Thanksgiving dinner was good. Pa had shot a wild goose for it. Ma had to stew the goose because there was no fireplace, and no oven in the little stove. But she made dumplings in the gravy. There were corn dodgers and mashed potatoes. There were butter, and milk, and stewed dried plums. And three grains of parched corn lay beside each tin plate.
At the first Thanksgiving dinner the poor Pilgrims had had nothing to eat but three parched grains of corn. Then the Indians came and brought them turkeys, so the Pilgrims were thankful.
Now, after they had eaten their good, big Thanksgiving dinner, Laura and Mary could eat their grains of corn and remember the Pilgrims.
Parched corn was good. It crackled and crunched, and its taste was sweet and brown.
~Laura Ingalls Wilder, On the Banks of Plum Creek
There are so many legends and myths surrounding the story of the first Thanksgiving that I wonder sometimes if anyone can possibly sort out truth from fiction. (Hmm, does that remind anyone of a series of books we all know and love!?) The “grains of corn” story apparently was a popular one during the nineteenth century, although typically the legend says it was five grains of corn, not three.
Does it really matter whether it was true or not that the poor Pilgrims were rationed nothing but a few grains of corn, or whether the Indians actually brought the Pilgrims turkeys? Though both are considered myths, isn’t it the spirit of the story, and the lesson in gratitude and sharing with those in need that it teaches, that matters? What a beautiful “Little House” tradition to incorporate into one’s Thanksgiving Day celebration.
So where do you get parched corn?
Add this recipe to your Thanksgiving meal preparation, and enjoy!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!