The Origin of Thanksgiving's Turkey Dinner

Even though this tradition is merely from the Unites States, its gastronomic origin goes way back to the ancient Aztec Culture.

Although this animal is from the American Continent, it was re-introduced into the United States through England.

The most representative dish of the Thanksgiving dinner in the United States, without a doubt is the turkey; however, this food is original from Mexico, where, in Pre-Hispanic times, it was consumed by the Aztecs.

Even though it is a completely American tradition, the reason for eating turkey during Thanksgiving has its origins in the trading originated after the discovery of America.

It is well know that several foods “invaded” the world after Christopher Columbus arrived to the “New World”, among them, corn, tobacco, chocolate and of course turkeys; in Mexico they are also known as “Guajolotes” (waholotes could be its closest pronunciation in English).

But how did this bird became the central dish for the Americans in one of the most important celebrations?

According to an article published in The Collegian, a publication belonging to California State University, Campus Fresno, the Pre-Hispanic bird, called “hueholoti” (pronounced in English weholoti), was transported from Mexico to Spain in order to motivate its commercialization in Europe.

Then it arrived to what was the Ottoman Empire, nowadays a great part of what we know as Turkey, where the animal became chubbier and meatier, thanks to their farming practices the people from that region had developed.

Later, in 1540 the “Turkish turkey” arrived to Western Europe and to England and around 70 years after that, it was brought to America again, says the article which had the collaboration of the Historian Brad Jones.

It was precisely in 1614 when the bird arrived to Jamestown, Virginia and where the first group of Englishmen settled in the US in 1607.

A Century Old Tradition.

The first Thanksgiving dinner in the United States was held in 1621, when the Pilgrims, British Citizens, held a celebration with the Wampanoag Tribe Indians, in Plymouth, Massachusetts.