# Did they serve turkey at the first thanksgiving **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2008, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-they-serve-turkey-at-the-first-thanksgiving/474746 "2008-11-27T22:25:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-they-serve-turkey-at-the-first-thanksgiving/474746/1 "2008-11-27T22:25:18Z")
I seem to remember thinking that they didnt and the part was not added till later ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-they-serve-turkey-at-the-first-thanksgiving/474746/2 "2008-11-27T23:01:28Z")
From [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)#1621_thanksgiving.2C_the_Pilgrims_at_Plymouth): > [@](#): > > William Bradford, in Of Plymouth Plantation: > They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to the proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports. From [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_dinner#Historical_Menus): > [@](#): > > The use of the turkey in the USA for Thanksgiving precedes Lincoln’s nationalization of the holiday in 1863. Alexander Hamilton proclaimed that no “Citizen of the United States should refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day”, but turkey was uncommon as Thanksgiving fare until after 1800. By 1857 turkey had become part of the traditional dinner in New England. From [here](http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/67003/the_first_thanksgiving_menu_it_wasnt.html?cat=37) > [@](#): > > The first Thanksgiving menu probably contained turkey, so we can settle on that. Wild turkeys are smaller than our hybrid versions that grace the freezer compartments of grocery stores. They have a smaller amount of white meat in proportion to the dark meat and the meat is a little less tender. The Pilgrims got the better deal when it comes to flavor, though! > > They had no trouble getting water fowl, and the celebration also included venison and fish. The meat was probably roasted on spits over an open fire, taking a long time to cook through. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-they-serve-turkey-at-the-first-thanksgiving/474746/3 "2008-11-28T00:36:35Z")
From [A Voyage Long And Strange](http://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Long-Strange-Rediscovering-World/dp/0805076034/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227832625&sr=8-1) by Tony Horwitz: > [@](#): > > Thanksgiving was the third and most exalted of Plymouth’s trinity, holier than even the Mayflower and The Rock. It carried the story of America’s founding out of Plymouth and into millions of homes, renewing memory of the Pilgrims each autumn over turkey, sweet potato, and pumpkin pie > > The only people who might be surprised at this would be the Pilgrims themselves. They wrote thousands of words about the colony’s first years, and all of two paragraphs about their famous repast…They didn’t even specify turkey as one of the dishes served. > > “Our harvest being gotten in,” one of the settlers wrote, “our governor sent four men on fowling, so that we might after a special manner rejoice together.” The hunters had great success. But there’s no mention of whether they bagged turkey rather than geese or duck.