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Thursday, October 18, 2007

Original Source #2 for "Thanksgiving"

What do we know about the food that was eaten?

They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwelling against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty hereto their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.


William Bradford, Of Plimoth Plantation: S.E. Morison, ed. Knopf. N.Y., 1952. p. 90

For more information on the current state of cod (and other fish and fisheries in general), please see this link.