While harvest festivals and festivals of giving thanks are celebrated in many forms around the world, Thanksgiving in the United States has its origins in the traditions of New England Puritans of giving thanks; and is historically linked to meals shared between Mayflower Puritans and members of the Wampanoag Tribe in 1621.

Many elements of colonial-era New England cooking are echoed in traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, as prepared in the United States today. While venison is not usually part of Thanksgiving dinner, other Thanksgiving foods, such as corn (maize), gourds, cranberries, and turkey are foods that would have been familiar to Native Americans and European immigrants in the seventeenth century North America.  Yet despite the traditional elements of Thanksgiving dinner, there is always room at the table for new dishes and variations on traditional favorites.