First American Thanksgiving Meal
The traditional Thanksgiving dinner we hold today is quite different than what was served at Plymouth Colony in 1621. The turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie was not available to the Pilgrims. The survivors from the Mayflower were taught to live off the land by their Wampanoag Indian neighbors, Tisquantum specifically, better known as Squanto. This feast consisted of foods from their own labor. As had both the English and Native Americans before, the colonists decided to hold a celebration of their successful crops after their first winter in the New Land.
There is only one true account of this celebration which is from a journal by the Pilgrim Edward Winslow. From his writing, we know that wild fowl, corn and venison were present at the feast. From research, it is likely that the fowl was not turkey, as is tradition in our time, but duck or goose. Also, the corn was not eaten on the cob. It was ground up and served like a soup. The venison was brought by the Indians.
Historians have suggestions of other food that could have been served at the first Thanksgiving based on the resources and knowledge at the time. As they lived close to the ocean, the Pilgrims may have been had seafood such as lobster, fish, eel and mussels. They could have grown beans, onion lettuce or pumpkin. Fruit, such as plums and grapes, along with walnuts and chestnuts, were found in the area, as read in other accounts from the time. These may have been on the menu for the celebration at Plymouth Colony.
The feast was not the joyous dinner between two different cultures as we are led to believe. In fact, the Wampanoag Indians were not invited to the feast. The Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians were friendly, but it was an uneasy relationship. Neither completely trusted the other. The day of the feast, the Indians came to the settlement to investigate as they had heard gunshots. They may have suspected the plan of attack. Actually, the gunshots were from killing the fowl. It is reported that when the Indians saw the pilgrims feasting, they went out and killed five deer to add to their table. The Indians brought a majority of the food for this historic dinner, as it was the Pilgrims first harvest in a new land and not all of their crops grew well.
The first Thanksgiving feast, as we know it, went on for three days. It was a gathering of about 90 Wampanoag Indians and the 52 surviving residents of Plymouth Colony. They gave thanks for the food to survive, played games and discussed a truce with each other.
How much from the original menu makes its way onto our Thanksgiving table each year? Perhaps, the most important item we brought with us from this dinner is not the feasting, but the thoughts of sharing, and being thankful for what we have been given. To celebrate that we were given enough to live another year and that there are good people willing to lend a helping hand.
