|
|
|
Keep The Holiday Fires Burning
|
|
|
The Thanksgiving Feast
Historical Evidence There is a great deal of speculation as to what the Pilgrims ate at the first Thanksgiving. There are only two known contemporary descriptions of the event, and one of those was written twenty years after the fact. The earliest mention of the Thanksgiving feast comes from Edward Winslow, in a letter that he wrote home to England: Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. 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 they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was 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. And William Bradford, the "historian" of the colony, writing about twenty years after the fact, wrote: They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercising in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides they had about a peck of meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports. As you can see, there is not much evidence here. The authors mention deer, fowl, turkeys, cod, bass and other fish, and corn. Continue reading to find out what foods the Pilgrims Had Available. |