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Thanksgiving is a beloved holiday filled with delicious food and fun family time. It is thought that this tradition started in 1621 when the Wampanoag joined the Pilgrims for what is considered the “first Thanksgiving,” according to visit.archives.gov. This meal was a celebration of their successful harvest. Today, however, the holiday has evolved into something quite different from how it was celebrated then, due to both innovations changing what foods are available and can be prepared. Thanksgiving also wasn’t made an official holiday until 1863, which was a pivotal point because it made the celebration a consistent annual fixture rather than a sporadic celebration of giving thanks whenever communities decided to. That being said, the Thanksgiving dinner table is a nationwide tradition in America, but have you ever stopped to wonder why we eat what we eat for this holiday? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not because that’s what was eaten at the first Thanksgiving. Today, I’m going to dive into why we really eat what we do for Thanksgiving.
1. Turkey
According to Britannica.com, the turkey was never actually recorded as being at the first Thanksgiving meal. It was said that the Wampanoag brought deer, and the Pilgrims brought fowl, which was likely goose or duck. There are no records of turkey being the center of Thanksgiving dinner in the 17th or 18th centuries; however, it is thought that the tradition was likely brought about in the 19th century. One of the prime reasons for this is that turkeys were very plentiful at the time. Turkeys are also big enough to feed a whole family and are readily available for eating on farms because they don’t produce anything like chickens and cows do. Additionally, some books can be credited for making the Thanksgiving turkey a tradition. Sarah Josepha Hale’s Northwood (1827) and Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (1843) both reference grand turkey dinners for the holidays. Both pieces of literature could have influenced the widespread idea that turkey was what people should eat on Thanksgiving.
2. Stuffing
It is possible that stuffing is actually one of the longest-standing Thanksgiving traditions. This is because it’s very likely that the Pilgrims stuffed their “fowl” with some type of stuffing. Amli.com states that onions and herbs were likely used at the time. Also, because stoves weren’t common at the time, and they roasted the bird on a spit over fire, the easiest way to make a side dish was to make it inside the turkey, according to Yahoo.com. Stuffing is also a good way to use up stale bread, as it absorbs the flavor, giving the bread a whole new life. Stuffing is a classic dish that can be customized to each family’s liking, whether it is cornbread or sausage-based with whatever vegetables and herbs you like. Due to its timeless ease and scrumptiousness, it has a secure spot at many Thanksgiving dinner tables.
3. Gravy
The concept of gravy goes way back, and it is likely that they did have some form of it at the first Thanksgiving dinner, according to realsimple.com, because the Pilgrims would have been very familiar with the idea of boiling meat leftovers and thickening them to make gravy. However, gravy has massively evolved since then through experimentation with different spices and herbs. Gravy has also been made into something that one can have without cooking their own meat, or can be made with a different broth from whatever meat they are eating. While gravy was a convenient dish back then, it is even more convenient and delicious now, hence why it has remained a staple on the American Thanksgiving table.
4. Potatoes
Potatoes are a staple food all around the world, but they hadn’t been introduced to America at the time of the first Thanksgiving. However, according to bluebookservices.com, potatoes were a very popular food in America by the time that President Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday because they are easy to make, affordable, nutritional and delicious, which is likely a reason for their inclusion in the feast. Moreover, mashed potatoes were also featured in Sarah Josepha Hale’s ideal version of a Thanksgiving dinner, so of course, they were implemented in real life.
5. Pumpkin Pie
Baking wasn’t an option at the time of the first Thanksgiving feast. However, it is likely that they enjoyed some sort of sweet pumpkin dessert: amil.com, along with other sites, suggests that they filled hollowed out pumpkins with honey, milk and spices to roast them into a pumpkin custard. It is likely that the knowledge that pumpkins were introduced to pilgrims by the Native Americans was a big part in making pumpkin pies a tradition once the ability to make pumpkins into pies came about. Furthermore, history.com states that Sarah Josepha Hale also included pumpkin pies in her Thanksgiving meal from Northwood.
From convenience to history, there are many reasons behind the food we eat on Thanksgiving. It is not as simple as “that’s what they ate at the first Thanksgiving dinner,” like many people were made to believe. There is not just one reason that many of these foods are a part of the tradition; we eat them because of the holiday’s history, literature and based on how easy they are to buy and make. Are you surprised as to why your Thanksgiving favorite is at the table?