To begin at the beginning, I will investigate the "harvest celebration of 1621", as the first Thanksgiving was called by the inhabitants of Plimoth Plantation. According to Smithsonian.com. the menu would have consisted mainly of poultry, venison, fish and shellfish, nuts, and perhaps corn.. Potatoes, both sweet and white, were not yet known in North America. No cranberry sauce. Wheat for flour was scarce, as was butter (no pumpkin pie). The turkey or other wild fowl would have been stuffed with onions and herbs.
In a letter of 1779, Juliana Smith describes a New England Thanksgiving dinner to her Cousin Betsey, which includes this description of a vegetable: "one which I do not believe you have yet seen. It is called Sellery and you eat it without cooking." The full menu is still pretty meat-centric. I feel the "sellery" is only included as a novelty.
Haunch of Venison Roast Chine of Pork Roast Goose
Roast Turkey Pigeon Pasties Onions in Cream
Cauliflower Squash Potatoes
Raw Celery Mincemeat Pie Pumpkin Pie
Indian Pudding Plum Pudding Apple Pie
So where did our traditional menu come from? Most likely from the Victorians of the 1800's, which is when Sarah Hale, editor of Godey's Lady's Book, made a big push for Thanksgiving. According to Smithsonian.com there was a real nostalgia for the Colonial era at this time. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday. The Original Boston Cooking-School Cookbook of 1896 offers this menu:
Oyster Soup Crisp Crackers Celery
Salted Almonds Roast Turkey Cranberry Jelly
Mashed Potatoes Onions in Cream Squash
Chicken Pie Fruit Pudding Sterling Sauce
Fancy Cakes Neapolitan Ice Cream Mince, Apple and Squash
Nuts and Raisins Bonbons Pies
Crackers Cheese
I have to admit that I like the unabashedly celebratory feel of this menu. Oysters, meats and lots of desserts. Also lots of crackers. Celery is still there though.
By 1949 the menu was smaller and more manageable for a housewife without extra help. The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking suggest this holiday menu:
Roast Turkey Oyster or Chestnut Dressing Giblet Gravy
Mashed Potatoes Buttered Onions Cranberry Sauce
Hot Rolls, Butter Head Lettuce, 1000 Island Dressing
Pumpkin or Apple Pie
More onions still, buttered this time. Who would have thought?
Marthastewart.com offers several Thanksgiving menus, many of which include onions. She suggests Braised Onions, Roasted Pears and Red Onions, or Glazed Pearl Onions.
Of these menus onions are the only vegetable to appear on all three. So, in the interest of being historically accurate, I am going to go with the lowly onion as the side dish this year. I think maybe I'll just throw pearl onions in the pan with the turkey and let them caramelize. Yum.
For help with your own menu dilemmas, stop by the library before you start cooking. Check out the display of holiday cookbooks for menu ideas. We are open until 6:00 pm on Wednesday the 25th.
A very happy remembrance of the Harvest Celebration of 1621 to you all.
