Cranberry sauce and roast turkey are as much a part of Thanksgiving as pilgrims and Indians. But how did this peculiar combination become a national tradition? As a professional food writer I decided to do some digging on the origins of the cranberry sauce and turkey pairing. What I discovered surprised me and shed light on the evolution of one of America’s favorite holiday duos.
A Brief History of the Cranberry
To understand why we eat cranberry sauce with turkey, we must first look at the history of the cranberry itself. The cranberry is one of only a handful of commercially grown fruits that is native to North America. Cranberries have been harvested and consumed by Native Americans for centuries. In fact archaeologists have found evidence of cranberry consumption dating back over 8,500 years!
Natives primarily used cranberries as a food staple, medicine, dye for rugs and blankets, and as a pemmican ingredient. Pemmican was an early energy bar made from fat, dried meat, and berries like cranberries. When European settlers arrived in the 1600s, they were introduced to cranberries by the Native Americans. The tart, bright red berries quickly became popular back in Europe as well.
By the 19th century, cranberry harvesting and exporting had grown into a thriving industry in America. Advances in cranberry cultivation and mechanical harvesting led to the berries becoming more available and affordable than ever before.
How Cranberries Became Linked with Thanksgiving
As cranberry production boomed in America in the 1800s, the berries became a customary part of holiday meals, including Thanksgiving. There are a few theories on how cranberries specifically became tied to Thanksgiving turkey:
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Since both turkey and cranberries are native North American foods, linking them together paid homage to America’s history and culinary tradition.
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The tartness of cranberries balances out the richness of roasted turkey meat. The sweetness also counters the saltiness.
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Serving cranberries provided important nutrients like vitamin C to supplement a big holiday feast.
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Cranberries were easy to store and keep through the winter months when most Thanksgivings occurred back in the day.
The Origin of Cranberry Sauce
On their own, raw cranberries are quite tart. But early European colonists discovered that when sweetened, cranberry juice transformed into a delicious condiment or dessert sauce. One of the first published cranberry sauce recipes appeared in Amelia Simmons’ 1796 cookbook American Cookery.
However, making cranberry sauce from scratch was time-consuming. The innovative process of turning cranberry sauce into a shelf-stable product that could be enjoyed year-round paved the way for its popularity. Lawyer Marcus Urann founded the Ocean Spray cooperative in 1912 to produce canned cranberry sauce and juice.
Ocean Spray cranberry sauce first hit shelves in 1941. With their canned cranberry sauce, Ocean Spray made enjoying cranberry sauce with holiday meals quick and easy. Americans took to the convenience of canned cranberry sauce, adopting it as a new tradition. Today, over 70% of Americans eat canned cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving dinner.
The Appeal of Cranberry Sauce with Turkey
With its availability in canned form and tart, fruity flavor, it’s easy to see why cranberry sauce became a ubiquitous Thanksgiving side. Here are some top reasons we enjoy cranberry sauce with our holiday turkey:
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The tartness cuts through the richness of the turkey. The bright acidity helps cleanse the palate.
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It provides color and visual appeal. The ruby red sauce is festive looking next to slices of tan turkey meat.
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It’s easy to prepare. Even homemade cranberry sauce can be quickly assembled.
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It tastes great. That balanced sweet-tart flavor is hard to resist!
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It’s nostalgic. Eating cranberry sauce likely stirs up fond Thanksgiving memories for many Americans.
Other Ways to Enjoy Cranberry Sauce
While turkey may be its top pairing, the uses for cranberry sauce go far beyond Thanksgiving. Here are some other fun ways to eat cranberry sauce:
- On pancakes, waffles, or French toast
- Swirled into yogurt, oatmeal, or cottage cheese
- As a glaze or sauce for chicken, pork, or fish
- As a spread on sandwiches or burgers
- Baked into muffins or breads
- As a topping for ice cream or cheesecake
- Mixed into cookie dough or bars
- As a dip for fruit, pretzels, or crackers
A Partnership for the Ages
While the Pilgrims definitely didn’t feast on cranberry sauce during the first Thanksgiving, this classic pairing has still earned its place at our tables today. The tart cranberry sauce expertly balances out the flavors of the turkey. Its festive color and nostalgia factor cement cranberry sauce as a Thanksgiving staple. Odds are cranberry sauce will continue to accompany American turkeys for centuries to come.
So next Thanksgiving when you sit down to your spread, take a moment to appreciate this unlikely but delicious duo. The cranberries may seem out of place next to the turkey, stuffing, and potatoes, but that contrast is part of what makes the meal so special. Pass the cranberry sauce, please!
The importance of cranberries
Cranberries are native to North America, particularly in states like Massachusetts.
“For thousands of years, theyve been growing here naturally along the dunes and in small wetland areas in the region,” said Brian Wick, the executive director of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association in Massachusetts.
According to Wick, cranberry vines are a resilient perennial plant capable of growing for decades and sometimes for over a century.
This resilience and other helpful properties helped make the plant – and its berries – useful to humans for many years.
In particular, cranberries were important for the indigenous people, who used them for various purposes, such as medicine and as a dye in their clothing.
Cranberries were also an integral part of life as a food source. For instance, cranberries were mixed with meat and fat as a way to help extend the shelf life of the meat.
The indigenous people then introduced the cranberry to the English pilgrims when they arrived in North America. According to Wick, they helped the pilgrims understand what cranberries were and how to use them.
Cranberries were later featured at a large meal shared between the two groups — a meal that later became known as the first Thanksgiving dinner.
Cranberries were eaten at the first Thanksgiving dinner in 1621, and their popularity has grown ever since.
They might be the most polarizing figure at Thanksgiving.
Some folks might prefer them straight from the can, as a gelatinous cylinder bearing the ridges of the vessel from whence it came. Others might prefer them as a fresh relish or sauce, while others might forego a serving of them altogether.
No matter what form cranberries take, the tart fruit has become a standard part of many Thanksgiving dinners.
The cranberry has become nearly as ubiquitous with the holiday dinner as the avian star of the show. While only playing a supporting role, the fruit side dish has been a part of the cast for centuries, bringing along its ancient history and story of culinary evolution to the table.
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