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Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in the USA, otherwise known as Turkey Day. Turkey is traditionally served at Thanksgiving because the Pilgrims and their Wampanoag Indian guests probably shared turkey and deer at their harvest feast at the First Thanksgiving in 1621. No one knows for sure if turkey was served, but wild turkeys were abundant in the Plymouth, Massachusetts area.
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| Happy Turkey Day! Photo courtesy of Pixabay |
Historians don't believe the First Thanksgiving menu included sweet potatoes and cranberries, or even pumpkin pie. Perhaps some form of squash, but not as a pie. Sweet potatoes were not food eaten by the colonists. Cranberries may have been served, but probably not as a relish or sauce.
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| Cornucopia (Horn of Plenty) Photo courtesy of Pixabay |
In an article by Joanne Camas at the Epicurious site, culinary historians stated they believe "the table was loaded with native fruits like plums, melons, grapes, and cranberries, plus local vegetables such as leeks, wild onions, beans, Jerusalem artichokes, and squash. (English crops such as turnips, cabbage, parsnips, onions, carrots, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme might have also been on hand.) And for the starring dishes, there were undoubtedly native birds and game as well as the Wampanoag gift of five deer. Fish and shellfish were also likely on the groaning board."
So why do we Americans serve these traditional foods? According to the Washington Post, "In the mid-1800s, a popular magazine editor named Sarah Josepha Hale read about the 1621 feast and decided to use it as a model for an annual holiday. She published recipes for turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie and started traditions that had nothing to do with the colonists."
Click here to read the entire Washington Post article
Do you celebrate Thanksgiving by serving the traditional Thanksgiving menu?What's on your Thanksgiving Day table? Please leave a comment below to let us know. Thank you.
We have a lot in common with the Pilgrims and their guests at the First Thanksgiving, not only enjoying delicious food, but also taking the time to be aware of our blessings and to be thankful for them.
