Scientists believe people living in central Mexico developed corn at least 7000 years ago. Thank you for your informative article on the Nauset, Cape Cod Indians. Next, I heard that the Pilgrim children had poured maple syrup over their breakfast popcorn, initiating a tradition.” She paused for a breath. In all, the Pilgrims took fourteen bushels of buried corn from the Nauset Indians. Justin. It can only survive if planted and protected by humans. They are regional in other regions. Then they sailed across the bay to start their colony at Plymouth Rock. New England Succotash. What Did They Eat? What They (Likely) Did Have at the First Thanksgiving. There are some claims in there that I could not verify through other sources, specifically about the Pilgrims taking from a sachem’s grave site. Please contact us at Rights@LittleThings.com. I never encountered them until I was in SC in the 1970s. 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. Six years before, in 1614, an Englishman named Thomas Hunt had abducted a large group of Indians from New England, including twenty Nausets, to sell into slavery. Sweet potatoes were a rare delicacy at the time, and would have really only been available to the wealthy, who also thought it was an aphrodisiac. If you follow my site, you can probably tell that I am as interested in, and respectful of, Native American culture as in the Europeans who collided with them hundreds of years ago. In fact, the First Thanksgiving was celebrated with the successful harvest of the Nauset corn. “This is all untrue. The Pilgrims did, however, take the corn. Their vow to reimburse the Nausets did not necessarily put them on high moral ground. 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. mainly corn, turkey, deer, potato, carats, and qualFor the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims did not eat what was depicted. It was also celebrated in September, around the actual harvest time. What did the pilgrims eat? My staff and I tried to cook some — to pop it, to parch, microwave it. The Pilgrims took the corn because they were desperate. The Pilgrims had vegetables, but not in the abundance we think of when we see harvest displays of pumpkins and cornucopia. I would not take every statement in that story on faith. Laura is a writer, illustrator, and artist living in New York City. Excerpt from “’The New England Sampler,” Yankee Magazine, February 1993. Sugar used in cooking was treated as a kind of spice, a flavoring agent rather than a major source of calories. But how about bringing a little more truly traditional flavor back to your table? Watch a brief video on the history of the first Thanksgiving meal. In the medieval period a major use of cane sugar was, often in tiny quantities, for medicinal purposes. It is all fascinating to me, and part of our heritage. And they learned the best ways to hunt and trap animals such as deer, rabbit, turkey, geese, duck, and other wildfowl. And it wouldn’t just be for the birds. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. What Did Pilgrims Eat At The Original 1621 Thanksgiving Dinner? Spring came. All Rights Reserved, Happy Sunday, Beautiful! Europeans gave us plenty of fodder for bashing them, and we can judge them harshly where appropriate, but we can also give credit where it is due. Yankee Magazine’s Ultimate New England Winter Guide, Yankee Magazine’s Ultimate New England Summer Guide, 63 Reasons Why We Love the Cape & Islands, Yankee Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Autumn in New England, Get Rid of Skunk Odor | Methods to Deskunk Your Dog, 10 Prettiest Coastal Towns in New England. Venison Tenderloin This setting should only be used on your home or work computer. The early colonists took advantage of the foods growing in the forests, which provided chestnuts, beechnuts and walnuts. Change ). #pastorswif, Happy weekend, friends! What did they eat at the first Thanksgiving, and how similar is it to the traditional American Thanksgiving meal today? Additionally, pheasants were not introduced to North America until 1881. There was also a large amount of venison prepared. BABY NAME WIZARD. Years ago, Jane G. Austen (no, not the Jane Austen) wrote a novel called Standish of Standish that included a scene in which a Native American brings a treat “something like popped corn” to a colonists’ dinner. He served as translator and helped broker an alliance with the powerful chief Massasoit. The whole thing is mealy and disappointing. The first Thanksgiving was held after the Puritans managed to eke out survival through a brutal Massachusetts winter and pull in a bountiful harvest the following autumn. They paid for the corn because they believed was the right thing to do, but it also turned out to be good diplomacy. Turkeys are a possibility, but were not a common food in that time.” Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Some of the buried places contained graves, while others contained food. They told us this popcorn myth is all fiction. Likewise, walnuts, chestnuts, and beechnuts were abundant, as were sunchokes. You might be surprised to learn that what the Pilgrims ate was documented in detail for posterity. The Pilgrims were in the New World seeking nothing more than religious freedom, not riches or glory. This post was first published in 2012 and has been updated. There would have also been plenty of corn on the table. Now, whites are inevitably portrayed as bad people, usually with evil intentions, while Native Americans are the innocent victims of their depredations. Pimientos, Mercado, Plaza Mayor, León. “That inspired someone, and we started getting these stories that not only had popcorn been served, but also that the brother of Massasoit, Quadequina, brought an entire deerskin pouch full of it.” (That’s the version we’d read in an official reference book.) They didn’t know if the barley and pea seeds they brought from back home would grow in the rocky soil of New England. The original feast went on for not one but three days, and was attended by 53 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans. ( Log Out /  We called Plimoth Plantation to see if they had any record of how the colonists liked the treat. The basic recipe was ground maize, or cornmeal, as well as water and salt. Hello Francis, thank you so much for your comment! We get to the bottom of the popcorn myth. Something medieval pilgrims did not eat. If historians say the feast was very “meat heavy”, why would you remove venison if it were very likely to be the heart of the entire feast? You say my version of events is “make-nice” about the Pilgrims, and you want a stronger flavoring of the truth. The first pumpkin pie wasn’t recorded until 1650. They did not know what was buried there, and when they discovered what it was, they carefully replaced everything just as they found it. All I can say is that I am glad I don’t have 400 years of historians looking over my shoulder, judging my every action–and I am not facing nearly the challenges that were stacked in front of the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims did indeed return to reimburse the Nausets. Records mention “fowl” but don’t specify which kind. In my article, I pointed out that slave trader Thomas Hunt poisoned relations by abducting Native Americans into slavery. Having been born and raised in Winchester and Medford , I absolutely love reading anything that centers around Plymouth…the rock, the plantation, their way of life, introduction to the Indians, cooking, recipes…you name it. This setting should only be used on your home or work computer. The November date would be installed by Abraham Lincoln in the nineteenth century. The Pilgrims have been bashed plenty of times for taking this corn. ( Log Out /  [H/T: Dusty Old Thing, Washington Post, Plimoth Plantation]. Thank you for subscribing to our Push Notifications, Instantly get the most heartwarming & meaningful stories. When Is It Okay to Turn on the Heat in New England? A small group of Pilgrims then stepped onto the beach to explore their new homeland. Have a wonderful day, Lynda! The fair dealings of the Pilgrims led to fifty years of peace with the Native Americans of New England. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. And at the center of it all is a big beautiful turkey roasted to perfection. Fenway Franks | A New Old-Fashioned Favorite, Friendly’s Cone Head Sundae | A New England Childhood Favorite. The shell gets a little soft. The Wampanoag and English settlers may not have had access to all of the ingredients included in these recipes, but by including pheasant, goose, or venison in your Thanksgiving menu, you’re at least paying tribute to a meat they likely enjoyed back in 1621. And what about everyone’s favorite part of the bird, the stuffing? Pilgrims grew onions and herbs. The Pilgrims took the corn … How about some main course meat recipes? Turkeys are a possibility, but were not a common food in that time. It’s possible, but unlikely, that there was turkey at the first Thanksgiving. The story acquired a life of its own. 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.”. Feasts of Thanksgiving, as well as harvest celebrations, are common practices all over the world, and the Puritans didn’t set out to make this feast a holiday — they were just grateful to be alive. I wish you the very best! There would be no stories of the Mayflower, First Thanksgiving, or anything like it. The Pilgrims had also brought seeds with them to plant English vegetable and herb gardens, as well as larger crops such as barley, peas, and wheat. They were first imported in 1773. Their friendship says a lot about what kind of people the Pilgrims were AND what kind of people the Nausets were. To have descendants from Myles Standish AND from Chief Aspinet is something truly special! Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The colonists got better at fishing. This was an unprecedented accomplishment in the history of exploration and colonization—in the Pilgrims’ time, or any other time. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. It is fair to honor these folks for the good they did, and reserve our harsher judgments for the historical characters who deserve it. The shell gets a little soft. Likewise, walnuts, chestnuts, beechnuts and walnuts friendship says a lot about what kind of people the,. Says a lot about what kind of people the Pilgrims took the corn Log out / [ H/T: Old. ’ the New World seeking nothing more than religious freedom, not or. Turn on the Nauset, Cape Cod Indians cook some — to pop it, parch. For not one but three days, and you want a stronger of. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive Notifications of New England also been of. 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