Thanksgiving Myths, Foods & Forgotten Traditions- Bonus Holiday Episode

Something You Should Know

Mike Carruthers | OmniCastMedia

Science, Social Sciences, Self-improvement, Education, Health & Fitness

4.6 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 25 November 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ever wonder what was actually served at the very first Thanksgiving? Much of what we learned in school doesn’t hold up. In this special bonus holiday episode, we unpack some of the most surprising — and misunderstood — moments in Thanksgiving history. We start with a beloved modern ritual: the presidential turkey pardon. It’s a quirky White House tradition with roots that go all the way back to the 1800s. I reveal how this annual ceremony really began and why it stuck. ⁠https://www.whitehousehistory.org/questions/which-president-started-the-tradition-of-pardoning-the-thanksgiving-turkey Then we dive into the truth behind that famous 1621 feast shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag. What did they actually eat? And what parts of our holiday table didn’t appear until centuries later? My guest Leslie Landrigan, author of Historic Thanksgiving Foods: And the People who Cooked Them, 1607 to 1955 (⁠https://amzn.to/4i32IkP), helps untangle myth from history. Finally, why are we talking about “Jingle Bells” in a Thanksgiving episode? Because the song wasn’t written for Christmas at all — it was a Thanksgiving tune. I share the surprising backstory behind this holiday crossover classic. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2016/jingle-bells-history/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! AURA FRAMES: Visit ⁠https://AuraFrames.com⁠ and get $45 off Aura's best selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code SOMETHING at checkout! INDEED: Get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ right now! QUINCE: Give and get timeless holiday staples that last this season with Quince. Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Quince.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns! DELL: It’s time for Black Friday at Dell Technologies. Save big on PCs like the Dell 16 Plus featuring Intel® Core™ Ultra processors. Shop now at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://Dell.com/deals ⁠⁠⁠⁠ AG1: Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://DrinkAG1.com/SYSK ⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get a FREE Welcome Kit with an AG1 Flavor Sampler and a bottle of Vitamin D3 plus K2, when you first subscribe! NOTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Notion brings all your notes, docs, and projects into one connected space that just works . It's seamless, flexible, powerful, and actually fun to use! Try Notion, now with Notion Agent, at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://notion.com/something⁠⁠⁠⁠ PLANET VISIONARIES: In partnership with Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative, this… is Planet Visionaries. Listen or watch on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today on Something You Should Know, our second holiday bonus episode.
0:07.0	Every November, we picture the first Thanksgiving as this big feast with roast turkey,
0:13.0	stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie.
0:16.0	But here's the thing. Almost none of that was actually on the table in 1621. The real menu was very different
0:23.6	and may have even included eel meat. There were no pies, no sweet potatoes, and probably
0:29.6	no cranberry sauce. So what did they eat at the first Thanksgiving?
0:33.6	One of the things that they always ate and they ate to excess and they have
0:39.0	eaten it since 1620 and they're still eating it is pumpkin. Pumpkin was hugely important.
0:45.6	New England was the pumpkin dominion and the first folk song was written in 1620 and it was about
0:50.9	how they ate too much pumpkin all the time. We'll find out more about the people, the land, and the myths that shaped America's Thanksgiving meal.
1:00.0	Right after this.
1:01.9	I want to tell you about a great new podcast I think you'll like.
1:05.5	I'm loving it.
1:06.9	So what happens when our passions become obsessions?
1:11.2	Well, on David Green is obsessed, one of America's most familiar voices
1:15.7	and longtime co-host of NPR's Morning Edition
1:18.6	seeks out obsessives of all kinds while unpacking his own fixations.
1:25.3	You'll hear David talk to comedian Tignitaro about her complex passion for
1:30.3	plant-based food. Actor David Arquette on his love of Bozo the Clown. Paula Poundstone on her
1:37.7	house full of cats. Celebrity chef and author Michael Simon discusses why he just can't quit the Cleveland Browns even though they often make him miserable and so much more.
1:50.3	It's pop psychology disguised as conversations with the world's most fascinating people.
1:57.0	You can listen to David Green is obsessed wherever you get podcasts.
	...

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