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Historical Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas

Whole Homemade Thanksgiving Turkey with All the Sides
Image: Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock

The first Thanksgiving Dinner took place in November of 1621. Actually, it was more of a feast, lasting for three days. So one might wonder: what did this feast look like? What was actually on the first Thanksgiving menu? Well, originally, turkey was not the center piece of the meal. Although the feast was fowl-heavy, it was mostly what they could get their hands on. That is, duck, goose, pigeon, swan, and yes, wild turkey too. But they harvested vegetables aplenty for the occasion as well: squash, carrots, peas, onions, leeks, corn, pumpkin. A celebratory five deer were brought to the table by the Wampanoag. Clams, mussels, and lobster were also present. We have little record of how precisely these meals were prepared, but nonetheless, if you want to have a more authentic Thanksgiving Dinner this year, you might consider taking a look at the following recipes.

Duck Confit

By: AllanThinks

Find this delicious recipe here.

Roasted Goose

By: jayneandd

Make your own goose this year with this recipe.

Mussels

By: Nha Le Hoan

A staple in early Americans’ diets, get the recipe.

Roasted Corn

By: Steven Depolo

Perfect as a side, this recipe is the way to go.

Pumpkin

By: jeffreyw

Here are all the pumpkin recipes you want this Thanksgiving.

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