Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays in the US. It has a long history, but was not made an official holiday until 1863 when Abraham Lincoln declared it a national celebration. Its history comes from the story of the Plymouth Colony; protestants who left England behind for life in the ‘New World’ in the 17th Century. They settled in what is now Cape Cod, home to the Wampanoag people for over a thousand years. The Thanksgiving tradition is believed to have been derived from the harvest feast the settlers shared with the Native American people.
It was a very different feast to the Thanksgiving dinner many enjoy today; many of the supplies and ingredients needed for a ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving dinner would not have been available to the settlers. Instead they feasted on corn, shellfish and roasted meat. The turkey was added later; an account by a settler mentioning wild turkeys made the bird a popular choice for Thanksgiving dinners. Today, a ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving dinner features roast turkey with all the trimmings; corn bread, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, maple glazed parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, onions and cranberry sauce.
Benjamin Franklin House will be hosting its annual Thanksgiving feast again this year at London’s famed Butcher’s Hall. Tickets are selling fast, so please visit their website www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org for more information.