What did the Pilgrims really eat for Thanksgiving?

The first Thanksgiving took place In the fall of 1621, most likely sometime between September 21st and November 9th. 

The Plymouth colony’s 53 English settlers decided to throw a party to celebrate their first successful corn harvest, and 90 native Wampanoag Indians joined them. The feast went on for three delicious days. Lucky for us, they took detailed notes of the event and some of the recipes. Here’s what they ate, courtesy of the DailyMeal.com:

* Turkey: Wild turkeys were indeed served, roasted then boiled. There may also have been some goose, duck crane, swan, partridge, pigeon and eagle. The birds were roasted over an open fire and then used for soup and stew for the next few days.

* Seafood: The Pilgrims settled near some of the best in the world near Massachusetts Bay. Cod, bass, lobsters, eels, and clams were all most likely on the first Thanksgiving table. 

* Meat: We know that the natives contributed five deer, so venison was the main red meat of the feast. Seals were most likely also served. 

* Grain: Wheat and corn were plentiful, so round loaves of cornbread and a type of sourdough called cheate bread were cooked. 

* Vegetables: Stewed and spiced pumpkins were served, along with peas, beans, onions, radishes, carrots, watercress, sunchokes, and spinach.

* Fruit: Plums, grapes, cranberries, and currants were dried and used in sauces. 

* Nuts: Walnuts, chestnuts, acorns, and beechnuts were all available for the feast.

* Herbs and Seasonings: The natives were experts at making foods taste good. We have them to thank for perfecting the use of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and black pepper.

Not served at the first Thanksgiving would be potatoes. They had not yet been cultivated. The same would go for sweet potatoes - and marshmallows.