Take a tour back in time and try these pilgrim Thanksgiving recipes for some flavors of the past.
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Ye Olde Pilgrim Thanksgiving Recipes to Enjoy Today
Pilgrim Food: What Did the Pilgrims Eat on Thanksgiving
I’ve always wondered, what did the pilgrims eat every day? As far as I know, things were prepared simpler back then… Leaving aesthetics much to be desired.
But hey, they only had so many ingredients, and definitely no supermarkets, so let’s give them some credit for creativity! I did a little research on “what do pilgrims eat?”
The Thanksgiving feast we know today is nothing like what the pilgrims had 391 years ago. Their pickings were much slimmer, but they were able to make a beautiful feast leaving them satisfied, full, and grateful.
1. Roasted Butternut Squash
Okay, so this may be a modern way to prepare this but I’m sure everyone will enjoy this roasted butternut squash.The leeks, bacon, and a smoky-sweet apple glaze bring the wonderful fall flavors together.
2. Stewed Pumpkin
Just gather all the ingredients and make this stewed pumpkin in just one pot. It's a standing dish perfect for fall and winter.
3. Hardtack
Have a taste of history by making these simple biscuits the civil war soldiers ate. Hardtack is so easy even your kids can make them, plus it's a survival food item you should know of just in case…
Place beans, corn, turkey meat, onion or garlic powder, and water in a large pot. Simmer over medium heat and cook for about 2 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally.
When the beans are tender, break up turkey meat and remove the skin and bones. Throw in green beans and squash, and simmer over low heat until they are tender.
RELATED: Thanksgiving Table Ideas | This Is Everything You Need For A Perfect Thanksgiving Day
5. Boiled Bread Recipe
Yes, boiled bread. Before people had ovens, they had to boil their bread.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup cornflour
1L slightly boiled water
1/2 cup dried cranberries, blueberries, and currants
1/2 cup crushed nuts
Maple syrup to taste (optional)
Instructions:
Thoroughly mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Slowly add slightly boiled water a spoonful at a time.
When it becomes thick and sticky, shape round patties.
Return water to a slight rolling boil and drop in one or two patties, Make sure they do not stick to the bottom.
Remove the bread when they begin to float.
6. Curd Fritters Recipe
They did it a little differently in the past but here’s a modern take on this pilgrim recipe you can follow today.
So named after the cornmeal the natives gave them upon arrival.
9. Easy Thanksgiving Pilgrim’s Hat Cookie Treats
Okay, so maybe the pilgrims didn’t eat these yummy Thanksgiving pilgrim's hat cookie treats but it's actually pretty easy, so it's sure to be a definite winner.
10. Mussel Stew
When the pilgrims arrived, one of the most abundant kinds of seafood they found are mussels. And this stew is easy to prepare.
Ingredients:
2 kls mussels
2 tbsp butter
chopped parsley
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt andpepper
Instructions:
Scrub the mussels clean. In a large pot, place a cup of water and all ingredients aside from the mussels. Bring it to a boil. Add the mussels and let it a simmer until all of the mussels have opened fully.
Want to see what food the pilgrims probably ate for Thanksgiving? Check out this video from Top Tenz:
Our Thanksgiving menu today is already totally different, yet the festivities and the spirit still remain the same. No matter what is in store for your Thanksgiving menu this year, be sure to prepare it with a more grateful heart.
What do you think of these pilgrim Thanksgiving recipes? Will you give it a try? Let me know in the comment section below.
Up Next:
19 Paleo Recipes to Make This Thanksgiving | Healthy Thanksgiving Ideas
14 Homemade Stuffing Recipes For The Perfect Thanksgiving Feast
Beekeeping In Winter: Preparing Beehives For The Cold Season
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The Pilgrims, also known as the Pilgrim Fathers, were the English settlers who traveled to North America on Mayflower and established the Plymouth Colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts (John Smith had named this territory New Plymouth in 1620, sharing the name of the Pilgrims' final departure port of Plymouth, Devon).
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Pilgrims_(Plymouth_Colony)
eat for Thanksgiving,” the answer is both surprising and expected. Turkey (probably), venison, seafood, and all of the vegetables that they had planted and harvested that year—onions, carrots, beans, spinach, lettuce, and other greens.
