The Truth Behind the Turkey - Nyx Owens

 The Truth Behind the Turkey

The origins of Thanksgiving and its traditions are problematic, at best, and the stories they tell you about the Pilgrims and Native Americans eating stuffing and pumpkin pie together are almost entirely fictional. So, why does Granny roast the turkey and mash the potatoes?

Thanksgiving became a holiday in the 19th century, as an attempt to cover up the gruesome actions performed by colonial settlers against the Native Americans. While, yes, they likely did share a meal, they were celebrating a Native harvest tradition by having a feast. The holiday was made to Americanize and monetize the harvest traditions of the indigenous peoples of North America.

Turkey, possibly the most famous Thanksgiving dish, was most likely eaten at the feast. Turkeys were plentiful in the New England region, so the likelihood of them hunting, roasting, and even perhaps stuffing a turkey is very likely.

Pumpkin as well was most likely incorporated somehow, but the reality is, there’s a very little chance that Granny’s famous pumpkin pie was eaten at the feast. It’s more speculated that there was some sort of pumpkin paste eaten, and I doubt that would be much of a hit at the family reunion. 

Now, when it comes to staples such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, and green beans, we almost entirely made up those dishes. Of course, I’m not complaining about my grandmother’s cranberry sauce or my aunt’s mac’n’cheese, but it’s important to remember that the fairytales that we learned in 3rd grade will never be the true reality. We must remember and acknowledge the origins of the holiday, we cannot glamourize the actions of the Pilgrims.