By: Julia Triculescu
What does your Thanksgiving table have on it? A turkey? Some mashed potatoes? Maybe some delicious pumpkin pie? All of these are Thanksgiving dinner staples. But ask yourself; why do we eat these foods on Thanksgiving? Why do we eat turkey and not duck or chicken? Who came up with the idea to make a pie out of a gourd? And most importantly, who ate the leftovers from the fridge? Let’s start with the big bird. No, not the one from Sesame Street, the famous turkey. There is actually no proof that a turkey was eaten at the first Thanksgiving in 1621. In fact, most historians think that it was actually a goose, duck, or even a deer. So why a turkey? There are three reasons. Numero uno: there were a lot of turkeys. An estimated 10 million were roaming around at the time when the Mayflower landed. Numero dos: while cows and hens all provide eggs, milk, and cheese, turkeys have nothing edible other than themselves so people had nothing to do with them other than eat them. Numero tres: one turkey was enough to feed an entire family. I know one can definitely feed mine! But we’ve not talked about the most important part of the dinner! The dessert! The most famous Thanksgiving dessert is pumpkin pie. This is the point where we find out why somebody decided to make a pie out of a gourd. We owe it all to a lady named Amelia Simmons. In 1796, she published a cookbook called American Cookery which is considered to be the very first American cookbook. Its contents included a variety of foods but the most interesting entry spoke of a pumpkin pudding made with nutmeg and allspice and served in a crust. Today, we know that as our beloved pumpkin pie. So whether your Thanksgiving is at home or virtual, you know these special foods will still be on the table. You know now why turkey is eaten and why there is a pie made out of a gourd and you’ll be glad to share your knowledge with your family and friends. But something you will never know is who ate the leftovers from the fridge! Happy Thanksgiving! Sources: https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-we-eat-turkey-on-thanksgiving https://www.bhg.com/thanksgiving/pies-cakes/why-we-eat-pumpkin-pie/ Comments are closed.
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