Not so much stuffing and pumpkin pie, but watercress and dried berries - those kinds of foods would have been abundant.īut I think the idealized classic Thanksgiving menu, which was an invention of the Victorian era, definitely holds a lot of sway. You would’ve seen corn and beans and squash.
I’ve always been interested in talking with food historians about what would have been served in the original harvest feast, and you know, it’s quite different from what we eat today.Ĭertainly turkey would have been an option, along with probably venison. It was different from what the story became, but there was a harvest feast that happened in Massachusetts. I think New Englanders do feel a sense of the history that happened here. I grew up in Connecticut, and when you’re a kid and you see pictures of Thanksgiving - of the wholly invented notion of the first Thanksgiving and the popular idea of it, which isn’t really based in history.īut you see the landscape growing up in New England that looks very similar to the landscape I see out of my window. What are your thoughts on how Thanksgiving is somewhat idolized in New England?
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and space.
We spoke with Traverso about the importance of Thanksgiving in New England and the dishes that best exemplify the region’s traditions. Not to mention she’s helped shape the idea of a New England Thanksgiving herself through her work writing and editing stories about Thanksgiving culture, as well as creating recipes for Yankee. New England, however, is home, and Traverso has gathered a wealth of knowledge about the region’s Thanksgiving history.
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