What Was *Actually* Served at the First Thanksgiving (2024)

A few years ago, I made my inner history nerd unbelievably giddy and spent a few weeks digging in to one question: What was actually eaten at the first Thanksgiving? The results were surprising (no turkey?!), illuminating, and just plain curious. So leading up to November, I thought I'd give you something to chew on besides what's on your table. First, let's set the scene:

The modern Thanksgiving holiday is based off a festival shared by the pilgrims and the Wampanoag Native American tribe at Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, in 1621. The feast purportedly celebrated the colonists’ first successful harvest in the New World. While modern Thanksgiving always lands on the fourth Thursday in November, the original went down sometime earlier in autumn, closer to harvest time.

(Parenthetically, I’ll note that Thanksgiving was originally a one-off. Abraham Lincoln was the first to bring back Thanksgiving in 1863, when a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale convinced him that a nationally celebrated Thanksgiving holiday would unite the country in the aftermath of the Civil War. From then on Thanksgiving was celebrated annually, typically on the last Thursday in November, but the date wasn’t made official until decreed by Congress in 1941.)

There are only two surviving documents that reference the original Thanksgiving harvest meal. They describe a feast of freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, a bounty of cod and bass, and flint, a native variety of corn harvested by the Native Americans, which was eaten as corn bread and porridge.

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“Just literally read an article about per-Thanksgiving occurrences that may have included garbanzo beans as the main protein along with pork. Something about Jacksonville, Florida etc. Can't find the article to link it but will add later if I stumble upon it.”

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These two sources contain all we know firsthand about the first Thanksgiving food. The rest of the menu we can only piece together, based upon what was available, what both groups ate in times of celebration, and what the Native Americans would have (literally) brought to the table.

Wildfowl

First and foremost, there would be wildfowl—most likely duck or geese, but potentially carrier pigeons or swans. That’s right—turkey might not have even been present at the first Thanksgiving. The birds were probably stuffed with onions and nuts instead of the bread cubes and sausage more familiar to us today, then boiled or roasted.

Seafood

Seafood is a rare sight on a modern Thanksgiving table, but the colonists most likely had fish, eel, and shellfish, such as lobster and mussels, at their feast.

Produce

Vegetarians would not have gone hungry in 1621. Native crops such as peas, beans, squash, and the aforementioned flint corn would have likely made an appearance on the Thanksgiving table alongside vegetables brought over from England, such as cabbage and carrots. In fact, just like what you learned in kindergarten, there is some evidence that the Native Americans did teach the colonists how to plant beans, squash, and other local crops. (If you want to learn more about indigenous American cooking, check out our interview with a Sioux chef.)

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What Wasn't Served at 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. There was no sweet potato casserole, with mini marshmallows or without, since tuberous roots had not yet been introduced from the Caribbean.

Cranberries may have been incorporated into Wampanoag dishes to add tartness, but it would be another 50 years before someone first wrote about cooking them with sugar to make a “sauce to eat with...meat.”—the now-ubiquitous cranberry sauce. Also, since there was probably no refined sugar in the colonies in 1621 (it would have been prohibitively expensive), the point was moot.

There Were, However, Pumpkins

No flour, no sugar—that's right, there was nary a pie. No apple, no pecan, no pumpkin at the first Thanksgiving table. Well, pumpkins were probably present, just most likely stewed with vinegar and currants.

So this year, as you’re digging in to your green bean casserole and heaping your mashed potatoes into a soon-to-be-gravy-“lava”-filled volcano, be thankful. After all, you could be eating a heaping plateful of two-day-old potage with a side of eel, instead.

A Few of Our Modern Thanksgiving Go-Tos

Very Lemony Brined Turkey

This lemony brined turkey has everything you love about the traditional version—crispy-golden skin and juicy, tender meat—with a little something extra: multiple kicks of lemon (for the brine and roasting), fresh ginger, and a hint of honey.

Very Lemony Brined Turkey With Lemongrass
Our Best Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin pie is a classic, but this spongy, fluffy pumpkin roll—a type of Swiss roll—is just as welcome on our Thanksgiving dessert table. Those pumpkin-y flavors really shine through thanks to the addition of pumpkin purée in the cake better (it also adds moisture), plus all the spices you'd expect, like cinnamon, ginger, and clove.

Our Best Pumpkin Roll
Brussels Sprouts With Bacon

Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without a green side or two, right? These tender-crisp Brussels sprouts come together in one big, easy batch in the oven along with bacon (yum), onion, garlic, and maple syrup.

Brussels Sprouts With Bacon
Cranberry Curd Tart

"Curd is a sweet, creamy spread typically made with juice (such as lemon or orange), eggs, sugar, and butter," says chef and cookbook author Kenneth Temple. "It’s usually served as a topping for toast, biscuits, scones, and other baked goods." It also just so happens to make an excellent filling for tarts, as this fall-ready recipe proves.

