Native American recipes?

WaimanaloMan
WaimanaloMan Posts: 160 Member
Does anyone here have any recipes I can try with readily available ingredients? I've tried fry bread before which was awesome but I'd like to try something new to expand my knowledge base and treat my family to something new. Recipes, stories behind them, anything and everything is gratefully accepted.

Many thanks :)
«1

Replies

  • curvymomo3
    curvymomo3 Posts: 253 Member
    bump! ( I made fry bread the other day lol)
  • tschaff04
    tschaff04 Posts: 296 Member
    Oooh, I would love to hear what people have to share. And I am now intrigued by the fry bread. lol
  • rachempoo
    rachempoo Posts: 134 Member
    I make tacos with my fry bread. Just top with what you would normally put in a taco to make fry bread a meal.
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
    Google it. I got lots of hits. This one looked like it had quite a bit of variety:

    http://www.ocbtracker.com/ladypixel/natrec1.html

    Also, look for recipes for foods that originated in the western hemisphere such as: corn, squash & pumpkins, beans, quinoa, sweet potatoes, blueberries, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, peanuts, avocados, wild rice, CHOCOLATE, COFFEE ...:love::flowerforyou:
  • gingabebe
    gingabebe Posts: 165 Member
    Fry bread is wonderful- I tasted it for the first time on vacation in Arizona and just had to get the recipe. It is a favorite of the whole family now. There has to be some other yummy recipes out there? Sorry I can't help with more! My great grandma was Cherokee but I have no idea what she cooked, she was in her late 90's when I was very young, 4 or 5. I will have to ask my mom if she remembers anything.
  • tschaff04
    tschaff04 Posts: 296 Member
    Hmm, I looked up fry bread. Seems pretty much the same as a tortilla except not quite shaped the same.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    Pumpkin or squash stuffed with wild rice, sauteed onions or leeks, ground beef, mushrooms, garlic, it's a modern adaption of a Chippewa recipe that used venison, wild leeks, etc.
  • gingabebe
    gingabebe Posts: 165 Member
    Made a quick call to my mom and she said succotash (lima beans, corn and onion and ham or bacon to flavor) (do some people add squash to this too?), bean cakes (these are cornmeal and brown beans, can be fried or boiled), the usual wild game: deer, rabbit, squirrel and hickory nut cake. Greens picked fresh, like poke and dandelion and sassafras tea. Most of these I make today, I haven't tried the succotash or bean cakes and thought of all the others as just country folk food. My mom taught me what greens to pick and when quite early and my husband and son take care of the wild game, my 11 year old got his 1st deer last year. My husband was clearing a wooded piece of land for cattle grazing recently and when I went to check it out I smelled a distinctive smell- it was sassafras, which is a tree. I asked him if he uprooted sassafras and he said it was everywhere, there was tons of it (I made sure he left quite a bit), so I grabbed a bunch to make tea with. The stuff is free in our woods and pricey to buy! Just like purslane and chickweed, things most people spray with weed killer. Hickory nuts are the devil to crack, but I do remember my grandma's cake. We have a large hickory nut tree on our property but I refuse to crack them and besides the wildlife love them. I am trying to get persimmon trees started but no luck yet. I bought some at the grocery store and they were HORRIBLE- felt ripe, but tasted bitter. In case you have never tasted or heard of a persimmon, when they are unripe they are very, very bitter, you eat one and it will literally pucker your mouth up. My cousin and I used to dare each other to see who could stand to eat the most! My best friend in school would get a kick at coming to my house and eating "weeds"! There are a lot of edible plants in your backyard! One more reason not to go spraying everything with chemicals (besides the bees!)
  • ebgbjo
    ebgbjo Posts: 821 Member
    Can any of you share the fry bread recipe you have used and liked? Thank you
  • Corjogo
    Corjogo Posts: 201 Member
    Google it. I got lots of hits. This one looked like it had quite a bit of variety:

    http://www.ocbtracker.com/ladypixel/natrec1.html

    Also, look for recipes for foods that originated in the western hemisphere such as: corn, squash & pumpkins, beans, quinoa, sweet potatoes, blueberries, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, peanuts, avocados, wild rice, CHOCOLATE, COFFEE ...:love::flowerforyou:

    Oh, thanks so much - really looking forward to trying some of these!
  • MorgueBabe
    MorgueBabe Posts: 1,188 Member
    These aren't recipes but this is a Native American place I've been meaning to go to check out.
    http://tocabe.com/

