It wasn’t turkey: this was the main dish at the first Thanksgiving dinner in history

When you picture the first Thanksgiving in 1621, odds are your mind conjures a table groaning under the weight of a perfectly roasted turkey. But history tells a different story. While turkey (those without a pardon) may now reign supreme on modern Thanksgiving menus, the real star of the original feast is believed to be venison – five freshly hunted deer brought by the Wampanoag people.

That first Thanksgiving wasn’t a polished, candlelit dinner either. It was a gritty, practical affair (unlike some neatly crafted images used in articles like this!) The Pilgrims, fresh off a brutal winter that had claimed the lives of most of their women, were in no position to be picky.

Who sat at the first Thanksgiving table?

The attendees of the first Thanksgiving were a mixed group, united by survival rather than tradition. Over 90 Wampanoag men, including their leader Massasoit, joined the roughly 50 colonists. The colonists were predominantly men and children; the previous winter had claimed nearly 80% of the women.

Did the first Thanksgiving include seafood?

It might surprise you to know that seafood, absent from many Thanksgiving tables today, was likely another major player at the inaugural feast. Plymouth’s rocky shores teemed with mussels, which the Pilgrims often cooked with curds, a dairy product resembling cottage cheese. Lobsters, bass, clams, and possibly eels were also plentiful. Colonist Edward Winslow noted the region’s abundance, writing that “our bay is full of lobsters all the summer... and can dig [eels] out of their beds all the winter.”

Why were there no potatoes in early Thanksgiving?

While today’s Thanksgiving tables groan with buttery mashed potatoes and sweet potato casseroles, these staples were nowhere to be found in 1621. The humble potato had yet to make its way from South America back to North America. Instead, the Pilgrims likely relied on native crops such as beans, turnips, and groundnuts. Corn was on the menu, but not the corn-on-the-cob of summer barbecues. Instead, it was pounded into a porridge or mush, sometimes sweetened with molasses.

As for other vegetables, onions, carrots, spinach, cabbage, and peas were likely contenders, reflecting the crops the Pilgrims had managed to harvest with the Wampanoag’s help.

Cranberries, one of the most iconic symbols of today’s Thanksgiving, were said to have made an appearance in 1621, however, not as sugary sauces and relishes (that resource had run out) but eaten plain or used by the Wampanoag as a natural dye.

What was the original Thanksgiving dessert?

Pumpkin pie was also missing from the first Thanksgiving, but not for lack of pumpkins. Both the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag ate pumpkins and squash, indigenous staples of New England.

However, the Pilgrims lacked the flour and butter needed for crusts and didn’t have an oven to bake one in. Instead, they may have roasted pumpkins whole, filling them with milk, honey, and spices to create a primitive custard.

A feast of gratitude, not glamour

The first Thanksgiving wasn’t about indulgence. It was a celebration of survival, resilience, and the tenuous alliance between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag. The menu, while vastly different from today’s turkey-and-pie extravaganza, reflected the resources and skills of two groups coming together after a challenging year.

So, next time you slice into your turkey, take a moment to appreciate the venison, seafood, and corn mush that made the first Thanksgiving possible. And maybe, just maybe, consider swapping out your green bean casserole for a plate of mussels. It’d be closer to the original spirit of the feast.

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