Thanksgiving food has come a long way. Usually we celebrate Thanksgiving by eating turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, but what were the original foods of Thanksgiving? Where did the foods we eat nowadays originate from? How did we come to associate these foods with Thanksgiving?
To answer these questions, it helps to consider what foods were available to the colonists and the Indigenous peoples. Many traditional Thanksgiving foods like turkey, corn, beans, squash, and cranberries originated in the Americas and were cultivated by indigenous people. On the first Thanksgiving in 1621, the menu likely consisted of deer, fowl, seafood, and native vegetables like pumpkins, squash, and corn.
Thanksgiving was originally referred to as a “Harvest Celebration.” The practice of stuffing was also added to the Thanksgiving tradition in 1796 after recipes of stuffing appeared in America’s first cookbook named American Cookery, which is also considered as America’s first cookbook.
As for turkey, it hadn’t become a worldwide centerpiece until after World War II had boosted turkey in marketing efforts. This promoted turkey a ton, helping it earn a spot as one of Thanksgiving’s most popular and shared foods.
The iconic mashed potatoes became a popular side dish in the 1700s, brought by the Europeans. Moving into the 1900s, side dishes like cranberry sauce and green bean casserole would eventually be integrated into the Thanksgiving tradition.
Cranberry sauce was created in the Northeast, discovered by Native Americans. Throughout the years the cranberry sauce recipe has changed a bunch, with added sugar and having the cranberry sauce canned in 1912.
The green bean casserole was created in 1955 with the recipe having combined many convenience foods such as canned onions, canned green beans, and mushroom soup. Nowadays, green bean casserole can be constructed however you’d like, using different greens such as spinach.
Pumpkin pie had been popular amongst the colonists during the 1600s. The first known recipe of pumpkin pie was made in the 1700s, which wasn’t popularized until Abraham Lincoln decided to announce Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863, adding pumpkin pie as part of the tradition. Pumpkin pie became known as a Thanksgiving dessert during the 18th century.
The Thanksgiving menu has evolved significantly throughout the years, driven by changing cultural norms, food availability, and commercial influence. Despite these changes, we still eat many of the same dishes from the first few Thanksgivings. The resulting menu reflects America’s diverse food culture and it’s ability to preserve cultural elements from centuries ago.
