It’s a question I always like to ask my young students:
“You all know a lot about Thanksgiving. So, tell me: What foods do you think were served at the first Thanksgiving back in 1621?”
Kids offer lots of guesses.
Turkey, of course, right? Well, probably. They roamed the forests of Massachusetts in the 1600s and were frequently hunted for food then. But we don’t know for sure.
Mashed potatoes! No, definitely not. Potatoes were originally a South American crop, and hadn’t made their way to eastern Massachusetts yet.
Pumpkin pie? Not exactly. Several different types of squash, like the pumpkin, were plentiful in that part of the world then. But people didn’t get to enjoy them in pie form, since there were no ovens. And since there were no cows, no butter for pie crust (which also means, of course, alas, no whipped cream).
Just don’t say green-bean casserole. That was an abomination thought up by American canned-food companies back in the 1950s looking for ways, with all their diabolical marketing muscle, to promote their convenience foods—and, in the process, sadly, start us down the road to a place where so many people across the country either forgot—or never even learned—how to cook.
I will take a moment to point out how delighted I was this year, when one of my favorite young chefs, whom I correctly had pegged as a guy who has been doing all sorts of reading about all sorts of things, so astutely offered “eels.” Again, we don’t know for sure, but they’re a pretty likely bet.
The truth is that very little is known about what exactly was eaten at that first feast 400 years ago. Historians can offer plenty of background and context, though, all of which points to a gathering that was very different from the one that most of us (and many young people still today) have grown up picturing. Read on for the story, along with a tasty modern recipe (easily assembled with Thanksgiving leftovers) for the traditional Wampanoag autumn stew Sobaheg.
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