Thanksgiving is becoming increasingly popular in Singapore, with plenty of restaurants and stores offering turkey dinners and deals. In America, about 90 million turkeys are gobbled down every year during the festive season. But what on earth does turkey have to do with Thanksgiving?
The story starts in 1620 as the persecuted Pilgrims fled a hostile Europe for the relatively freer shores of North America. Their miserable journey over on the Mayflower was wracked with storms and the settlers were plagued with scurvy and disease.
By November, the settlers had landed at Plymouth Rock, where weakened and hungry, they faced a harsh winter on alien land. The first winter was brutal for the new colonists and more than half of the Pilgrims and half of the Mayflower crew perished from disease and starvation – during the worst periods, only six or seven of the group was able to feed and care for the rest.
The spring marked a turning point for the settlers, as Squanto, a Native American who lived with the local Wampanoag tribe, taught the Pilgrims how to live off the land by catching eel and growing corn. By autumn, thanks to a good harvest and food contributions from the Wampanoag tribe, the tired and hungry Pilgrims were able to face another harsh winter. To mark the occasion, the settlers and the Wampanoag celebrated with a feast – the First Thanksgiving – in 1621.
This First Thanksgiving included turkey, waterfowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin and squash – staples of Native American food at the time. Many of these foods still appear in a modern Thanksgiving dinner – not only do Americans still roast a turkey, the feast often includes a cranberry sauce or jelly, pumpkin pies, candied yams or sweet potatoes, stuffing and more.
Nowadays, turkey is so important to Thanksgiving celebrations that it has become the most common main dish. While most Thanksgiving turkeys are stuffed and roasted, other methods are gaining in popularity – some turkeys are deep-fried, others smoked.
Whichever way you prefer though, everyone agrees it’s the spirit of Thanksgiving that matters most – it’s a time for giving thanks for all you have achieved during the year and a celebration of your nearest and dearest. So whether you’re eating turkey or Tofurkey, raise a glass on November 22 and give thanks for all your blessings in 2012. Cheers!
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