Hearty Holiday Feast: America’s Thanksgiving menu continues to evolve from the original 17th century feast
For many Americans, Thanksgiving is marked by a spread of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.
However, today’s feast doesn’t necessarily reflect that of the original Thanksgiving in 1621, and the holiday menu continues evolving to include global dishes representing the diversity of today’s America.
“Regardless of what is on the menu, for many people, the holiday is a testament to the power of food as a tool for unity and celebration,” states Kelsey Bartlett in a Nov. 17, 2023 Virginia Tech University publication.
Original Thanksgiving
In the same article, Virginia Tech Food Studies Program Director and Associate Professor of History Anna Zeide notes much of what Americans are taught about Thanksgiving isn’t quite accurate.
“There were complex relationships among the British colonists and the Wampanoag Indigenous people they encountered – and later fought against – in what is now southeast Massachusetts,” she explains. “Additionally, the idea of a huge breast-forward turkey and apple pie on those original tables is also a myth.”
Instead, historical records suggest the original feast likely consisted of wild turkey and other fowl, venison, fish and shellfish and local fruits and vegetables.
Since the original Thanksgiving marked the Pilgrim’s first autumn harvest, “History Channel” notes the feast probably included fruits and vegetables from the bounty they had reaped with the help of the Wampanoag people.
This likely included onions, beans, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots and peas.
“Corn, which records show was plentiful at the first harvest, might also have been served, but not in the way most people enjoy it now. In those days, the corn would have been removed from the cob and turned into cornmeal, which was then boiled and pounded into a thick corn mush or porridge and occasionally sweetened with molasses,” “History Channel” explains.
Fruits indigenous to the region included blueberries, plums, grapes, gooseberries, raspberries and cranberries.
However, cranberries in 1621 were not used to make sauces, relishes or deserts because the sugar Pilgrims brought across the Atlantic on the Mayflower were depleted at the time.
“History Channel” notes cranberries weren’t boiled with sugar and used as an accompaniment for meat until nearly 50 years later.
Additionally, while pumpkins and squash might have been served at the first Thanksgiving feast, Pilgrims lacked the butter and flour necessary for making pie crust and instead, likely hollowed out the gourds, filled the shells with milk, honey and spices and roasted them whole in hot ashes.
“Culinary historians believe much of the Thanksgiving meal consisted of seafood, which is often absent from today’s menus,” notes “History Channel.” “Mussels in particular were abundant in New England and could be easily harvested because they clung to rocks along the shoreline. The colonists occasionally served mussels with curds, a dairy product with a similar consistency to cottage cheese. Lobster, bass, clams and oysters might also have been part of the feast.”
Current holiday feast
While dishes gracing the table at Thanksgiving feasts today have no doubt been inspired by those enjoyed by the Pilgrims back in 1621, the menu has certainly evolved thanks to advancements in food production and technology.
Zeide notes the American holiday has also evolved to be far more diverse.
“From Hmong refugees in Wisconsin who use egg roll filling to stuff their turkeys and Cuban immigrants who use the calabaza squash to make pumpkin flan to the Venezuelan pan de jamón – ham bread – and Indian dudhi kofta – squash dumpling curry – these are all tastes of an American Thanksgiving,” Zeide says.
Likewise, Americans in the South enjoy macaroni and cheese, collard greens and a slice of sweet potato pie for their holiday meal, while New Englanders prefer creamed onions and Indian pudding and those in the West enjoy mashed yams and Jell-O salad.
Regardless, meat often takes center stage, although Americans’ holiday protein preference has also evolved through the years.
On Nov. 7, CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange released a report noting, “Changing consumer preferences suggest whole turkeys may be losing their grip as the dominant center-of-plate choice for Thanksgiving dinner.”
“While ample turkey supplies and favorable prices leading into the holiday season indicate turkey will retain its position as the traditional protein of choice this Thanksgiving, consumer trends are making the future less certain,” the report continues, further noting growing demand for convenience, a downward trend in turkey supplies, changing traditions and increasing competition from other protein sources could cause long-term declines in holiday turkey sales.
Results from a 2023 survey conducted by the University of Illinois and Purdue University reiterate CoBank’s sentiment, with findings pointing to 90 percent of the almost 1,000 respondents planning to have turkey at their Thanksgiving meal, 30 percent indicating they planned to serve ham and 18.8 percent noting they planned to serve beef. Additionally, 11.1 percent said they would serve seafood, 5.6 percent would serve lamb and 6.3 percent would serve non-turkey birds.
Holiday price projections
Regardless of what is on the menu, Americans will likely see some relief at the grocery store this Thanksgiving, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).
AFBF’s 39th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Survey, which provides a snapshot of the average cost of a classic holiday feast for 10, found this year’s feast would cost around $58.08 or $5.80 per person.
This is a five percent decrease from 2023 and 4.5 percent lower than the record-high in 2022 at $64.06.
“Despite the encouraging momentum, a Thanksgiving meal is still 19 percent higher than it was in 2019, which highlights the impact inflation has had on food prices – and farmers’ costs – since the pandemic,” the report reads.
Although the American turkey flock is the smallest it has been since 1985 due to recent highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cases, falling demand has resulted in lower turkey prices at the grocery store.
According to AFBF, the average price for a 16-pound turkey is $25.67 or $1.60 per pound, down six percent from the year prior.
Those who choose ham – Americans’ second-most popular holiday protein choice after turkey – should expect to pay more, however.
According to Texas A&M University Professor and AgriLife Extension Economist Dr. David Anderson, wholesale 23- to 27-pound trimmed hams have risen to 95 cents per pound – the highest they have been in several months.
Anderson also believes ingredient prices for side dishes will be higher this year as well.
“We’re looking at overall retail prices being a little higher this year,” he says. “These retail prices include what it costs to get it packaged and to the store, so this doesn’t necessarily mean higher prices are happening on the farm level.”
Anderson sites the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest Consumer Price Index which shows at-home food prices have risen 1.1 percent over the past year.
He notes green beans, at $1.82 per pound, are down from last year’s 1.99 per pound and flour prices are lower than this time last year.
However, russet potatoes, at 88 cents per pound, are up from last year’s 85 cents per pound; sweet potatoes, at 80 cents per pound, are up from last year’s 69 cents per pound; yellow onions, at $1.06 per pound, are up from last year’s 74 cents per pound and a 12-ounce bag of cranberries, at $2.34, is up from last year’s $2.01.
Although sugar prices have declined slightly in recent months, they are still higher than a year ago, and in the wake of the HPAI outbreak, eggs are up to $3.37 from last year’s $2.07.
The AFBF survey also notes prices for 14-ounces of cubed stuffing mix, a half pint of whipping cream and one dozen dinner rolls are also higher this year.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
