Turkey is so traditional that the mere suggestion of cooking something else on Thanksgiving is usually met with gasps of scandalized horror, even if it's something sensible like roast beef or ham. And we won't even mention those who want to go completely off the Thanksgiving train with something messed up like a turducken or a vegan lentil loaf, neither of which should be eaten on turkey day, or maybe on any day.
So why is turkey such a tradition on the American table? It's because that's what the Pilgrims ate, right? Actually, no. Or maybe, because they definitely ate a lot of stuff, but even if turkey was one of those thing then it certainly wasn't the centerpiece of the feast. According to Fortune, that honor goes to venison. The Wampanoag brought five deer to the party, and the Pilgrims were all, "Holy crap, venison!" Not really, because they were good religious folks, but venison was a treat because back home in England, it was illegal to hunt deer. The Pilgrims were actually so chuffed about being able to eat venison that they were constantly talking about it in letters, probably ticking off everyone back home where it was still illegal to hunt.
There was other stuff on the menu, too, but we can really only guess what those things were. Shellfish, squash, cornbread, berries, and plums are all likely. No potatoes or cranberries, though. Sorry.
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