Question

What food did the colonists and native americans not have at the first thanksgiving?.

Answer 1

Potatoes. Whether mashed or roasted, white or sweet, potatoes had no place at the first Thanksgiving. After encountering it in its native South America, the Spanish began introducing the potato to Europeans around 1570.

Answer 2

The reality of the original Thanksgiving is that there was never a single event that directly contributed to the creation of the holiday. In actuality, a large portion of the food consumed on these special occasions by the colonists and Wampanoag Indians was the result of their laborious fall harvest, which was largely composed of grain. Thanksgiving as we know it today is the result of numerous harvests that led to gatherings and feasts. When other crops failed, this NMAI article claims that Indian corn was the only thing that kept everyone alive.

President Lincoln didn't even use the term Thanksgiving until 1863, not 1621, as Time Magazine claims. Franklin Roosevelt did not declare it a national holiday until he became president after that.

Thanks,
Eddie