If the first Thanksgiving dinner had been held in Tennessee instead of Massachusetts, the actual dinner would have been very similar to those shared in New England, and both are a far cry from the ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving dinner items we have today, according to Troy Smith, associate professor of history at Tennessee Tech.
The traditional roasted turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie are on almost every modern Thanksgiving menu, in some form or variation. This menu has evolved over time and continues to evolve today.
President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. Since colonists had hunted wild turkeys for years it became the staple Thanksgiving meal meat.
In 1864 General Ulysses S. Grant declared that cranberry sauce was to be served to the Union troops for their Thanksgiving festival.
While pumpkin pie had been on the menu for well over a hundred years, it was not until 1929 when the Libby company began producing a line of canned pumpkin, simplifying the process for making the pie, did it become a Thanksgiving staple.
But according to the two only remaining historical records of the first Thanksgiving menu, that meal consisted of freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, cod, bass, and flint, and a native variety of corn harvested by the Native Americans, which was eaten as corn bread and porridge.
Smith, who teaches courses in Native American studies, said a first Thanksgiving dinner in Tennessee would be much the same as the original one in Massachusetts.
“The menu would in fact be very similar to that of the Wampanoags in New England. Deer and wild fowl, including turkeys, were common fare, as was fish - though not cod, more likely fish native to Appalachian rivers.”
While the Wampanoags would have had cod, bass and flint, the Cherokees would have had sunfish, gar, catfish, crappie, bass and bream.
Cherokees sometimes grew peanuts and sweet potatoes, according to Smith, and nuts and berries were plentiful.
“Like the Wampanoags, and most tribes, in most regions, Cherokees relied heavily on ‘The Three Sisters’- corn, beans, and squash. Corn would have been in the form of cornbread, or flat bread similar to corn tortillas, as well as in a type of thin porridge common among Southern tribes called sofkey. Sofkey could be eaten as a soup or sometimes drunk as a beverage.”
Meat would have been provided by all the animals common to the mountains, from turtles to rabbits and squirrels to bear.
“A particular delicacy was a type of sausage made of pounded groundhog meat. Most often, though, meals were large stews that might have had many of the ingredients listed above in them.”
Whether in Tennessee or in Massachusetts, that first Thanksgiving meal would have been quite alike, but the differences in that first meal and today’s “traditional” Thanksgiving meal are vast in comparison.
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FAQs
So while our Thanksgiving dinner table has a big ol' turkey plated in the center, the first Thanksgiving table was likely filled with ducks, geese, eels, lobster, and venison. Maybe there was a turkey, but it was either missing or too dry for anyone to literally write home about it.
What was on the menu at the first Thanksgiving answer key? ›
So, to the question “What did the Pilgrims eat for Thanksgiving,” the answer is both surprising and expected. Turkey (probably), venison, seafood, and all of the vegetables that they had planted and harvested that year—onions, carrots, beans, spinach, lettuce, and other greens.
What food was missing from the first Thanksgiving? ›
It is also worth noting what was not present at the first Thanksgiving feast. There were no cloudlike heaps of mashed potatoes, since white potatoes had not yet crossed over from South America. There was no gravy either, since the colonists didn't yet have mills to produce flour.
What Indian tribe did the Pilgrims share the meal considered the first Thanksgiving with? ›
As was the custom in England, the Pilgrims celebrated their harvest with a festival. The 50 remaining colonists and roughly 90 Wampanoag tribesmen attended the "First Thanksgiving." The major similarity between the first Jamestown settlers and the first Plymouth settlers was great human suffering.
What was the Thanksgiving history meal? ›
But according to the two only remaining historical records of the first Thanksgiving menu, that meal consisted of freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, cod, bass, and flint, and a native variety of corn harvested by the Native Americans, which was eaten as corn bread and porridge.
What was the original date of Thanksgiving? ›
A few days later, President George Washington issued a proclamation naming Thursday, November 26, 1789 as a "Day of Publick Thanksgivin" - the first time Thanksgiving was celebrated under the new Constitution.
What were the 3 unlikely foods that were eaten at the first Thanksgiving? ›
Well certainly not what we eat at Thanksgiving. They ate fish, corn, venison, and no pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie would have required sugar, that was in a very limited amount. There would have been bread, but not the way we see it today.
Did the Pilgrims really have a Thanksgiving dinner? ›
In Plymouth, Massachusetts, colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast in 1621 that is widely acknowledged to be one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations. But some historians argue that Florida, not Massachusetts, may have been the true site of the first Thanksgiving in North America.
Why was there no turkey at the first Thanksgiving? ›
The Wampanoag guests brought five deer with them, so venison was on the menu. The English brought fowl, "probably migrating waterfowl like ducks and geese, which were plentiful in autumn," says Beahrs. "Governor William Bradford does mention taking turkeys that year, but not in connection to the harvest celebration."
What is the real truth behind Thanksgiving? ›
Our modern definition of Thanksgiving revolves around eating turkey, but this was more of an occasion for religious observance in past centuries. The Pilgrims would most likely consider their sober 1623 day of prayer the first actual Thanksgiving, according to the History of Massachusetts Blog.
Today, about 4,000-5,000 Wampanoag live in New England. There are multiple Wampanoag communities - Aquinnah, Mashpee, Herring Pond, Assonet, Chappaquiddick, Pocasset, and Seaconke - with smaller groups and communities across the United States and world.
What nationality were the Pilgrims? ›
The people we know as Pilgrims have become so surrounded by legend that we are tempted to forget that they were real people. Against great odds, they made the famous 1620 voyage aboard the ship Mayflower and founded Plymouth Colony, but they were also ordinary English men and women.
What is the traditional Thanksgiving dinner? ›
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer. The classic Thanksgiving dinner includes old-time favorites that never change: turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, veggies, and pie.
What was the first Thanksgiving really like? ›
Massasoit sent some of his own men to hunt deer for the feast and for three days, the English and native men, women, and children ate together. The meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat, different from today's traditional Thanksgiving feast. They played ball games, sang, and danced.
Did people used to eat raccoons for Thanksgiving? ›
Move over, turkeys: In 1926, a raccoon was the talk of the Thanksgiving table. This may sound out of the left field, but it wasn't quite as strange to think of raccoons as food back in the day; according to Smithsonian Magazine, they were commonly seen in-game markets and on restaurant menus in the early 1900s.
Was Berkeley Plantation the first Thanksgiving? ›
Welcome to Berkeley Plantation
Nowhere can you find a more unspoiled and tranquil environment. Our history begins in 1619 when settlers observed the first official Thanksgiving in America.
