From contemporaneous records, we know that the Pilgrims and Indian had turkey and other game birds as well as sea foods, venison, Indian corn, beans, berries and nuts on their menu in that fall of 1621. Contrary to popular notion, they did not have cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie or even, unimaginably, football. The idea of Thanksgiving persisted well beyond the Pilgrims, probably a reflection of humanity's enduring need to express gratitude for good fortune. For 136 years, Thanksgiving has been a day commemorated across America. We can also be thankful that we patterned our Thanksgiving after the feast enjoyed by the Plymouth Pilgrims and Indians rather than the one experienced by the St. Augustine Spaniards and Indians.
Turkey tastes a lot better than salt pork and sea biscuits.
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