Corn: A Cultural Shift in Identity Due to Severe Food Insecurity

Abstract

The story of Thanksgiving is a more complicated and complex story than the tale of peaceful beginnings that is typically associated with the Pilgrims’ meals shared with Native Americans. The story of the pilgrims’ first years included tragic death, severe food insecurity and a politically charged meal that brought enemies together. The first Thanksgiving is a tale of a dramatic shift in American identity and culture as pilgrims struggled to survive in a harsh, unfamiliar world. Corn, a food source associated with poverty, simplicity and demeaned as “native” and unworthy of European palettes became a central staple in the diet and a central feature in a shared American identity. Yet, it was the death of half the pilgrim’s colony and their lack of preparation (as they faced starvation and uncertainty) that introduced corn to the American diet.  Today, corn has become interwoven into our diet and American consumerism. My paper documents this surprising and dramatic shift and follows the corn as it goes from a hated food source to become an integral iconic part of the American identity.