6. Green Bean Casserole | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

10 Reasons We Eat What We Do On Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving dinner we know today is much different from the original 1621 feast.

89
10 Reasons We Eat What We Do On Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite meal of the year. I love the turkey with cranberry sauce, the mashed yams with marshmallows, the roasted veggies, the cornbread... There is just so much good food and so much of it! But have you ever wondered why we eat the things we do on Thanksgiving?

1. Turkey

Turkey probably wasn't actually eaten by the pilgrims and Native Americans at the famous three-day feast in 1621. Historians believe that venison was most likely the main course. However, when Thanksgiving Day was declared a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, turkeys were native to North America and a popular way to feed a lot of people at one time.

2. Stuffing

c1.staticflickr.com

Originally, stuffing didn't come from a box. Stuffing birds really dates back to the Aztec communities stuffing them with spicy chili peppers. European explorers observed this practice and, by the 1500s, it was a common Christmas dinner tradition to serve a stuffed turkey in Western Europe. It was the best way to get the most out of the turkey. The use of natural juices to fluff up the bread filling meant being able to feed more people and get more calories. In historic times, people needed every calorie they could get with food not being as readily available as it is today. When the European immigrants came to America, they brought the practice of stuffing turkeys with them!

3. Potatoes

Like turkey, potatoes were not part of the original Thanksgiving feast but were a popular food at the time Thanksgiving Day was declared a holiday. Potatoes were brought over to North America by Scottish and Irish immigrants in the early 1700s. They were first grown in New Hampshire in 1716 but spread all the way to Idaho, the most abundant potato state, by the 1840s.

4. Cornbread

upload.wikimedia.org

Corn was a staple in the Native American diet and plentiful in North America during the 17th century. It is believed that corn was eaten at the first Thanksgiving feast but would have been more like a corn pudding than a cornbread.

5. Cranberry sauce

Cranberries are native to North America and are in season right around Thanksgiving. They were very important to Native American communities in North America, being used as fabric dyes, medicines, and a food source. Historians believe that it is highly likely that cranberries were in fact shared by the pilgrims and Native Americans due to there abundance in the fall season!

6. Green Bean Casserole

c1.staticflickr.com

Beans were another staple in the Native American diet. It is very likely they too could have eaten green beans with the pilgrims in 1621. Green bean casserole, however, is a modern preparation of green beans that became popular with the rise of prepared frozen, packaged, and canned foods in the 1950s.

7. Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkins were definitely available in 1621, but most likely they were not prepared in pie form. The settlers would have to know how to make a pie, but the butter and pie crust ingredients needed would not have been available to them. Pumpkin and other types of squash may have been roasted over a fire or perhaps filled with a custard. Pumpkin pie became the modern tradition when magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale attempted to set an ideal Thanksgiving dinner tradition with the Lincolns' declaration of the holiday in 1863.

8. Mashed Yams

c1.staticflickr.com

Just like regular potatoes, sweet potatoes were not available in North America in the 17th century. Sweet potatoes originated in South and Central America. They did not make it to North America until the 18th century. At the time of Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day declaration, candied sweet potatoes were a popular American dish, thus quickly becoming a traditional Thanksgiving food. Mashed yams with marshmallows specifically dates back to 1919 in a recipe published by the Barrett Company.

9. Gravy

Gravy is another means of using the whole bird. Turkey remains were boiled in a pot and the water was thickened with ground grains to make cornbread.

10. Wine

c1.staticflickr.com

The pilgrims and Indians did not drink wine at the first Thanksgiving. It is believed that they drank beer made from pumpkin and parsnips or fermented apple juice, also known as hard cider. Where the wine tradition came from most likely has something to do with its rise to popularity and sophisticated status. But if you want to be more traditional, I suggest getting yourself an Angry Orchard or Pumpkin Ale!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

181980
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

8809
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

453608
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

23970
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments