By Karen Rice
Official Kids Mag
A typical American Thanksgiving meal includes things
like roast turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed
potatoes and pumpkin pie. But what did they eat 400
years ago, at the first Thanksgiving, in 1621?
That was when the English settlers (Pilgrims) and
the Native Americans (Wampanoag
Indians) had a feast to celebrate the
Pilgrims' first autumn harvest.
There were about 50 Pilgrims and
90 Wampanoag at the celebration.
It might have happened in late
September, instead of November.
The feast lasted for three days! So
there was a lot of food. But what
was on the menu? We don't know for sure,
but history can tell us a few things.
turkey and venison
According to history.com, four men
were sent out before the feast to hunt
for fowl. Chances are, they got some
wild turkeys, since there were plenty in the area. It's
possible they feasted on other birds including ducks,
geese and swans.
The Wampanoag also hunted and brought five deer
to the feast. The deer were probably roasted on a spit
or made into a stew.
stuffing
Instead of stuffing made of bread, herbs, onions or
nuts might have been added to the birds for extra flavor.
fruits and Vegetables
The Wampanoag had helped the Pilgrims learn
to plant crops in their new land. Since the first
Thanksgiving was a celebration of the first harvest,
fruits and vegetables were no doubt part of the meal.
The feast probably included vegetables like onions,
beans, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots and maybe
peas. Corn was also part of the first harvest, but it
was prepared differently. In those days, the corn was
removed from the cob and turned into cornmeal,
which was then boiled and pounded into a thick corn
mush or porridge and sometimes sweetened with
molasses.
What did they eat at the
first thanksgiving?
Hey kids, here
are some great
jokes to tell
at the
Thanksgiving
dinner table!
why did they let the turkey
join the band?
because he
had his own
drumsticks!
what kind of
music did the
pilgrims listen to?
plymouth
rock!
why did the farmer run a
steamroller over his potato field
on thanksgiving day?
he wanted to
raise mashed
potatoes.
how come
the turkey
didn't
eat dinner?
he was
already
stuffed!
30 • NoVember 2020 • officialKidsmag.com
