Surprisingly, there is no real evidence of turkey being served at the
first Thanksgiving feasts in the early 17th century. Apparently, "turkey" was the generic name to describe all fowl. Venison pops up in
many historical accounts of the holiday as well as corn, boiled
pumpkin, berries, and, possibly shellfish. Most still incorporate
pumpkins in the traditional pie and berries in the form of cranberry
sauce with their modern holiday meal.