The Thanksgiving Meal Part 3 by Leah Wilderrotter

As we are getting close to the big day, food prep is in full swing for the meal. In this week’s post, we are going to be discussing the turkey. If you have not been following my journey on the Thanksgiving meal mini-series, check out week 1 and week 2. The two posts cover the side dishes and the dessert.  On most Thanksgiving tables there will be a turkey on the table but did the first Thanksgiving have a turkey?  Let’s find out.

Turkey

A big misconception about the first Thanksgiving is that turkey was the only meat that was served at the meal. This is not the case at all. From what historians have learned about the first Thanksgiving, that meal itself was more protein based compared to modern day which tends to be more carb focused.  The Pilgrims would have also eaten venison, duck, goose, and swan which is interesting because in today’s society we consider those foods to be a luxury.  The way that the Pilgrims would season the food was also a little different than we would today.  The pilgrims would use onions and nuts as seasoning.  The most common way that the bird was cooked was on a spit or boiled.  Besides the wild birds and venison, there may have also been seafood on the table.

I feel stuffed and hungry after learning all of this new information about the holiday. From today’s post, something I did not know is that the meal was more protein based than carb based. I thought that they had wheat when they came over to America.  Thank you for joining me on this mini adventure and I hope you learned something new.  Remember to say thank you to those you are thankful for. On behalf of everyone here at Allaire Village, Happy Thanksgiving!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *