[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

Search: What foods did the pilgrims eat on Thanksgiving.

1) Wild turkeys and venison etc.

2) No dairy products from cows but they might have had goat cheese

3) They didn't have pies or other sweets (they brought some sugar with them but ran out)

You can get more information from the above search.

WHAT DID THE PILGRIMS REALLY EAT AT THE FIRST THANKSGIVING????

FROM "YANKEE MAGAZINE" :

""The Thanksgiving meal is remarkably consistent in its elements: the turkey, the stuffing, the sweet potatoes, the cranberry sauce. Barring ethical, health, or religious objections, it is pretty much the same meal for everyone, across latitudes and longitudes, and through the years of their lives. We stick with the basics and simply change the seasonings.""

""But what about that first Thanksgiving in the fall of 1621 (historians don’t know the exact date, but place it sometime between September 21 and November 9), when British settlers hosted the first documented harvest celebration? What did they eat, and how similar is it to the traditional American Thanksgiving meal?""

""Here’s how Edward Winslow described the first Thanksgiving feast in a letter to a friend:


"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labor. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which we brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

""So venison was a major ingredient, as well as fowl, but that likely included pheasants, geese, and duck. Turkeys are a possibility, but were not a common food in that time. Pilgrims grew onions and herbs. Cranberries and currants would have been growing wild in the area, and watercress may have still been available if the hard frosts had held off, but there’s no record of them having been served. In fact, the meal was probably quite meat-heavy. Likewise, walnuts, chestnuts, and beechnuts were abundant, as were sunchokes. Shellfish were common, so they probably played a part, as did beans, pumpkins, squashes, and corn (served in the form of bread or porridge), thanks to the Wampanoags.""

""What didn’t they have at the first Thanksgiving? ""

""Potatoes (white or sweet), bread stuffing or pie (wheat flour was rare), sugar..."

""Aunt Lena’s green bean casserole.""