QUIZ: Why Do We Eat Turkey for Thanksgiving?

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By FPL_Sheri

What items do you have to have for it to feel like Thanksgiving? Are monkey breads, cheese balls, and pecan pies going to adorn your table? Is there really even a question if you are going to have turkey or ham?

Thanksgiving has varied a lot over the years. Celebrations around harvest time have been around for thousands of years, and foods were what you and your neighbors had just grown, raised, or hunted. Shipping and trade routes expanded options as the years went on and have affected what we think of as a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. There is even some debate if turkey was originally the centerpiece of the First Thanksgiving. Brush up on your Thanksgiving knowledge with these articles and books before taking the quiz below. If these articles inspire you to be adventurous, try some new recipes for Thanksgiving this year. Please let us know in the comments below what your traditional Thanksgiving looks like and if you’ve added any new dishes to your table.

Take our QUIZ and then enjoy some further reading on Thanksgiving!

Test your Thanksgiving knowledge!

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What food was not present at the 1621 harvest celebration?*
Stuffing was a mix of onions and herbs in Plymouth days.*
Which food is not considered a traditional Thanksgiving food?*
Which foods were likely part of the 1621 feast?*
Alexander Hamilton is credited with encouraging turkey to be part of Thanksgiving celebrations. Which trend setter of the 1800’s is credited with influencing the modern ideal of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.*
The person who coined the phrase “First Thanksgiving”:*
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Online Articles

“What Was on the Menu at the First Thanksgiving?” Smithsonian Magazine by Megan Gambino, opens a new window

“Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?” Food52 by Caitlin Raux Gunther, opens a new window

“Rationing Thanksgiving Dinner during World War I” Genealogy Bank by Gena Philibert-Ortega, opens a new window

“American Thanksgiving” Food Timeline by Lynne Olver, opens a new window

“Thanksgiving 2022” History by History.com editors, opens a new window

Books & Magazines

We Gather Together, opens a new window

allrecipes Thanksgiving Pies & Sides, opens a new window

The New Thanksgiving Table, opens a new window

Indians and Other Misnomers, opens a new window

Stories for Children

The Mayflower and the Pilgrims' New World, opens a new window

The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish and the Amazing-but-true Survival Story of the Plymouth Colony, opens a new window

What Was the First Thanksgiving?, opens a new window

The Mayflower Pilgrims, opens a new window

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