Every year, families all across America do the same thing. They gather around a big table, and right in the middle is a huge, roasted turkey. It’s the star of the show. It’s what Thanksgiving is all about.
But have you ever stopped to think… why a turkey?
It’s a strange story, and the truth is, it’s not what most people think. The famous story of the “First Thanksgiving” isn’t the whole truth. Let’s dig into the weird and wonderful history of how a big bird became the king of an American holiday.
The Story We All Know (But Isn’t Quite True)
First, let’s talk about the famous story. You probably heard it in school.
The story goes like this: Back in 1621, the Pilgrims (the first people from England to live in America) had their first successful harvest. To celebrate, they invited the Native Americans who helped them survive. They had a huge feast, and on the table was a big, beautiful turkey.
It’s a nice story, right? But historians who study this time say it’s probably not true.
Did they have a feast? Yes. Was it a thank you? Yes. But was a turkey the main dish? Most likely, no.
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So, What Were They Really Eating?
The Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people ate what was available in Massachusetts in the fall. Their menu was probably very different from ours today.
Instead of turkey, they probably ate:
- Duck and Geese: These birds were everywhere and easy to catch.
- Deer: A Wampanoag group showed up with five deer as a gift! Venison (deer meat) was probably the main meat.
- Seafood: Since they lived by the ocean, they likely had mussels, clams, and even lobster.
- Local Vegetables: Things like squash, corn, and onions.
So, if they didn’t eat turkey, how did it become the star of Thanksgiving?
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The Real Reasons We Eat Turkey
Okay, so the “First Thanksgiving” story is a myth. The real reason we eat turkey is a mix of a few practical and funny reasons.
Reason #1: The Turkey Was Just… There
Think about it. Turkeys are native to North America. They were wild, they were big, and there were a lot of them. For a farmer, a turkey was the perfect choice for a special meal. It was big enough to feed a large family, but it wasn’t a cow or a pig, which were more useful for milk or for living through the winter. You wouldn’t kill your only milk cow for a party! But a turkey? That was a perfect one-time feast bird.
Reason #2: A Very Famous Bird
This is the best part. A man named Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s founding fathers, loved turkey. He once said that no citizen of the United States should ever not eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day. He was a very important person, so when he talked, people listened.
But the person who really made turkey famous was Sarah Josepha Hale. She was a powerful writer and editor in the 1800s. For almost 40 years, she wrote letters to presidents and articles in magazines, telling everyone they should celebrate a national day of Thanksgiving.
In her recipes and stories, she always described the perfect Thanksgiving meal. And what was at the center of her perfect meal? You guessed it: a roasted turkey.
Reason #3: The President Picked It
Finally, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln listened to Sarah Hale. He said that Thanksgiving would be a national holiday for everyone in the United States.
By this time, the idea of a turkey for Thanksgiving was already in people’s minds. It was in magazines, it was what important people talked about, and it was a practical bird for a farmer to cook. When the president made the holiday official, the turkey’s fate was sealed.
The Funniest Reason of All
There’s one more silly reason. In the 1930s, the president of the United States started a funny tradition. Every year before Thanksgiving, he would “pardon” a turkey. This means he would save one turkey from being eaten and let it live on a farm.
This tradition became very popular on TV and in the news. It made the turkey a celebrity! It cemented the idea that the turkey is the symbol of Thanksgiving.
So, What’s the Real Story?
The real story isn’t about one single meal in 1621. It’s a story that grew over hundreds of years.
It’s a story about:
- A practical bird that was easy for farmers to cook.
- A famous founding father who loved it.
- A determined woman who wrote about it for 40 years.
- A president who made it official.
- And a funny tradition that made it a celebrity.
So, this year when you see that big turkey on the table, you can tell your family the strange truth. It’s not just a bird. It’s a symbol of history, practicality, and a great American story.
Happy Thanksgiving
