 
The Pilgrims' Menu Foods That May Have Been on the Menu Seafood: Cod, Eel, Clams, Lobster Wild Fowl: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, Eagles Meat: Venison, Seal Grain: Wheat Flour, Indian Corn Vegetables: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots Fruit: Plums, Grapes Nuts: Walnuts, Chestnuts, Acorns Herbs and Seasonings: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, Parsnips What Was Not on the Menu Surprisingly, the following foods, all considered staples of the modern Thanksgiving meal, didn't appear on the pilgrims's first feast table: Ham: There is no evidence that the colonists had butchered a pig by this time, though they had brought pigs with them from England. Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes: These were not common. Corn on the Cob: Corn was kept dried out at this time of year. Cranberry Sauce: The colonists had cranberries but no sugar at this time. Pumpkin Pie: It's not a recipe that exists at this point, though the pilgrims had recipes for stewed pumpkin. Chicken/Eggs: We know that the colonists brought hens with them from England, but it's unknown how many they had left at this point or whether the hens were still laying. Milk: No cows had been aboard the Mayflower, though it's possible that the colonists had goat milk and used it to make cheese. Source: Kathleen Curtin, Food Historian at Plimoth Plantation. The first Thanksgiving feast was held to thank the Lord for sparing the lives of the survivors of the Mayflower, who landed at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. The survivors included four adult women and almost forty percent children. The Wampanoag chief Massasoit and ninety of his tribesmen were also invited to the first thanksgiving feast. Governor William Bradford invited them for helping the Pilgrims to survive and teaching them the skills of cultivating the land. Even though Thanksgiving was observed most years, it was not an official holiday. The name of the woman credited with making Thanksgiving a national holiday was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor. She began her Thanksgiving campaign in 1827. Benjamin Franklin, wanted to make the turkey the national bird for the United States but he was opposed by Thomas Jefferson. Legend has it that Franklin then named the male turkey a "tom turkey" to spite Jefferson. (The female is called a "hen turkey" and the baby a "poult.") What drink did the Puritans bring with them in the Mayflower? Beer (Ale) Turkeys were one of the first animals in the Americas to be domesticated. Turkeys are first documented over two thousand years ago in Central America and Mexico. Domesticated turkeys cannot fly. Wild Turkeys can fly only in short distances. Turkeys have great hearing skills but no ears. Thanksgiving is the biggest day of the family getting together and feasting in the Year. The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition began in the 1920's. The 'wishbone' of the turkey is used in a good luck ritual on Thanksgiving Day. It was once believed that merely touching a wishbone would bring you good luck. Squabbles over the bone eventually led to the custom of tugging them until they snapped, and the holder of the longer piece would be granted a wish. Cranberry jelly was on the first Thanksgiving table. The cranberry is a small, sour berry that grows in bogs, or muddy areas, in the New England states. The Indians used the fruit to treat infections and the juice to dye their rugs and blankets. They taught the colonists how to cook the berries with sweetener and water to make a sauce. The Indians called it "ibimi" which means "bitter berry." When the colonists saw it, they named it "crane-berry" because the flowers of the berry bent the stalk over, and it resembled the long-necked bird called a crane. The berries are still grown in New England. Football is an important part of many Thanksgiving Day celebrations in the United States. The Detroit Lions of the American National Football League have hosted a game every Thanksgiving Day since 1934 (except 1939-1944, during World War II). The Dallas Cowboys have hosted a game every Thanksgiving Day since 1966 (except 1975 and 1977). Many regional and rival college and high school football games are played on Thanksgiving weekend. What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving? - Erma Bombeck Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds." - Theodore Roosevelt Do not get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, For we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. - Galatians 6:9 Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast. William Shakespeare A Thanksgiving Poem May your stuffing be tasty May your turkey plump, May your potatoes and gravy Have never a lump. May your yams be delicious And your pies take the prize, And may your Thanksgiving dinner Stay off your thighs! - Unknown A Thanksgiving Game Thankerchief An improvisation on 'Passing The Parcel,' all have to sit around in a circle. They have to pass the 'thankerchief' or a handkerchief around while singing: "Thankerchief, thankerchief, around you go Where you'll stop, nobody knows. But when you do, someone must say, What they are thankful for this day." As soon as the poem is done, the person holding the Tankerchief has to say what he is thankful to the lord for. Thanksgiving Jokes: Which side of the turkey has the most feathers? The outside Why did the police arrest the turkey? They suspected it of fowl play What did the turkey say before it was roasted? Boy! I'm stuffed! What sound does a space turkey make? hubble, hubble, hubble A woman asked a young man working in the grocery story if the turkeys get any bigger? No Ma'm he said. They are dead Baby Bruno was sitting in his grandmother's kitchen, watching her prepare the Thanksgiving meal. "What are you doing?" Bruno asked. "Oh, I'm just stuffing the turkey," his grandmother replied. Why should you keep your eye off the turkey dressing? Because it makes him blush! Should you have your whole family for Thanksgiving dinner? No, you should just have the turkey Making it Home for Thanksgiving An elderly man in Phoenix calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough." "Pop, what are you talking about?" the son screams. "We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the old man says. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her," and he hangs up. The old man hangs up his phone, too, and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says, "they're coming for Thanksgiving. Now what do we tell them for Christmas?" Back To The Index |