History on a Plate

When the Wampanoag Indians and Plymouth colonists sat down to their autumn harvest feast, or what we traditional celebrate as the first Thanksgiving, they probably didn't eat the same things we do today. In fact, the only things we know that they ate for sure, thanks to journal entries, are turkey and venison. It is possible they served pumpkin and wild cranberries but not in pies and sauce because sugar was a very precious commodity. They may have had peas, beans, carrots and Indian corn, but not sweet or mashed potatoes. Seafood was plentiful, as were wild nuts such as acorns, walnuts and chestnuts, but they were not serving up chestnut or oyster dressing with the turkey.

In an effort to get an idea of what Americans will be putting on their Thanksgiving tables this year, I sent out a questionnaire to 40 family members and friends across the country asking them to let me know what their favorite traditional and non-traditional Thanksgiving menu items were.

The favorites in the traditional category are as follows in order of popularity:

1.
Stuffing (also known in some parts as dressing)
2.
Turkey
3.
Pumpkin pie
4.
Cranberries
5.
Green bean casserole
6.
Mashed potatoes
7.
Candied yams
8.
Pecan pie

Curious as to how and when these particular items became traditional Turkey Day fare I did some background checks.

While we know that turkey goes back to the first Thanksgiving, stuffing, while common to the cuisine of Europe all the way back to the Roman empire, did not become really popular in American cookery until the introduction of Stove Top stuffing in 1972. Kraft now sells over 60 million boxes every Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin pie and it's southern cousin, sweet potato pie have been served since colonial times, the recipes having come to America with our European ancestors who had been enjoying them since the New World vegetables, pumpkin and sweet potatoes, were introduced there in the 16th century and adapted to Old World gourd and squash recipes.

The French who settled in New Orleans, however, supposedly invented pecan pie. It was probably custard-based pie, because the process of refining corn and hence corn syrup did not take place until the 1880's. Pecan pie made with Karo syrup did not become popular until the 1930's.

Cranberries are native to North America and were here before the pilgrims arrived. The settlers thought the cranberry flower resembled the head and beak of the crane, and originally called them "crane berries". Since sugar was scarce, cranberries were probably used as a tart flavoring agent for sauces served with fowl. The sweeter sauces we are familiar with today developed as sugar became more readily available.

Green bean casserole is the newest member of our traditional feast having first been introduced during the depression era when casseroles and other one-dish meals using economical ingredients became popular out of necessity. Today's most popular version of this dish, however, using canned green beans, condensed cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce and fried onion rings was introduced by Campbell's Soups in 1955.

Potatoes, mashed or otherwise, were considered animal fodder in the United States until Luther Burbank introduced a disease resistant potato to Ireland in 1872 to combat the potato blight. The Idaho potato, most commonly used for mashed potatoes today, did not become popular until the early 1900's.

Sweet potatoes and yams have had identity crises for a long time. African slaves, confronted with the Native American sweet potatoes called them by their African name, nyami, which, of course, sound like yam. To make matters worse, most canned "yams" sold today, are actually sweet potatoes. They are called yams for marketing purposes. Whatever name they go by Americans have been eating casseroles made with sliced sweet potatoes (or yams), butter, sugar and salt since the 1800's.

Non-traditional dishes have more to do with family heritage and local food customs.

Herring is traditionally served at feasts in my Lithuanian family. Norwegian friends enjoy a noodle and raisin pie and stuffed pork chops. Homemade tamales are a favorite with my Mexican compadres, and homemade gnocchi or ravioli is traditional with Italian acquaintances. My sister's family serves a dish of unknown family origin made with mashed turnips called humbug.

In Hawaii Kailua pig is a popular dish, and in Texas, baked or BBQ armadillo may stand in for the turkey. In New Orleans, oyster patties are a favorite and for friends in the Midwest, Waldorf salad and corn pudding are time-honored Thanksgiving dishes.

There are also many alternatives to the traditional pumpkin pie, such as pumpkin roll, crème brulee, and cheesecake. For some, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without apple pie or chocolate mayonnaise cake, and for my baby sister, a birthday cake comes around every 7 years or so.

So while you're chowing down this Thanksgiving, take a few minutes to think about what's on your plate and how it got there. Ask family members why certain items are served if you don't know, and get the recipe in order to keep that tradition going. But most of all, enjoy the company of your friends and family and be thankful that you have them in your life.

Sources: Wikipedia (wikipedia.com); The Kitchen Project (kitchenproject.com); The History Cannel (history.com)