Wednesday, November 15, 2000

Beer is rooted in tradition When Americans sit down to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner this year, many might want to include a favorite beer with the traditional holiday fare of turkey, cranberry sauce, vegetables and pumpkin pie. A tasty complement to a turkey and oyster stuffing dinner is a golden-colored lighter beer, such as a pilsner or a lager. Heartier tastes like plum pudding and pumpkin pie are delicious with stronger, dark beers with a touch of bittersweet flavor, such as stout. Our modern Thanksgiving menu is based on the offerings of the first celebration in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1621, and it might surprise some to know that beer was an important part of the meal and diet then, just as it is today. With foul water supplies the rule of the day, beer was the beverage of choice, as it required brewers to boil water, thus killing microbes that imperiled health. Colonists of the period who left Europe for the New World had long distrust of tainted water supplies. The 102 Pilgrims and their crew on the Mayflower brought plenty of beer with them when they set sail on September 6, 1620. The Pilgrims' journey lasted 65 days, ending on November 11, 1620 when they anchored at a favorable harbor, later called Plymouth. They had hoped to be further south, but due to a shortage on the Mayflower of the beer supply, decided to land and settle in Massachusetts. Pilgrim Leader William Bradford wrote in a diary dated December 19, 1620, "We could not now take much time for further search...our victuals being much spent, especially our beer." After a harsh and cold winter during which over half of their number succumbed to disease, but the Indians eventually taught the settlers fishing and farming skills, including how to tap maple trees for syrup and how to identify which plants were poisonous and which had medicinal powers. The concept of fertilizer was also introduced to the settlers, who were taught to grow corn by burying decaying fish in the ground. This corn and barley were used to make beer. What do you think of this story? Click here to send a message to the editor. Back to Dining Guide Home Page | Back to the top of the page