The Original Thanksgiving Feast

The history of Thanksgiving and what was on the menu - It might surprise you!

When you think of Thanksgiving today, the first sights and smells that likely come to mind are of a juicy holiday ham, the sweet aroma of the myriad of pies coming out of the oven, and of course, a butter and herb-crusted turkey that’s ready to be sliced.

With Thanksgiving being such a central part of American culture today, it might be hard to believe, but the way I described it above is a relatively new concept. 

Before I get into the fun items that were likely on that original menu, let’s talk about the history of the holiday we all know and love and how it came to be. I’ll remind people who may not know that my first career out of college was a high school history teacher - so I geek out on this stuff.

Why the first Thanksgiving took place

When we Americans think of the first “Thanksgiving", it’s one in which Pilgrams who came to America aboard the Mayflower celebrated a feast with the natives of the region in October 1621. But it should be noted that the Wampanoag, the natives in the region, and many other native tribes in the Americas likely celebrated something similar for thousands of years.

After all, the fall harvest could decide the fortunes of tribes and villages around the world. This is because a bad harvest can mean a rough winter for those who live in the colder regions. So this time of year was likely always a time in which tribes and cultures gave thanks to whomever their Gods were/are for a good harvest before the long, cold winters.

In fact, in our Celebrations of a Season post, Maddie talks about how different cultures around the world would historically come together and have feasts to celebrate harvests in the fall and spring. Before we became spoiled by the ability to have any type of meat, fruit, or vegetable on our table with a quick trip to the grocery store, people around the world had to appreciate what was around them for the time of year that it was able to be grown.

The first Thanksgiving menu that I get into later will reflect that same spirit of locally grown and harvested food that we value, which makes this article fun to write!

Thanksgiving as an American holiday

After 1621, the celebration of Thanksgiving was only celebrated intermittently by the colonists. For example, In 1789, it was declared a holiday via a proclamation by President George Washington. But just a few years later, President Thomas Jefferson chose not to observe the holiday. And so, this on-and-off observance of the holiday would continue until President Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving” in an attempt to bring the nation together. 

Every president since then has declared a similar day in November with varying dates. But it wasn’t until 1942, that Thanksgiving became an official holiday with a permanent observation date as the fourth Thursday in November, through an act of Congress. 

As the country became more urban and family members began to live farther apart, the holiday began to evolve from its roots in religion and the fall harvest to a time when people and families could simply gather together. Still heavily associated with Pilgrims and Native Americans, it also came to symbolize intercultural peace, America’s opportunity for newcomers, and the sanctity of home and family.

I still believe most Americans, even those who seem to complain about living here, celebrate these deeply American values on Thanksgiving, which is one of the things that make the holiday so great.

What was on the menu?

Now, let’s get into some more fun - the menu! Much of what we know comes from a few surviving documents written by the Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow that referenced the original Thanksgiving. The rest of the menu is built on assumptions of what is indigenous to the region and what the Wampanoags would traditionally harvest during this time of year.

Duck

Apologies to all of you turkey lovers, but it’s possible that turkey was NOT on the menu for the original Thanksgiving. Edward Winslow had noted in his journal that the colony’s governor, William Bradford, sent four men on a “fowling” mission in preparation for the three-day event. 

He described a feast consisting of “assorted wildfowl”, so the first Thanksgiving likely had a lot of ducks, geese, and swans. 

Deer

It’s very cool for me to know that deer was on the menu for the original Thanksgiving as I prepare for a deer hunt this weekend. Fingers crossed we serve deer at our Thanksgiving dinner this year!

Winslow wrote that “the Wampanoag arrived with an offering of five deer”. Culinary historians speculate that the deer was likely roasted on a spit over a smoldering fire and that the colonists might have used some of the venison to whip up a hearty stew.

Fish and seafood

This sounds a bit weird to me since we just don’t typically associate seafood with Thanksgiving, but we are talking about the New England area after all. Winslow wrote,

“Our bay is full of lobsters all the summer and affordeth variety of other fish; in September we can take a hogshead of eels in a night with small labor and can dig them out of their beds all the winter. We have mussels at our doors. Oysters we have none near, but we can have them brought by the Indians when we will”.

Culinary historians speculate that with the abundance of seafood and fish from the area's streams, it is highly likely that the pescatarians of the time didn’t go hungry on Thanksgiving.

Fruits and vegetables 

There’s a reason that a cornucopia is one of the main symbols of Thanksgiving. Corn was plentiful at the time, but likely not anything like the bright yellow variety we know today.

In those days, the corn would have been removed from the cob and turned into cornmeal, which was then boiled and pounded into a thick corn mush or porridge that was occasionally sweetened with molasses. The Wampanoag were known to grow a variety of squashes as well.

Other vegetables native to the area that could have found their way to the table include onions, beans, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots, and perhaps peas. 

Some common fruits indigenous to the region included blueberries, plums, gooseberries, raspberries, and of course, cranberries.

Not on the menu

You likely noticed there were no pies, no green bean casseroles, marshmallow-filled sweet potato casseroles, or some of the other staples we commonly fill our bellies with once a year.

The first Thanksgiving, and likely many following it over the next couple hundred years, was filled only with local, seasonal, and organic produce - aka, a very Back to Our Roots Thanksgiving.

Take Action: I’m not saying to throw out all your grandmother's recipes or the traditions your family has kept over the years by any means. It’s one day out of the year, if you want to have the sweet potato casserole with extra marshmallows, by all means, enjoy!

The inspiration for this article came when Maddie and I were thinking of alternative dishes to serve this year since last year’s turkey was too big for two people. We had enough after eating it for every meal for two weeks! Eventually, we decided on serving a duck, since it’s smaller and just as, if not more, flavorful! 

I also have a mule deer hunt that I may or may not still be on at the time you are reading this. If I’m successful, this deer will also be served at our Thanksgiving. If that’s the case, this year’s Thanksgiving for us will be a throwback to the original (minus the sourdough stuffing we plan to make).

We will be sure to share pictures of our Thanksgiving feast. Just note, we are still having pie because… Well, pie :)

Happy Thanksgiving week!

-Sebastian

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