There are only two surviving documents that reference the original Thanksgiving harvest meal. They describe a feast of freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, a bounty of cod and bass, and flint, a native variety of corn harvested by the Native Americans, which was eaten as corn bread and porridge.
Massasoit sent some of his own men to hunt deer for the feast and for three days, the English and native men, women, and children ate together. The meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat, different from today's traditional Thanksgiving feast. They played ball games, sang, and danced.
The 1621 harvest celebration included plenty of wildfowl, and the Wampanoag and English occasionally stuffed birds and fish, typically with herbs, onions or, for the English, oats.
There was probably a thick porridge or bread made from Indian corn and some kind of meat, fowl or fish. Supper was a smaller meal, often just leftovers from dinner. The Plymouth colonists thought a lot about food.
The main dish at the table of the first Thanksgiving was likely not one dish at all. While turkey may have been present (wild turkeys were common to the colonial area), no documentary evidence exists that turkey itself was served.
The Wampanoag brought deer and there would have been lots of local seafood (mussels, lobster, bass) plus the fruits of the first pilgrim harvest, including pumpkin. No mashed potatoes, though. Potatoes had only been recently shipped back to Europe from South America.
Our modern definition of Thanksgiving revolves around eating turkey, but this was more of an occasion for religious observance in past centuries. The Pilgrims would most likely consider their sober 1623 day of prayer the first actual Thanksgiving, according to the History of Massachusetts Blog.
While Thanksgiving technically isn't a religious holiday, the “giving thanks” part of it struck Jefferson as being far too religious for his tastes. As our nation's third president, he stirred controversy by refusing to recognize Thanksgiving.
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 over a three day harvest festival. It included 50 Pilgrims, 90 Wampanoag Indians, and lasted three days. It is believed by historians that only five women were present. Turkey wasn't on the menu at the first Thanksgiving.
The Wampanoag people, the “People of the First Light,” are responsible for saving the Pilgrims from starvation and death during the harsh winter of 1620–21.
Possibly the most common misconception is that the Pilgrims extended an invitation to the Native Americans for helping them reap the harvest. The truth of how they all ended up feasting together is unknown.
Nowadays, the Thanksgiving menu features wide array of items, with a handful of staples that you'll find on most tables: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, some sort of casserole, corn and pumpkin pie. But, back in 1621, it was a bit more limited. They definitely didn't have any whipped cream for the pie.
During the Mayflower's voyage, the Pilgrims' main diet would have consisted primarily of a cracker-like biscuit ("hard tack"), salt pork, dried meats including cow tongue, various pickled foods, oatmeal and other cereal grains, and fish. The primary beverage for everyone, including children, was beer.
In 1621, those Pilgrims did hold a three-day feast, which was attended by members of the Wampanoag tribe. However, typically, when these settlers had what they referred to as "thanksgiving" observances, they actually fasted.
At the time the Pilgrims celebrated their first Thanksgiving, most Europeans had never even seen a potato, let alone learned to mash them and drown them in gravy. Same goes for the Wampanoag. The history of the potato is as long as it is glorious and deserves its own article, to be sure.
During the Mayflower's voyage, the Pilgrims' main diet would have consisted primarily of a cracker-like biscuit ("hard tack"), salt pork, dried meats including cow tongue, various pickled foods, oatmeal and other cereal grains, and fish. The primary beverage for everyone, including children, was beer.
Turkey became a part of our Thanksgiving feast, we think, because in the early days of America, turkeys were native to the land, they were large enough to feed a crowd, and their eggs were inedible. In other words, they happened to be around, and no one would miss them if they were gone.
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists from England and the Native American Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states.
It had various colors – reds, blacks, yellows and whites – on the same ear, and was not eaten fresh from the cob. Instead, Indian corn was dried and then pounded into flour and cornmeal for cooking and baking. Indian corn was part of almost every meal in Plymouth Colony.
Introduction: My name is Rueben Jacobs, I am a cooperative, beautiful, kind, comfortable, glamorous, open, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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