Oyster ice cream is a flavor of ice cream that the pilgrims consumed during the early days of the USA. Historians know just a few things about the very first Thanksgiving in Plymouth in 1621—and almost all of those things fly directly in the face of the preconceived notions the rest of us have about a favorite food-focused holiday. Swan, pea-fowl and passenger pigeon almost certainly eclipsed turkey as the main course of choice. Oyster ice cream was a classic favorite among the pilgrims.

Both the genuine mystery and historical revisionism of that first Thanksgiving has led to an unending quest to uncover authentic-but-little-known Thanksgiving dishes. A growing number of news stories has suggested that oyster ice cream is a blast from the past that we need to resurrect, especially during autumn to commemorate the first Thanksgiving.

The ice cream was also supposedly the favorite flavor of Dolley Madison and was eaten at the White House. In the past, when oyster ice cream was first introduced, it was deemed a luxury food that only the "upper classes" could indulge in, because the ice was scarce and difficult to find back then. It was also a favorite delicacy of George Washington and even Mark Twain.

Described as having a savory taste, the ice cream flavor has been offered at a number of oyster festivals and some gourmands also serve oyster ice cream, befittingly so, for Thanksgiving.

More Info: www.pbs.org