Every November, Americans gather around their tables to celebrate Thanksgiving with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. But have you ever wondered what foods were eaten at the first Thanksgiving?
The historic three-day feast in 1621 between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people looked nothing like the modern holiday meal we know today. There were no sugary desserts, no butter-laden casseroles — and definitely no cranberry sauce.
Instead, the menu was built from the land, sea, and harvest of coastal New England. Let’s explore what historians know about the real foods that were served at America’s first Thanksgiving.
Table of Contents
The Setting: Plymouth, Autumn 1621
In the fall of 1621, after a harsh first year in the New World, the surviving Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony finally had something to celebrate — a successful harvest.
They invited their Native American allies, the Wampanoag tribe, led by Chief Massasoit, to join in a feast that would last for three days.
There are no complete records of the meal, but detailed notes from Edward Winslow and William Bradford, along with archaeological studies, help historians piece together what was on the table.
Wild Birds: More Than Just Turkey
Turkey may be the star of today’s Thanksgiving, but in 1621, it was just one of several wild birds served.
Edward Winslow’s writings mention that a group of men went hunting and returned with “a great store of fowl.” This likely included:
- Wild turkey
- Ducks
- Geese
- Swans
While wild turkeys lived in the area, ducks and geese were far easier to hunt in the marshlands around Plymouth.
These birds were probably roasted or boiled over open fires and seasoned with herbs like sage, thyme, or parsley — plants the Pilgrims brought from England.
Deer and Other Wild Game
One of the most notable parts of the meal came from the Wampanoag guests, who brought five deer as a gift to the colonists.
This venison was roasted, smoked, or possibly stewed with vegetables and cornmeal. Game meat was a crucial food source for both groups, and the Wampanoag were skilled hunters who made sure the feast was plentiful.
Other animals — such as rabbits, ducks, and even eels — could also have been served, depending on what was available during the harvest season.
Seafood: The Coastal Connection
Living near the Massachusetts shoreline, both the Wampanoag and the settlers relied heavily on the ocean for food.
Seafood was a likely staple at the feast, including:
- Fish like bass, cod, and haddock
- Shellfish such as clams, oysters, and mussels
- Crustaceans like lobsters and crabs
The Wampanoag were expert fishermen and often used earth ovens or clay pots to cook seafood. Lobsters were plentiful along the coast and may have been roasted or boiled with herbs and local greens.
For the Pilgrims, seafood was a familiar food — a reminder of home and survival during their first year in the colony.
Corn and Native Grains
If there was one food that defined the first Thanksgiving, it was corn.
The Pilgrims learned how to plant and harvest corn from the Wampanoag, who taught them to bury fish with the seeds to enrich the soil. That harvest made the 1621 celebration possible.
But corn wasn’t eaten the way we enjoy it today. There was no buttered corn on the cob or cornbread. Instead, corn was ground into meal and cooked into porridge, hominy, or flat cakes.
Other native grains and seeds — like sunflower seeds, barley, and squash seeds — may have been roasted or mixed into stews.
Corn became the foundation of early colonial diets and symbolized the cooperation between the Wampanoag and the settlers.
Harvest Vegetables and Squash
Autumn in New England meant an abundance of fresh produce, much of it grown through the Wampanoag’s sustainable farming methods.
Vegetables that likely appeared at the feast included:
- Squash and pumpkins
- Beans
- Onions and leeks
- Carrots and parsnips
- Turnips and cabbages
The Wampanoag referred to corn, beans, and squash as the “Three Sisters” — crops that grew together and supported one another in the soil.
Pumpkins, one of the earliest domesticated plants in North America, were definitely present — but not as pie. Without sugar or ovens, settlers may have roasted pumpkins whole or cooked them into thick stews.
Fruits and Nuts of the Season
Fresh fruits and nuts helped round out the feast, gathered from the forests and fields around Plymouth.
Common options likely included:
- Cranberries (used in savory dishes, not sweet sauce)
- Grapes
- Blueberries and plums
- Walnuts, chestnuts, and acorns
Cranberries, native to Massachusetts, were available but not sweetened — sugar was scarce and expensive. Instead, they might have been boiled with game or fish to add a tart flavor.
Nuts were often roasted or ground into meal to thicken sauces or soups. These simple foods added natural sweetness and nutrients to the meal.
Cooking Methods of the Time
Cooking in 1621 required skill and patience. There were no stoves or ovens, just open fires, clay pots, and iron kettles.
Common preparation methods included:
- Roasting over a fire pit or spit
- Boiling in large iron pots
- Baking in hot ashes or clay ovens
- Smoking meats for preservation
The Wampanoag used earth ovens, a method where food was wrapped in leaves and cooked underground with heated stones. This slow process infused meals with rich, smoky flavors.
Meals were seasoned lightly, often with wild herbs or imported spices like pepper and nutmeg if the colonists had them.
Foods That Weren’t There
Some of the modern Thanksgiving favorites we enjoy today weren’t part of the first feast — not because they weren’t liked, but because they didn’t exist in the colonies yet.
Missing items included:
- Mashed potatoes: Potatoes came from South America and weren’t common in New England.
- Pumpkin pie: Colonists had pumpkins but no sugar, flour, or ovens for baking.
- Cranberry sauce: Sugar was a luxury item, making sweet sauces impossible.
- Stuffing and gravy: Bread-based stuffing wasn’t yet a colonial recipe, and gravy wasn’t common in open-fire cooking.
The first Thanksgiving meal was hearty but simple — made entirely from what could be hunted, gathered, or harvested nearby.
A Feast of Gratitude and Unity
The 1621 celebration lasted three days and brought together about 50 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag guests. There were games, feasting, and exchanges of gifts — all in the spirit of gratitude for the harvest and survival.
While the menu was modest by today’s standards, the meal symbolized something far greater: the blending of two cultures and the start of an enduring American tradition.
The foods of that first Thanksgiving reflected both necessity and cooperation. They represented resilience, adaptability, and shared community — values that remain at the heart of the holiday today.
The first Thanksgiving table was filled with wild game, seafood, native grains, and harvest vegetables — not the sugary, buttered dishes of modern times. Yet the spirit of gratitude remains unchanged. Which traditional food best captures Thanksgiving for you? Share your thoughts below!