First thanksgiving what was eaten

In a word, no. The only written record of the famous meal tells us that the harvest celebration lasted three days and included deer and wildfowl. Beyond that, culinary historians such as Kathleen Curtin at Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts rely on period cookbooks and journals, Wampanoag oral histories, paintings from the time, and archaeological evidence.

When you're trying to figure out just what was served, you need to do some educated guesswork. Ironically, it's far easier to discern what wasn't on the menu during those three days of feasting than what was! I feel very passionate about the history of Thanksgiving because the real story is so much more interesting than the popular myth.

So, popular myths aside, what can be ruled out of the equation from the English transplants' table? Potatoes—white or sweet—would not have been featured on the table, and neither would sweet corn.

Bread-based stuffing was also not made, though the Pilgrims may have used herbs or nuts to stuff birds. Refre to my comment above if not censored. Sweet potatoes and green bean casserole are not part of a traditional New England Thanksgiving. They are regional in other regions.

I never encountered them until I was in SC in the s. They are now eaten more often here, but are definitely not native. Pheasants were not native to North America. They were first imported in I think grouse was a possible entree, but not pheasant. Having been born and raised in Winchester and Medford , I absolutely love reading anything that centers around Plymouth…the rock, the plantation, their way of life, introduction to the Indians, cooking, recipes…you name it.

Thank you for sharing. Additionally, pheasants were not introduced to North America until A agree. I dont know why this reporter went out of the way to dismiss such a time honored tradition backed by the facts to remove turkey from Thanksgiving?

First thanksgiving, what did the Pilgrims eat. Where is the menu in this article? Is it the 3 non meat recipes at the end of the articke? How about some main course meat recipes?

Click here to cancel reply. Name required. Email will not be published required. What are the things on the table? You see lots of pies in the first course and in the second course, meat and fish pies. So what are they putting on instead? Meat without potatoes, that is.

White potatoes, originating in South America, and sweet potatoes, from the Caribbean, had yet to infiltrate North America. Also, there would have been no cranberry sauce. All this, naturally, begs a follow-up question. So how did the Thanksgiving menu evolve into what it is today? Wall explains that the Thanksgiving holiday, as we know it, took root in the midth century. Beginning in , Hale petitioned 13 presidents, the last of whom was Abraham Lincoln.

She pitched her idea to President Lincoln as a way to unite the country in the midst of the Civil War, and, in , he made Thanksgiving a national holiday. She also published close to a dozen cookbooks.