What Did The Colonists Eat And Drink?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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  • Corn, Corn, and More Corn. The native populations of the Americas began farming corn — originally called maize — in about 7,000 BC. …
  • Pepper Cake. …
  • Game. …
  • Beaver. …
  • Pumpkins and Squash. …
  • Oats, Barley, and Rice. …
  • “Ambergris” …
  • Livestock.

What did colonists eat in the winter?

preserved food in the fall to get them through the winter. They would

dry fruits and meats and dry and grind grains

. They would make jam from fruit and would pickle vegetables. Drying the foods would make them last longer, and adding salt to foods preserved it and kept it from going bad.

What kind of food did the colonists eat?

During the 1700s, meals typically included

pork, beef, lamb, fish, shellfish, chicken, corn, beans and vegetables, fruits, and numerous baked goods

. Corn, pork, and beef were staples in most lower and middle class households.

How many meals did colonists eat?

Colonial Food: How They Ate

They ate

three meals

: Breakfast – 6am – 7am. Dinner – 12pm – 2pm. Supper – 6pm – 7pm.

What dessert did colonists eat?

Most Colonial desserts were

fruit-based

, although some were made of sweetened corn or other vegetables such as squash and pumpkin. Until sugar became readily available in the latter part of the 18th century, molasses and maple syrup were the most commonly used sweeteners.

What did poor colonists eat?

Southern colonies

Slaves and poor Europeans in the South shared a similar diet, based on many of the indigenous New World crops. The rural poor often hunted and ate

squirrel, opossum, rabbit, and other woodland animals

. Salted or smoked pork often supplemented the vegetable diet.

What did colonists drink?

The Founders, like most colonists, were fans of adult beverages. Colonial Americans drank roughly three times as much as modern Americans, primarily in the form of

beer, cider, and whiskey

.

What did pioneers drink?

So instead of drinking water, many people drank fermented and brewed beverages like

beer, ale, cider, and wine

. Children drank something called small beer.

What did they eat for breakfast in the 1700s?

A 1600's or 1700's American breakfast could consist of a

mug of beer or cider, bannock or hoe cakes, and a bowl of porridge

, and often a cornmeal pudding called mush, pap, Indian pudding or hasty pudding. The pudding would be eaten with milk poured over it or maple syrup or molasses.

What food did they eat in the 1500s?


Barley, oats and rye

were eaten by the poor. Wheat was for the governing classes. These were consumed as bread, porridge, gruel and pasta by all of society's members. Fava beans and vegetables were important supplements to the cereal-based diet of the lower orders.

What did colonists eat in Jamestown?

What kind of food did the settlers eat at Jamestown?

Corn

was the most important food. It could be made into mush, hoecakes, and other kinds of corn bread. Corn cakes were a part of most meals they ate.

What fruit is native to the United States?


Cranberries, persimmons

and other native fruits are among the true American originals. They're also the epitome of “locally grown.”

Which language did most of the first US colonists speak?

Because the original thirteen colonies were all British-controlled by the time of the American Revolution,

English

was the official language and most people in the colonies spoke English, even if only as a second language.

What food did they eat in 1776?

According to legend, on July 4, 1776, John Adams and his wife, Abigail, sat down for a celebratory meal of

turtle soup

, New England poached salmon with egg sauce, green peas, and boiled new potatoes in jackets. They followed the meal with Indian pudding or Apple Pandowdy.

What food did the early colonists eat?


Bread

was always the settlers' main food stuff. Breakfast might consist of bread with butter or cheese. In the middle of the day, as part of their main meal, settlers might enjoy smoked or salted meat, or perhaps a bowl of stew, with their bread. The evening meal was likely porridge—with bread, of course.

What meat did colonists eat?

Colonial forests were packed with

wild game, and turkey, venison, rabbit and duck

were staples of the colonists' meat-heavy diets. In addition to these better-known (by modern standards) options, many colonists enjoyed eating passenger pigeons.

Sophia Kim
Author
Sophia Kim
Sophia Kim is a food writer with a passion for cooking and entertaining. She has worked in various restaurants and catering companies, and has written for several food publications. Sophia's expertise in cooking and entertaining will help you create memorable meals and events.