If the first Thanksgiving dinner had been held in Tennessee instead of Massachusetts, the actual dinner would have been very similar to those shared in New England, and both are a far cry from the ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving dinner items we have today, according to Troy Smith, associate professor of history at Tennessee Tech.
The traditional roasted turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie are on almost every modern Thanksgiving menu, in some form or variation. This menu has evolved over time and continues to evolve today.
President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. Since colonists had hunted wild turkeys for years it became the staple Thanksgiving meal meat.
In 1864 General Ulysses S. Grant declared that cranberry sauce was to be served to the Union troops for their Thanksgiving festival.
While pumpkin pie had been on the menu for well over a hundred years, it was not until 1929 when the Libby company began producing a line of canned pumpkin, simplifying the process for making the pie, did it become a Thanksgiving staple.
But according to the two only remaining historical records of the first Thanksgiving menu, that meal consisted of freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, cod, bass, and flint, and a native variety of corn harvested by the Native Americans, which was eaten as corn bread and porridge.
Smith, who teaches courses in Native American studies, said a first Thanksgiving dinner in Tennessee would be much the same as the original one in Massachusetts.
“The menu would in fact be very similar to that of the Wampanoags in New England. Deer and wild fowl, including turkeys, were common fare, as was fish - though not cod, more likely fish native to Appalachian rivers.”
While the Wampanoags would have had cod, bass and flint, the Cherokees would have had sunfish, gar, catfish, crappie, bass and bream.
Cherokees sometimes grew peanuts and sweet potatoes, according to Smith, and nuts and berries were plentiful.
“Like the Wampanoags, and most tribes, in most regions, Cherokees relied heavily on ‘The Three Sisters’- corn, beans, and squash. Corn would have been in the form of cornbread, or flat bread similar to corn tortillas, as well as in a type of thin porridge common among Southern tribes called sofkey. Sofkey could be eaten as a soup or sometimes drunk as a beverage.”
Meat would have been provided by all the animals common to the mountains, from turtles to rabbits and squirrels to bear.
“A particular delicacy was a type of sausage made of pounded groundhog meat. Most often, though, meals were large stews that might have had many of the ingredients listed above in them.”
Whether in Tennessee or in Massachusetts, that first Thanksgiving meal would have been quite alike, but the differences in that first meal and today’s “traditional” Thanksgiving meal are vast in comparison.
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FAQs
So, to the question “What did the Pilgrims eat for Thanksgiving,” the answer is both surprising and expected. Turkey (probably), venison, seafood, and all of the vegetables that they had planted and harvested that year—onions, carrots, beans, spinach, lettuce, and other greens.
Who shared the first Thanksgiving meal? ›
The modern Thanksgiving holiday is based off a festival shared by the pilgrims and the Wampanoag Native American tribe at Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, in 1621. The feast purportedly celebrated the colonists' first successful harvest in the New World.
What foods does the chief say might have been on the Thanksgiving table in 1621? ›
In addition to the corn (and barley) mentioned in Winslow's letter, the harvest of 1621 likely included beans, squash, onions, turnips and greens such as spinach and chard. All could have been cooked at length to create a pulpy sauce that later became a staple in early New England homes.
What is the history of Thanksgiving dinner? ›
Americans model their holiday on a 1621 harvest feast shared between the Wampanoag people and the English colonists known as Pilgrims. Canadians trace their earliest thanksgiving celebration to 1578, when an expedition led by Martin Frobisher gave thanks for its safe passage.
What was the Thanksgiving history meal? ›
But if one were to create a historically accurate feast, consisting of only those foods that historians are certain were served at the so-called “first Thanksgiving,” there would be slimmer pickings. “Wildfowl was there. Corn, in grain form for bread or for porridge, was there. Venison was there,” says Kathleen Wall.
What were the first 3 foods eaten on Thanksgiving? ›
But according to the two only remaining historical records of the first Thanksgiving menu, that meal consisted of freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, cod, bass, and flint, and a native variety of corn harvested by the Native Americans, which was eaten as corn bread and porridge.
Which president refused to celebrate Thanksgiving as a national holiday? ›
While Thanksgiving technically isn't a religious holiday, the “giving thanks” part of it struck Jefferson as being far too religious for his tastes. As our nation's third president, he stirred controversy by refusing to recognize Thanksgiving.
What was the real first Thanksgiving? ›
In Plymouth, Massachusetts, colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast in 1621 that is widely acknowledged to be one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations. But some historians argue that Florida, not Massachusetts, may have been the true site of the first Thanksgiving in North America.
Which president started Thanksgiving? ›
A few days later, President George Washington issued a proclamation naming Thursday, November 26, 1789 as a "Day of Publick Thanksgivin" - the first time Thanksgiving was celebrated under the new Constitution.
What was not eaten at the first Thanksgiving in 1621 that is commonly eaten today? ›
And potatoes have become a staple of New England seafood meals as well. But back in 1621, they literally had no place at the table. Potatoes had only been introduced to Europe around 1570 when Spanish colonists brought them back after learning about them in South America.
The Wampanoag brought deer and there would have been lots of local seafood (mussels, lobster, bass) plus the fruits of the first pilgrim harvest, including pumpkin. No mashed potatoes, though. Potatoes had only been recently shipped back to Europe from South America.
What are two interesting things about the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621? ›
It is believed by historians that only five women were present. Turkey wasn't on the menu at the first Thanksgiving. Venison, duck, goose, oysters, lobster, eel, and fish were likely served, alongside pumpkins and cranberries (but not pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce!).
What is the most important meal on Thanksgiving Day? ›
The centerpiece of contemporary Thanksgiving in the United States is Thanksgiving dinner (informally called turkey dinner), a large meal generally centered on a large roasted turkey.
What did they eat at the first Thanksgiving instead of turkey? ›
Did they eat turkey? We don't think so. The Wampanoag guests brought five deer with them, so venison was on the menu. The English brought fowl, "probably migrating waterfowl like ducks and geese, which were plentiful in autumn," says Beahrs.
Which of the following was on the menu at the first Thanksgiving? ›
So while our Thanksgiving dinner table has a big ol' turkey plated in the center, the first Thanksgiving table was likely filled with ducks, geese, eels, lobster, and venison. Maybe there was a turkey, but it was either missing or too dry for anyone to literally write home about it.
What was at the first Thanksgiving? ›
Massasoit sent some of his own men to hunt deer for the feast and for three days, the English and native men, women, and children ate together. The meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat, different from today's traditional Thanksgiving feast. They played ball games, sang, and danced.
Which foods were probably a part of the first Thanksgiving feast quizizz? ›
They probably ate fowl, like wild turkey, deer, mussels, ducks, corn, beans, lobster, squash and pumpkin. This grand feast is considered the very first Thanksgiving. The colonists and Native Americans ate together and expressed gratitude for the harvest.
What did the Pilgrims eat on the Mayflower? ›
During the Mayflower's voyage, the Pilgrims' main diet would have consisted primarily of a cracker-like biscuit ("hard tack"), salt pork, dried meats including cow tongue, various pickled foods, oatmeal and other cereal grains, and fish.
