Why Cranberry Sauce is Always Invited to Thanksgiving

Even If Nobody Likes It

Let’s talk about cranberry sauce. You know the one.

That wobbly, can-shaped log that somehow always finds its way to the Thanksgiving table.

Some people love it. Some people won’t touch it with a ten-foot fork. And the rest? They put it out just because it’s tradition.

But have you ever stopped mid-bite — or mid-avoidance — to ask, Why is this even here? Buckle up, because this little red blob has a backstory. A weird, fascinating, and unexpectedly inspiring one.

Cranberries: Nature’s Overachievers

Before cranberry sauce became the gelatinous superstar we love to debate, cranberries themselves were doing the absolute most. Native Americans were the first to realize these tart little berries weren’t just food — they were multitaskers.

Cranberries were a snack, a medicine, and even a natural dye. They were also the star ingredient in pemmican, a sort of prehistoric energy bar made with dried meat, fat, and cranberries.