thanksgiving menu then and now

Thanksgiving Menu: Then & Now It is believed that the Pilgrim Colonists and the Wampanoag Indians celebrated the very first Thanksgiving feast after their first harvest in 1621 in Plymouth, MA The harvest festival was religious in nature and took place outdoors, where hundreds of people gathered to partake in the festivities Food was plentiful for this occasion and the spirit of thankfulness prevailed over the three-day celebration Historians believe that on that Thanksgiving day almost 400 years ago the menu consisted of venison – or deer meat – roasted (not stuffed) turkey, wild fowl including ducks, geese, and even swans, fish, lobsters, pumpkin in some form, squash, beans, dried fruits, some sort of cranberry sauce, and dried Indian maize or corn The sugar supply brought over on the Mayflower from England was nearly exhausted by the time of the first Thanksgiving, so it is widely surmised that wheat pudding may have been one of the only sweet dishes served The Pilgrims used many spices, including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, and dried fruit in the meat sauces they prepared The best way to cook things in the 17th century was to roast them Many of the meats were put on a spit and turned over a fire for six hours at a time to ensure that the meat was evenly cooked They didn't have ovens so pies and cakes and breads most likely never made it to that first Thanksgiving dinner table in Plymouth Today we enjoy delicious meals served in a warm home where it's quite possible a football game can be heard from a nearby television set At the dining room table many Americans may enjoy herb-roasted turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, creamed corn, candied yams, almond green beans, cranberry-orange relish, turnip, popovers with butter, pumpkin pie, mince pie, apple pie, and vanilla ice cream HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY! [...]...almond green beans, cranberry-orange relish, turnip, popovers with butter, pumpkin pie, mince pie, apple pie, and vanilla ice cream HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY! ... Pilgrim Colonists and the Wampanoag Indians celebrated the very first Thanksgiving feast after their first harvest in 1621 in Plymouth, MA The harvest festival was religious in nature and took place... plentiful for this occasion and the spirit of thankfulness prevailed over the three-day celebration Historians believe that on that Thanksgiving day almost 400 years ago the menu consisted of venison... ensure that the meat was evenly cooked They didn't have ovens so pies and cakes and breads most likely never made it to that first Thanksgiving dinner table in Plymouth Today we enjoy delicious meals