The History of Thanksgiving in America

The Pilgrims’ Menu at the first Thanksgiving?
Based on what we know of life at the Plimoth Plantation, we can speculate that the following foods may have been on the menu:
Seafood: Cod, Eel, Clams, Lobster, Whale
Wild Fowl: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, Eagles
Meat: Venison, Seal
Grain: Wheat Flour, Indian Corn
Vegetables: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots
Fruit: Plums, Grapes
Nuts: Walnuts, Chestnuts, Acorns
Herbs and Seasonings: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, Parsnips

What Was Not on the Menu
Surprisingly, the following foods, all considered staples of the modern Thanksgiving meal, didn’t appear on the pilgrims’ first feast table, for various reasons.
Ham: There is no evidence that the colonists had butchered a pig by this time, though they had brought pigs with them from England.
Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes: These were not common at the time, being more of a South American or African tuber at this period.
Corn on the Cob: Corn was kept dried out at this time of year, not eaten fresh.
Cranberry Sauce: The colonists had cranberries, but no sugar at this time.
Pumpkin Pie: It’s not a recipe that existed at this point, though the pilgrims had recipes for stewed pumpkin.
Chicken/Eggs: We know that the colonists brought hens with them from England, but it’s unknown how many they had left at this point, or whether the hens were still laying.
Milk: No cows had been aboard the Mayflower, though it’s possible that the colonists used goat milk to make cheese.