Bear Luke, Campus Carrier photographer

Thanksgiving is a holiday defined by three key elements: thankfulness, tradition and food. These traits permeate the holiday and are why many people look forward to Thanksgiving every year. Thanksgiving is seen as the biggest food-based holiday in American culture. From turkey to pumpkin pie, these foods are emblematic of Thanksgiving as a holiday. But why do we eat what we eat on Thanksgiving?

From a historical perspective, the reason why we eat food like corn, beans and squash on Thanksgiving traces back to the first Thanksgiving. These foods, alongside lesser-eaten foods on Thanksgiving like deer, were shared with the pilgrims by the Wampanoag indigenous people of America. The Wampanoag wished to establish relations with the pilgrims, as they had lost a large percentage of their population to disease and they thought the pilgrims would make beneficial allies against rival tribes. 

While the first Thanksgiving did highlight food central to the tradition, some notable foods were left out from the first Thanksgiving – turkey and pumpkin-related dishes were exempted. As such, examining Thanksgiving meals from a purely historical lens is not the accurate answer. It should also be examined through the lens of availability. 

Turkeys, for example, are a Thanksgiving staple because of how abundant they were in the New World. They were seen as plentiful, large and expendable by people as they did not produce milk or eggs. These traits resulted in them being seen as a cheap food source that could feed many people.

With that said, not everyone today has access to these staple foods. Some families are unable to purchase a considerable amount of turkey and ham. What do they do instead? Well, like the Wampanoag tribe, they provide what they have, both in available food and in skill. A prominent example of this in pop culture is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. 

Within the special, Charlie Brown and his friends create a Thanksgiving meal from what they have. As children, they cannot create a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, instead opting to make Thanksgiving from toast, popcorn and jellybeans. From this example, it becomes clear that people choose what to eat on Thanksgiving, due to what is afforded to them. However, there are two qualities of the holiday to think about when approaching Thanksgiving food from this perspective, tradition and thankfulness. 

The reason why staple foods like turkey and corn are made on Thanksgiving is because of their traditional value. People may think, “We make turkey every year; we have to make it this year!” This sense of continuity persists throughout the holiday. Although, at the same time, this idea can apply to every Thanksgiving dish. 

Families come to expect specific foods from their personal Thanksgivings. The more someone cooks a particular meal for Thanksgiving, the better they will get at making that meal for the family. Consequently, that meal becomes a tradition and an aspect connected to familial celebration. This idea is also why thankfulness is so connected to Thanksgiving – no matter what meals are cooked for Thanksgiving, they are made to provide and celebrate the traditions and gathering of family.

The foods we eat are determined by what is available to us, and/or how that food resonates with our family’s tradition and culture. While the first Thanksgiving was a substantial factor in what we eat on Thanksgiving, it only shows the food we eat from a historical viewpoint. We continue to eat corn, beans, squash and turkey because of its availability and of its significance to Thanksgiving. 

The food we eat on Thanksgiving is unique for everyone. While some foods have shown prominence on the holiday, most is influenced by one’s culture and traditions. We eat what we eat because it becomes significant to us and our families. That, in turn, creates tradition within familial structures and thankfulness for the food and family present on Thanksgiving overall.