When Was Canned Cranberry Sauce Invented?
What To Know
- Canned cranberry sauce was invented in 1912 by Marcus L. Urann, who developed a method to preserve cranberries year-round and later helped found Ocean Spray.
- The jellied, ridged version became widely available in grocery stores by 1941, aligning with the rise of mid-century American convenience foods.
- Canned cranberry sauce remains a Thanksgiving staple, sparking strong opinions and preferences between the canned and homemade versions.
On Thanksgiving, there is one side dish that always seems to spark strong opinions the moment it hits the table: canned cranberry sauce. The sauce, perfectly smooth and stamped with the ridges of the tin it came from, has become one of the most iconic sights of the holiday. For many people, it is as essential as the turkey itself. For others, they prefer their cranberry sauce a little more natural-looking. But how did this wiggly, sweet dish earn such a permanent place in our Thanksgiving traditions?
To understand it, you have to start long before canning. Cranberries are native to North America and grow naturally in the bogs of the Northeast. Indigenous peoples, including the Wampanoag and the Algonquin, used cranberries for food, medicine and dye. The berries were tart but versatile, and early European settlers quickly learned to cook them into sauces and preserves. One of the earliest American cookbooks, American Cookery by Amelia Simmons in 1796, even included a cranberry recipe served alongside roast turkey.
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The canned version we know today arrived much later. In 1912, a cranberry grower named Marcus L. Urann began experimenting with ways to preserve cranberries beyond their short fall harvest. He developed a method to cook, strain, and can the berries, allowing cranberries to be sold year-round rather than only during November and December. Urann eventually helped establish the cooperative that would become Ocean Spray, the company most associated with cranberry products today.
Robert Cox, coauthor of Massachusetts Cranberry Culture: A History from Bog to Table said about Urann, “He had the savvy, the finances, the connections and the innovative spirit to make change happen. He wasn’t the only one to cook cranberry sauce, he wasn’t the only one to develop new products, but he was the first to come up with the idea.”
By 1941, jellied cranberry sauce in a can was widely available in grocery stores. It was convenient and inexpensive, making it perfect for busy home cooks during the rise of mid-century American convenience foods. The smooth, molded shape was not an accident. The sauce was cooled directly in the can so it would hold its form when popped out and sliced. Canned cranberry sauce became tied to the holiday simply because it was easy to store, easy to serve and easy to pass around a crowded table. Even today, families have strong preferences. Some love the homemade chunky version simmered on the stove, while others insist Thanksgiving does not feel complete without those familiar ridges marking each slice.
Are you team canned cranberry sauce or team homemade? And do you slice it into perfect rounds or scoop it out with a spoon?
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November 2023
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