What was served at the first thanksgiving in plymouth

Turkeys are a possibility, but were not a common food in that time. Pilgrims grew onions and herbs. In fact, the meal was probably quite meat-heavy. Likewise, walnuts, chestnuts, and beechnuts were abundant, as were sunchokes. Shellfish were common, so they probably played a part, as did beans, pumpkins, squashes, and corn served in the form of bread or porridge , thanks to the Wampanoags.

But how about bringing a little more truly traditional flavor back to your table? Back in , we consulted with historians at Plimoth Plantation , the Wampanoag and English settlers living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and asked writer Jane Walsh to devise a menu that incorporated some of the foods that would have been served at the first Thanksgiving.

We skipped the venison. Really, like everyone else who will gather around a table on the fourth Thursday in November this year, we simply changed the seasonings. Chestnuts and native corn were common, too. Here are a few dishes to get you further inspired — both reader-submitted and from the Yankee recipe archives.

It seems for some reason you are going out of your way to rewrite or downplay American tradition and Thanksgiving? To begin with, the Turkey is native to the Americas. It was first exported to Europe by the Spanish and then later gradually over the decades made its way to various affluent quarters in England.

The Pilgrims may have never seen nor eaten a turkey before. In her research, she has found that swan and passenger pigeons would have been available as well. Small birds were often spit-roasted, while larger birds were boiled. It is possible that the birds were stuffed, though probably not with bread. Bread, made from maize not wheat, was likely a part of the meal, but exactly how it was made is unknown.

The Pilgrims instead stuffed birds with chunks of onion and herbs. That broth thickened with grain to make a pottage. In addition to wildfowl and deer, the colonists and Wampanoag probably ate eels and shellfish, such as lobster, clams and mussels. As we are taught in school, the Indians showed the colonists how to plant native crops.

But in later sources, they talk about turnips, carrots, onions, garlic and pumpkins as the sorts of things that they were growing. Load more comments. Search Search. Home United States U. Africa 54 - November 12, VOA Africa Listen live. VOA Newscasts Latest program. VOA Newscasts. Previous Next. All About America. Learn how it has evolved from its religious roots as Spanish and English days of feasting and prayer to become the football-watching, parade-marching, gut-stuffing event it is today.

After going public in , R. In , an expedition led by the English navigator Martin Frobisher held a ceremony in what is now Nunavut, giving thanks for the safety of Thanksgiving football dates to at least , when Yale defeated Princeton, , on a cold, bleak afternoon in Hoboken, New Jersey.

By the s, many college and high school teams played on the holiday. But the tradition didn't become a bonafide institution in professional Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Recommended for you. How the Troubles Began in Northern Ireland. Thanksgiving Trivia.