Foods of the New England Puritans

When the Pilgrims arrived in New England, they had to deal with harsh weather conditions.

When their seed crops did not grow, a local Native American named Tisquantim, or Squanto, introduced them to corn and showed them how to plant it.

Corn soon became a staple food for the Puritans.

Squanto also taught the Pilgrims how to trap the swarms of herring that arrived in the spring.

The settlers grew apples, peaches, gardens, parsnips, turnips, peas, carrots, parsnips, onions and turnips.

Although they preferred food from England, they learned to enjoy local foods such as baked beans, succotash, pumpkin and turkey.

Once pigs began to be imported from England, pork became extremely popular.

The North American colonists were suspicious of potatoes - both white potatoes and sweet potatoes. They were also wary of blueberries, huckleberries, clams and other shellfish.

The colonists were also suspicious of water. In New England, they drank goat's milk or cow's milk, or alcoholic beverages.