    It has names of dishes, maybe you can google recipes for them?
  • KANSASGIRL69
    KANSASGIRL69 Posts: 28 Member
    ...but fried bread is not really a whole food lol...beans, nuts, squashes anybody? the bread didn't even come about until reservations and rations came into play...im not saying i wouldn't eat an INDIAN TACO RIGHT NOW LMAO...but really now...how many calories and stuff is in a taco native style? hmmmmmmm...thinking.....???:noway:
  • KANSASGIRL69
    KANSASGIRL69 Posts: 28 Member
    <
    IS NATIVE!!! :glasses:
  • ebgbjo
    ebgbjo Posts: 821 Member
    Nevermarried, do you have any recipes you can recommend then? Even just for the ethnic food, not so much health lol. My husband is from South Dakota and grew up near reservations, but I have no idea how to make any Native American food. I am sure he would love a recipe or two.
  • WaimanaloMan
    WaimanaloMan Posts: 160 Member
    Wow I thought this thread had become lost to the forum, thanks for all the fantastic replies! I'm open to trying any recipes out, I had read a topic in the forums asking if there were any other Native Americans (or tribes from Canada) and so I was hoping to get some first hand tips. Food is such a huge part of our culture as people, I want to broaden my knowledge as much as possible. I was thinking the fry bread is probably not exactly what I'm looking for, but it's a good start! Many thanks again :)
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
    Pumpkin or squash stuffed with wild rice, sauteed onions or leeks, ground beef, mushrooms, garlic, it's a modern adaption of a Chippewa recipe that used venison, wild leeks, etc.

    This sounds yummy. I don't have a native American heritage, but DH does. We've both had an interest in native culture and foods for a long time. Your recipe idea is something I'd like to play with. It sounds like perfect fall food.
  • KANSASGIRL69
    KANSASGIRL69 Posts: 28 Member
    Try YOUTUBE for some recipes...hmmm....south dakota eh? My dad's side is up there in ND...Ft. Berthold Reservation...I grew up in KS with my mothers side the Potawatomi...we ate very bland whole foods...no spices or onions unless they were wild spring onions...never any garlic...very bland basic whole foods...i miss the pumpkin and squash we have at our ceremonies...deer bison elk...all natural whole foods is all i can say...like i said before the fried bread indian taco thing came about after rations were given to us by the government ....check out YOUTUBE for bannok bread...fried bread...good luck!
  • gingabebe
    gingabebe Posts: 165 Member
    ...but fried bread is not really a whole food lol...beans, nuts, squashes anybody? the bread didn't even come about until reservations and rations came into play...im not saying i wouldn't eat an INDIAN TACO RIGHT NOW LMAO...but really now...how many calories and stuff is in a taco native style? hmmmmmmm...thinking.....???:noway:

    Fried bread is a splurge for me! Every time I cook it I think about those pesky calories so I just make a smallish one with a little meat and lots of beans and veggies! I tried my first at a native restaurant somewhere outside the Grand Canyon on our way down to central AZ and we wanted to stay the night there b/c the food was so wonderful, but they were all booked up! I didn't get a chance to sample the breakfast :( My son got fried chicken and it was good, being from KY I kinda have to judge fried chicken from other states-haha
  • jennontheroad
    jennontheroad Posts: 142 Member
    Corn!!!!

    I have a book called: Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden, The classic account of Hidatsa American Indian gardening techniques.
    She lived near the Missouri river in North Dakota, over 100 years ago.
    She made:
    -squash blossoms boiled with a little bit of fat.
    -boiled ripe squash
    -sunflower seed balls- the seeds were roasted, ground, and smooshed into a ball. The warriors would bring them out with them, wrapped up in a piece of buffalo-heart skin.
    -boiled beans
    -lots of corn recipes
    -pounded dried ripe corn boiled with beans
    -a seasoning that was made from the crust of ash that formed after a fire- it was gathered into small balls.
  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
    NVintage wrote: »

    @NVintage - awesome!!! Thanks for sharing!
  • NVintage
    NVintage Posts: 1,463 Member
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    A bit off topic, but there's a great Top Chef (Boston season) Thanksgiving episode where they worked with traditional Wampanoag ingredients at Plimouth Plantation. Interesting discussion of traditional dishes from the Native American guests at the dinner they prepared (they also were limited to ingredients that would have been available to the Pilgrims and the cooking methods).

    https://observer.com/2014/11/top-chef-boston-12x6-recap-the-first-thanksgiving/
  • JulieH70517
    JulieH70517 Posts: 8 Member
    Fry Bread Tacos! I wouldn't even try to count the calories. My idea of heaven is eating all the fry bread I want and not gain weight. :)
  • NVintage
    NVintage Posts: 1,463 Member
    edited May 2021
  • NVintage
    NVintage Posts: 1,463 Member
    I only feel safe foraging for pecans, blackberries, and wild onions. I remember as a kid, though, we'd eat crabapples, persimmons, and muscadines in the woods here in Georgia when we lived in rural areas. I haven't seen any of those for years, though. (maybe because I usually just hike at parks and botanical gardens instead of just exploring random wooded areas) I know natives in the Eastern U.S. would eat goosefoot aka lamb's quarters, for sure. and sunflower, marsh elder, and squash. Anyway, these 2 guys know hundreds of edible plants you can find for free! & I found their video interesting.
    https://youtu.be/j-wscPmoS2M
  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
    While I don't hail from any of the First Nations, I'll do unspeakable things for bannock 🤤

    Here is a recipe from a gentleman's mother (her name is Jean). You can even email her your bannock questions and she'll answer because she's so nice. How is everyone's grandmother so sweet?! 😭

    https://youtu.be/xLoZjfpIuSA