what was the main course at the first thanksgiving

The history of the holiday meal tells us that turkey was always the centerpiece, but other courses have since disappeared Traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes but the First Thanksgiving likely included wildfowl, corn, porridge and venison.

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What was the main course of the first Thanksgiving dinner?

Traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes but the First Thanksgiving likely included wildfowl, corn, porridge and venison. Bettmann / Corbis Today, the...

What was on the menu at the very first Thanksgiving?

• Goose
• Lobster
• Clams
• Mussels
• Chestnuts
• Walnuts
• Corn
• Pumpkin
• Squash
• Carrots

More items...

What do they eat at first Thanksgiving?

Nuts, shells, stems, husks, trimmings, cores, peels and rinds, all those scraps and byproducts of cooking your thanksgiving dinner can qualify as recycling. But only when put in the green "organics" bin. That’s because they will be processed into compost ...

How to prepare your first Thanksgiving dinner?

• Learn how to properly roast a turkey. For weeks now, you’ve probably been bombarded with images of golden birds sitting on beautiful tables. ...
• What would a turkey be without stuffing? ...
• Another T-Day staple is mashed potatoes. ...
• Add a splash of red to your plate with cranberry sauce. ...
• And lets not forget dessert. ...

Not Cranberry Sauce, but Sobaheg Stew

The natural bogs of the the region contained wild cranberries that could be dried and used all winter to bring variety and vitamin C into the diets of the Wampanoags. They even have their own holiday, Cranberry Day, that resembles our Thanksgiving.

For Carbs, Look to Cornbread, Not Potatoes

Historians attribute the first New England crop of potatoes to Derry, New Hampshire, in 1722, so there’s no way mashed potatoes could have made an appearance during the first Thanksgiving.

What About Dessert?

A regular supply of sugar or maple syrup wasn’t available in the area until much later. Sugar, which was the major export of Caribbean plantations, didn’t become popular in New England until the 18th century.

Turkey or no Turkey?

First thing is first, we had to find out if turkey was on the menu that day back in November 1621. To my surprise it was, but this is not the same turkey that a lot of us are used to on Thanksgiving.

What about the stuffing?

Again, to my surprise, people (historians specifically) say that the pilgrims stuffed their birds with a wide collection of different food items. Instead of going with the modern tradition of bread and sausage, it was likely that they filled their turkey and other birds with herbs, onions, and nuts.

What was the first Thanksgiving dinner?

Traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes but the First Thanksgiving likely included wildfowl, corn, porridge and venison. (Bettmann / Corbis)

What did the Wampanoags eat?

In addition to wildfowl and deer, the colonists and Wampanoag probably ate eels and shellfish, such as lobster, clams and mussels. “They were drying shellfish and smoking other sorts of fish,” says Wall.

What were the things that were growing in 1621?

But in later sources, they talk about turnips, carrots, onions, garlic and pumpkins as the sorts of things that they were growing.”. Of course, to some extent, the exercise of reimagining the spread of food at the 1621 celebration becomes a process of elimination.

Where is the Plimoth Plantation Museum?

To form educated guesses, Wall, a foodways culinarian at Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, studies cookbooks and descriptions of gardens from the period, archaeological remains such as pollen samples that might clue her in to what the colonists were growing. Our discussion begins with the bird.

What did the Indians grow?

They grew beans, which they used from when they were small and green until when they were mature,” says Wall. “They also had different sorts of pumpkins or squashes.”. As we are taught in school, the Indians showed the colonists how to plant native crops.

When was Thanksgiving first celebrated?

Wall explains that the Thanksgiving holiday, as we know it, took root in the mid-19th century. At this time, Edward Winslow’s letter, printed in a pamphlet called Mourt’s Relation, and Governor Bradford’s manuscript, titled Of Plimoth Plantation, were rediscovered and published.

Who shared the Venison meal?

Two primary sources—the only surviving documents that reference the meal—confirm that these staples were part of the harvest celebration shared by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag at Plymouth Colony in 1621.

What did the Puritans wear?

Puritans are often thought of having silver buckles on their shoes and wearing somber, black clothing. Their attire was actually bright and cheerful (with no shoe buckles!). The Native Americans actualy didn't wear woven blankets on their shoulders and large, feathered headdresses, even though some artworks portray this. And though today we might refer to the Puritans as "Pilgrims," the Englishmen didn’t call themselves that.

What did Massasoit eat for Thanksgiving?

The meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat, different from today's traditional Thanksgiving feast. They played ball games, sang, and danced.

What is the holiday of Thanksgiving?

On the fourth Thursday of November, people in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday honoring the early settlers and Native Americans who came together to have a historic harvest feast.

What is the significance of Native Americans and Thanksgiving?

NATIVE AMERICANS AND THANKSGIVING. The peace between the Native Americans and settlers lasted for only a generation. The Wampanoag people do not share in the popular reverence for the traditional New England Thanksgiving. For them, the holiday is a reminder of betrayal and bloodshed.

What were the Puritans in Plymouth?

The people who comprised the Plymouth Colony were a group of English Protestants called Puritans who wanted to break away from the Church of England. These "separatists" initially moved to Holland. But after 12 years of financial problems, they received funding from English merchants to sail across the Atlantic Ocean in 1620 to settle in a "New World." Carrying 101 men, women, and children, the Mayflower traveled the ocean for 66 days and was supposed to land where New York City is now located. But windy conditions forced the group to cut their trip short and settle at what is now Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Why do natives celebrate Thanksgiving?

Since 1970, many native people have gathered at the statue of Massasoit in Plymouth, Massachusetts, each Thanksgiving Day to remember their ancestors and the strength of the Wampanoag.

When was the first Thanksgiving Day celebrated in Plymouth?

They played ball games, sang, and danced. Although prayers and thanks were probably offered at the 1621 harvest gathering, the first recorded religious Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth happened two years later in 1623. On this occasion, the colonists gave thanks to God for rain after a two-month drought.

The Pilgrims Had a Difficult Start After Landing

The supposed story of the pilgrims begins in 1620 when a band of 102 travelers set sail from England on the Mayflower. They were mainly looking for economic opportunities and the chance to own land after living in poverty for years.

Did the First Thanksgiving Really Happen at Plymouth?

One major myth that commonly comes into play with the Thanksgiving story was that the Native Americans at Plymouth had never seen Europeans before. In fact, the members of the Abenaki tribe, who greeted the pilgrims after they came ashore, actually did so in English.

Rethinking Our Notions of Thanksgiving Today

Many people living in the U.S. tend to associate the first Thanksgiving with the birth of the country itself. And this means they forget — or were unaware — that the habitation history of this land began when the first Indigenous people arrived on the North American continent more than 15,000 years ago.

Native Americans

The Settlers

Settling and Exploring

The Celebration

• One day that fall, four settlers were sent to hunt for food for a harvest celebration. The Wampanoag heard gunshots and alerted their leader, Massasoit, who thought the English might be preparing for war. Massasoit visited the English settlement with 90 of his men to see if the war rumor was true. Soon after their visit, the Native Americans realiz...

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The Myths

Native Americans and Thanksgiving

Modern Thanksgiving