Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Recipes have changed a lot since the first Thanksgiving Menu.

Most of the original menu sounds good to me - I would have to pass on the seal, eel and eagle. What do you think?

Foods That were Probably on the Menu

SEAFOOD: Cod, Eel, Clams, Lobster

WILD FOWL: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, Eagles

MEAT: Venison, Seal

GRAIN: Wheat Flour, Indian Corn

VEGETABLES: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots

FRUIT: Plums, Grapes

NUTS: Walnuts, Chestnuts, Acorns

HERBS and SEASONINGS: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, Parsnips

What Wasn't on the Menu

Many of the foods on our traditional Thanksgiving meal were not a part of the pilgrim's feast.

HAM: There is no evidence that the colonists had butchered a pig by this time, though they had brought pigs with them from England.

SWEET POTATOES/POTATOES: These were not common.

CORN ON THE COB: Corn was kept dried out at this time of year.

CRANBERRY SAUCE: The colonists had cranberries but no sugar at this time.

PUMPKIN PIE: It's not a recipe that exists at this point, though the pilgrims had recipes for stewed pumpkin.

CHICKEN/EGGS: We know that the colonists brought hens with them from England, but it's unknown how many they had left at this point or whether the hens were still laying.

MILK: No cows had been aboard the Mayflower, though it's possible that the colonists used goat milk to make cheese.