感恩节食谱的择选关键在于：食物要有好的寓意，要能够表达出对好年头、对好运气的感恩之心，以及与朋友、家人共同分享的宽宏之心。现如今，人们准备感恩节大餐什么都不缺，唯一可能碰到的困难就是缺乏想象力和创造力。
Edward Winslow's account details that "they went out and killed five deer" and mentions that "our governor sent four men on fowling" and that "they four, in one day, killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week." While it is possible that turkeys may have been killed, it is more likely that ducks or geese were the primary targets.
根据爱德华·温斯洛的记载，他们那时外出捕杀了五头鹿。“长官共派了四个人去抓鸟。这四个人运气不错，一天就找到了几乎够一周吃的东西。”这些人有可能杀火鸡来庆贺，但鸭子和鹅更可能成为那时候人的首选。