Thanksgiving cuisine of past and present

With Thanksgiving just a few short days away, and with the heavy posts of the recent week, I decided it was time for something a bit more light-hearted.  And what's more light-hearted than talking about food?!

Capriottie's famous Bobbie sandwich. Pure heaven.

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest eating days of the year.  Luckily for me, I won't be cooking the turkey this year - I was given  wine, homemade cranberry sauce and dessert detail.  Although that might actually be unfortunate for me, as the person/family who roasts the turkey is usually the one keeping the leftovers....which is why I found myself at the grocery store tonight with one mission in mind.  To purchase a turkey at an amazing price (the amazing price part was required).  Roasting date: to be determined. The whole reason to roast a turkey is for the subsequent sandwiches that can be made with turkey, leftover stuffing, leftover cranberry sauce and a bit of mayonnaise.  A re-creation of my one of my favorite sandwiches: The Bobbie from Capriotti's. Thanksgiving on a roll.  Unfortunately, Cap's doesn't exist here in Washington, so I'm going to bring a bit of Cap's into my own home. Have you tried it?  If you haven't, study their location map and run out to the nearest location for lunch, or make a mental note to stop by the next time you're on vacation.

That got me thinking about what others are grubbin' on this time of year, which made me wonder what was served at the original Thanksgiving celebrations. Certainly not the same meal I'll be serving next week.  I found this post by Dina Spector at Business Insider:

"The contemporary Thanksgiving menu is a far cry from what the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe feasted on that historic autumn of 1621 to celebrate the colony's first successful corn harvest.
In fact, there is only one written account of the first Thanksgiving, and turkey isn't mentioned.

And because the Pilgrims didn't have a large sugar supply, the meal probably did not include pies, cakes, and other sweet treats either.

Nearly four centuries ago, diners likely enjoyed seal, swans, venison, and duck, perhaps prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods.

Eventually, however, the big meaty bird became a staple of the modern Thanksgiving dinner — along with sides dishes like mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and string beans, and desserts like pumpkin and pecan pies. And for that, we are very thankful!"

Amen! 

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/thanksgiving-food-statistics-2011-11?op=1#ixzz2lXFPYv00