Modern Thanksgiving emphasizes the importance of community, family, and friendship during a grand feast to commemorate all relationships. The holiday’s foundation is the grand feast that brings people together with traditional dishes still being prepared long after their initial introduction. While the origins of Thanksgiving have been glorified and conflicting, the dishes and community make up its modern iteration.
What are the foods that traditionally symbolize Thanksgiving? Continue reading to learn more.
Turkey
Turkeys have been a well-known dish long before Thanksgiving, but it is believed to be connected to early American colonizers. The Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex, indicates that domesticated turkeys “were most likely brought from Mexico to Europe.” They add that the bird was reintroduced to “the eastern United States when Europeans settled the colonies.” Domesticated turkeys were believed to be common around the early 1600s, which aligns with the timing of the assumed first Thanksgiving meal.
Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes have been around centuries before the holiday, yet they were a late addition to the holiday. USA Today, an American daily middle-market newspaper, reports that the dish “became popular by novelist Sarah Josepha Hale’s novel holiday menu”. Hale was a well-known writer in the 19th century directly responsible for the creation of Thanksgiving as a national holiday. However, her 1827 novel, Northwood: A Tale of New England, discusses the ideal meal and she continued to write about Thanksgiving decades after.
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkins were a common American indigenous plant and had a similar origin to mashed potatoes. The Library of Congress, the official U.S. Congress library and research service, variations of the pie have existed since at least the 1600s. However, they attribute Amelia Simmons’ 1796 American Cookery cookbook as an initial major contribution to the pie being recognized as a true American dish. However, the pie was described as being made like pudding rather than a traditional pie. Eventually, the pie became widespread and was featured more in cookbooks until it became synonymous with the holiday.
Cranberry Sauce
Like pumpkins, cranberries are native to the United States, but the dish could have been replaced with a different fruit. The Washington Post, a U.S. newspaper, also lists Simmons’ 1796 cookbook as a big influence on the holiday dish. They state that “Amelia Simmons suggested serving roast turkey with ‘boiled onions and cranberry-sauce’” and suggested mangoes as an additional pairing, too. The late 1600s and early 1700s relied on cookbooks and native foods relative to early colonizers for holiday meals.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Traditional Thanksgiving dishes were introduced at different points in the holiday’s lifespan, and they have similar origins. Cookbooks, imported foods, and native plants culminated in the modern grand feast of the holiday. Although the holiday’s origins are controversial, the foods and dishes that make up the holiday come from varying individuals, cultures, and nations.
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