot of cooking to make all those things from scratch, so several readers recommended some handy websites.

Tish Devling described Alex French Guy Cooking’s Thanksgiving prep timeline and recipe sources for nine dishes as “pretty epic”. 

While Gina Dellilios recommended food publication Bon Appetit which has a selection of articles covering various aspects of Thanksgiving from the meal from how to produce the perfect brussels sprouts to Thanksgiving cocktails and, of course, the turkey. 

You might also consider the Paris-based American chef, David Lebovitz, who often recommends restaurants and recipes for people living or visiting France. 

French vocab

Une dinde – a turkey

Les patates douces – sweet potatoes/yams

Une citrouille – a pumpkin

Les canneberges – cranberries

Le maïs – corn (the ï accent over the i means it is pronounced may-eese)