By Karim Hammam
Almost 90 percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving, but the bird was not necessarily on the menu at the 1621 feast shared by Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people. The modern tradition owes more to 19th-century magazine editor Sarah Hale than to the early colonists.
The First Thanksgiving Menu
The only firsthand account comes from Edward Winslow, who wrote that the Wampanoag leader Massasoit arrived with 90 men and the communities feasted for three days. Winslow mentioned five deer provided by the Wampanoag and “fowle,” which could have been ducks, geese, or wild turkeys. Historians note that potatoes, green beans, wheat flour, and sugar were unavailable, ruling out pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce. Squash, corn, and shellfish were likely served.
Sarah Hale’s Campaign for a National Holiday
Born in New Hampshire in 1784, Sarah Hale became editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1837. She used the magazine to crusade for an annual “Thanksgiving and Praise” holiday commemorating the Pilgrims’ feast. Hale assumed the Pilgrims ate turkey because wild turkeys were abundant in New England. Her campaign took decades, hindered by Southern preference for a 1610 Virginia celebration. The absence of Southern lawmakers during the Civil War allowed President Abraham Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.
Turkey’s Rise to Prominence
Godey’s and other publications filled their pages with New England recipes featuring turkey. By 1882, Georgia’s Augusta Chronicle predicted that “every person who can afford turkey or procure it will sacrifice the noble American fowl.” The bird’s practicality, affordability, and impressive appearance cemented its place at the center of the holiday table.
