Turkey dominates the Thanksgiving table, but its connection to the holiday isn’t just coincidence. The bird’s role, along with other dishes, reveals a mix of historical decisions, practical needs, and cultural exchanges.
Turkey became Thanksgiving’s centerpiece thanks to Sarah Josepha Hale, a 19th-century writer who championed the idea of a national Thanksgiving holiday. Her vision of the perfect meal, which included roast turkey, influenced celebrations after President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving an official holiday in 1863.
Practicality sealed the turkey’s place at the table. According to Troy Bickham, a historian at Texas A&M University, turkeys are large enough to feed many people and make for a visually striking centerpiece. Early American settlers were already familiar with turkeys, as Europeans had been breeding them since the 16th century. But, by the 19th century, turkeys were plentiful across the U.S., making them an obvious choice for big celebrations.
The First Thanksgiving Meal
The original Thanksgiving menu remains a mystery, though venison is known to have been served. Other possibilities include shellfish, wildfowl, and crops like corn, beans, and squash, all introduced to the settlers by Indigenous communities. Staples such as mashed potatoes, dairy-based dishes, and desserts were likely absent due to the limited availability of ingredients like sugar and wheat.
How Traditions Evolved
Many Thanksgiving dishes we enjoy today trace their origins to the Americas. Corn, for instance, was domesticated in Mexico thousands of years ago before spreading across the continent through trade and cultural exchange among Indigenous tribes.
Other favorites have a more modern history. Cranberries were initially too bitter to eat until sugar became more accessible in the 19th century. Canned cranberry sauce wasn’t widely available until the early 1940s. Pumpkin pie also gained prominence later, with canned pumpkin simplifying its preparation in 1929, thanks to Libby’s.
Thanksgiving’s iconic foods represent centuries of evolution, blending practicality and cultural traditions to create the holiday meal we know today.
For more political, business and cultural information visit all of our Mundo Ejecutivo platforms.
