by Susan Klatz Beal

Created on: October 26, 2009   Last Updated: January 30, 2011

The Pilgrim diet was very different than the diet that the average American eats today. The Pilgrims had to rely on what they could catch, hunt for or grow. Although they ate three meals a day, the morning meal would be small, but the mid-day meal was the main meal. The meal they ate in the evening would consist of whatever leftovers were available from the earlier meal that day. 

*Following the arrival at Plymouth -

To the colonists in New England during the early 1600's, their idea of the ideal foods were beer, bread and meat. In their world, lobster became an every day food, and to them, deer and swan were considered delicacies.

The first three years that the colonists were in Plymouth were extremely difficult. They really struggled to grow crops because the climate in New England was so different from that of England. As much as they would have liked to get regular supplies from England, that wasn't the case at all, and it wasn't uncommon for them to have to wait for years to get butter or sugar, or beer, something they missed most of all.

Over time, however, things did get better. They learned how to fish. They learned from the Wampanoag how to grow Indian corn and to do so successfully. The Indians also taught them the best ways to hunt and trap deer, duck, geese, rabbit, wild turkey and other wild fowl.

*Animals that the Pilgrims brought from England -

They did bring pigs, chickens, goats, sheet and cows from England, but until those animals reproduced and increased in numbers, they were unable to slaughter them and to rely on them as a food source. Eventually, ships would come over more frequently and when they did, the colonists would get a yearly supply of sugar, spices, oil, vinegar and wine. They really missed beer because that was the preferred drink for the entire family in England.

*Pilgrim beverages -

Some families were able to brew small amounts of beer from barley, but by and large, they had to rely on water as their beverage, and they remained convinced that water was unhealthy to drink. It's hard to imagine how surprised the colonists were when they discovered that their children were so much healthier when they drank water than they were when they drank beer. They didn't drink milk since it was used for making butter or cheese, or it might have been used for cooking and to make grain porridges which were a big part of the daily diet.

*The Pilgrims diet -

The standard Pilgrim diet consisted of three meals a day. The morning meal was

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