Cranberry Curd Tart
Angel Corn

A beloved family recipe passed down for as long as the recipe's developer, Cory Baldwin, can remember, Angel Corn is the ultimate Thanksgiving side dish. It's creamy, herby, corn-y, just a bit sweet, and baked to golden-brown perfection in the oven till it's slightly firm to the touch. Ready the casserole dish.

Angel Corn
Instant Pot Buttermilk & Leek Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes may not have been served at the first Thanksgiving, but they're an essential staple for most holiday tables today. This Instant Pot version just so happens to be one of the creamiest and most flavorful recipes out there—and it couldn't be any easier (you don't even have to drain the pot).

This article is an adapted version of the one originally published on LuckyPeach.com (RIP).

Which modern Thanksgiving dish are you most thankful for? Let us know in the comments!

What Was *Actually* Served at the First Thanksgiving (2024)

FAQs

What Was *Actually* Served at the First Thanksgiving? ›

There are only two surviving documents that reference the original Thanksgiving harvest meal. They describe a feast of freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, a bounty of cod and bass, and flint, a native variety of corn harvested by the Native Americans, which was eaten as corn bread and porridge.

What was actually served at the first Thanksgiving? ›

The Wampanoag brought deer and there would have been lots of local seafood (mussels, lobster, bass) plus the fruits of the first pilgrim harvest, including pumpkin. No mashed potatoes, though. Potatoes had only been recently shipped back to Europe from South America.

Did the Pilgrims and natives actually eat together? ›

In 1621, those Pilgrims did hold a three-day feast, which was attended by members of the Wampanoag tribe. However, typically, when these settlers had what they referred to as "thanksgiving" observances, they actually fasted.

What were they celebrating at the first Thanksgiving? ›

Likewise, in the fall of 1621, when their labors were rewarded with a bountiful harvest after a year of sickness and scarcity, the Pilgrims gave thanks to God. They also celebrated their bounty with a tradition called the Harvest Home.

Was there apple pie and potatoes on the first Thanksgiving? ›

The idea of a huge breast-forward turkey and apple pie on those original tables is also a myth. There are two primary-source historical records that give us a clue as to what was part of the 1621 feast. They suggest that the feast likely consisted of wild turkey and other fowl, venison, cod, bass, and corn.

What was originally eaten at Thanksgiving? ›

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 is the real history of Thanksgiving? ›

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists from England and the Native American Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states.

What are 5 interesting facts about the first Thanksgiving? ›

9 Fun Facts About Thanksgiving
  • The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 over a three day harvest festival. ...
  • Turkey wasn't on the menu at the first Thanksgiving. ...
  • Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday on October 3, 1863. ...
  • The history of U.S. presidents pardoning turkeys is patchy.

What did the Pilgrims eat every day? ›

Cooking and Food

During the Mayflower's voyage, the Pilgrims' main diet would have consisted primarily of a cracker-like biscuit ("hard tack"), salt pork, dried meats including cow tongue, various pickled foods, oatmeal and other cereal grains, and fish. The primary beverage for everyone, including children, was beer.

What food was not served in the first Thanksgiving? ›

Oddly enough, a few contemporary Thanksgiving powerhouses didn't make an appearance at the original holiday table. Neither white potatoes nor sweet potatoes had yet been brought to North America from South and Central America, respectively.

How much did Thanksgiving cost in 1950? ›

Here's what a Thanksgiving meal cost the year you were born
YearTotal meal cost:Inflation adjusted cost:
1949$5.62$45.43
1950$5.91$47.25
1951$6.48$48.49
1952$6.52$47.82
68 more rows
Nov 21, 2018

What president refused to declare Thanksgiving a holiday? ›

Thomas Jefferson was famously the only Founding Father and early president who refused to declare days of thanksgiving and fasting in the United States.

Did they eat lobster at the first Thanksgiving? ›

While turkey is the staple for Thanksgiving today, it may not have been on the menu during what is considered the First Thanksgiving. The First Thanksgiving meal eaten by pilgrims in November 1621 included lobster. They also ate fruits and vegetables brought by Native Americans, mussels, bass, clams, and oysters.

Did they eat seal at the first Thanksgiving? ›

We're not sure how the eels were prepared, but they were plentiful. Another possible side dish was seal. But the most likely centerpiece of the first Thanksgiving meals was deer. Venison was common, and a whole deer could feed a lot of people.

Did they have apples at the first Thanksgiving? ›

By the mid-1600s, cider would become the main beverage of New Englanders, but in 1621 Plymouth, there were not any apples yet." While modern Thanksgiving meals involve a lot of planning and work, at least we have efficient ovens and kitchen utensils to make our lives easier.

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