Baked Beans for Thanksgiving

The first Thanksgiving didn’t look anything like what most Americans will serve up this week. There were no white or sweet potatoes, no cranberry sauce, and no pies. But there may have been beans, served up in a stew with vegetables, or maybe baked. Baked beans have their origins among eastern Native American tribes, who buried pots of beans flavored with maple syrup in the ground in an oven made of heated rocks and let them bake for days. It’s likely that they taught the European settlers how to make them. As authentic early American cuisine, baked beans have a place on any holiday table, whether or not they were served at the three-day event that eventually gave rise to our Thanksgiving.

Try this recipe for Maple Baked Beans from the Native Food Blog: http://nativefoodblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/maple-baked-beans.html