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All of the Food You Can’t Take Through Airport Security

Thanksgiving Edition Food & Drink Newsletter

Author

Nickolaus Hines
November 21st, 2025

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a plate of thanksgiving food
Nickolaus Hines - Nickolaus Hines is the managing editor at Matador Network. He’s spent the past decade writing and editing stories about food, drinks, and the bites and bottles you book a trip for.

Hi there,

I’ve been writing about Thanksgiving food, drinks, and travel for a decade now. Every year I worry there’s nothing new to say, and every year I’m surprised by just how many ways people make the holiday their own. For a country with one Thanksgiving on the calendar, there are endless versions of what that looks like at the table.

Some of my favorite Thanksgivings have been spent abroad: a half-day mole class in Oaxaca, hand-cut soba in Kyoto. This year, after welcoming our second child, my wife and I are keeping it close to home, but with a Thanksgiving spread inspired by the food we loved on trips to Japan and Maui.

I’m an outlier this year in many circles (the keeping close to home part, but maybe the Thanksgiving poke, too). As I write this, airfare bookings for the holiday are down about 3 percent compared to last year, though AAA forecasts about the same number of flyers and a record 81.8 million people traveling overall.

If you’re flying, it’s worth taking a look at the Thanksgiving foods (and leftovers) that won’t make it through security in your carry-on—frozen turkey is fine, but you’ll need to watch out for the ice. After that, we’ve got plenty of ideas for what should make it onto your table, with stories new and old about how people celebrate the fourth Thursday in November across the country.

Safe travels next week and eat well,

Nickolaus Hines, managing editor

T O - D O

cookie cup

Destination Dessert: Las Vegas

The Thanksgiving table has a reputation for abundance. So, too, does Las Vegas—one of the rare places where overflowing buffets sit next to outposts from some of the world’s hottest chefs. Dominique Ansel, who invented the Cronut in 2013, has just one bakery outside New York, and it’s at his eponymous Vegas location. Matador’s Suzie Dundas spoke with Ansel about the “Cronut bible” and the world’s only cookie-shot robot every sweets lover should see.

turkey dinner

Trad Eats

How did frog eye salad end up on Thanksgiving tables in parts of the West? What counts as the iconic casserole in each Midwestern state? A few years back, the Matador team dug into the hyper-regional dishes that define Thanksgiving from coast to coast.

meringue pie

Get Pied

There’s rarely a bad time for pie, but this is the month for pie to shine brightest. From Idaho’s huckleberry pie to Louisiana’s Natchitoches meat pie, these are the iconic pies to seek out in every state.

cannabis truck

Go Green

In states with legal cannabis sales, the day before Thanksgiving is commonly called “Green Wednesday,” when dispensaries roll out deals that make it easier to stock up on goods that’ll make you, well, a little more hungry before the feast. Pair it with a look at a new travel docuseries exploring cannabis across the country: “The Great American Dispensary Tour.”

a winery surrounded by rolling hills

Bring Wine

American wine deserves a spot on the table. You can credit a big part of its modern reputation to a handful of Napa wineries that set the standard decades ago and still deliver vintage after vintage. These classic wineries are not only perfect with your Thanksgiving dinner, they’re places to plan a trip around.

E A T S

New Mexico’s Hatch Chiles Spice Up Thanksgiving Dishes

hatch chiles drying

Hatch chiles are a New Mexican staple, and it’s only natural they’ve made their way into holiday cooking. From stews to rellenos, here’s why this fiery-sweet pepper belongs at Thanksgiving.

G U I D E

Barbecue Takes Over Holiday Dinners in Texas

barbecue turkey on the grill

Texas doesn’t mess around with smoked meats, and they bring their all to the Thanksgiving table. And if you don’t have a pitmaster in the family, don’t fret—barbecue joints across the state offer Thanksgiving menus that make skipping the oven feel like the right choice.

F E A T U R E

Where to Find North America’s True Wild Rice

a bowl of black and brown wild rice

Minnesota’s lakes have produced authentic wild rice for more than 2,000 years, and it still plays a starring role in fall cooking. The state once produced nearly all of the wild rice eaten in the world, and it’s still a major production region. Here’s why the real stuff matters and where it comes from.

📍 P I N N E D

The 14 Most Magical US Christmas Markets

a collage of Christmas markets in the US

From twinkling chalet stalls to steaming cups of mulled wine, these Christmas markets around the country are full-on festive perfection and the ideal place to wander once your family is stuffed fuller than their turkeys.

Travel Well

The Matador Editorial Team

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