Diet
Puritans' Foods and Eating Habits
Puritan Beliefs on Food
What Did They Eat?
Staples
Among various kinds of vegetables, squashes, especially pumpkins, were necessary elements of the tables. Asparagus, lettuce, carrots, cabbages, peas, and beans were also parts of Puritan diet.
Meats were gained from hunting, fishing, and livestock which they brought from England. Puritans hunted rabbits and deer, and raised pigs, chickens, sheep, and cows. Northeast American streams provided variety of fish such as cod, sturgeon, mackerel, herring and salmon.
The Scarlet Letter
In Chapter 2 and its second paragraph, a description about ladies gathered around the scaffold on which Hester would stand to be punished suggests that English eating habits remained among Puritans.
"They were her countrywomen; and the beef and ale of their native land, with a moral diet not a whit more refined, entered largely into their composition."
How Did They Eat?
Meal Pattern
How Did They Cook?
Fruits and Vegetables
Meats
Meats were put into stew or soups, roasted, or preserved as ham and bacon. Cooking was very simple as Puritans put things on a fire or a home brick oven to bake things, and put pans of water over it to boil. Because they thought milk was unhealthy, it was transformed into cheese or butter. Eggs were salted and stored in cool cellars.
Grains
Thanksgiving Tradition
The American Thanksgiving also has its origin in the faith practices of Puritan
Sanctioned only the Sabbath, fast days and thanksgivings as religious holidays or “holy days.”
Happy events such as the sudden ending of war, drought or pestilence, might inspire a thanksgiving proclamation.
The classic Thanksgiving menu of turkey, cranberries, pumpkin pie, and root vegetables is based on New England fall harvests. In the 19th century, as the holiday spread across the country, local cooks modified the menu both by choice (“this is what we like to eat”) and by necessity (“this is what we have to eat”)
Works Cited
"The Scarlet Letter Wiki." Wikia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
Greenwood, Melanie. "What Kinds of Food Did Puritans Eat? | EHow." EHow. Demand Media, 28 Mar. 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
Charles, Aaron. "Puritan Food Habits & Religion." People. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
Umphlett, Ashely. ": Puritanism: The Inside Scoop (Of Food, Obviously.)." Umphlett's Independent Study. N.p., 14 Sept. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.