Culture Tuesday: Native American Cuisine of North America (+Recipes) - Best of Vegan (2024)

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Culture Tuesday is a new weekly column in which Best of Vegan Editor Samantha Onyemenam explores the cuisines of different cultures across the globe through a plant-based and vegan lens. Click here to read her column about Indian Cuisine and here to read her column about Nigerian cuisine.

(Content/Trigger Warning: Reference to concentration camps, violence and starvation). Native American cuisine is the mother of modern-day cuisine even though, presently, it is one of the youngest cuisines. Originally, it involved solely cooking with ingredients that were exclusively found in the American continents. However, the cuisine evolved over the years due to colonisation and its caused historical events resulting in newer dishes being made for survival and the current neo-traditional Native American cuisine.

To understand the Native American cuisine of North America, it is important to break it down into four periods:

  • The pre-Columbian
  • European contact
  • Government-issued
  • Neo-traditional

Note: You’ll find recipes at the end of this article!

Culture Tuesday: Native American Cuisine of North America (+Recipes) - Best of Vegan (2)

Pre-Columbian (from circa 8000BC till 1492AD)

“The Magic 8” – corn, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, squash, chillies, cacao, and vanilla.

The cuisine of the Native Americans during this period included solely indigenous and wild ingredients – foods that existed before the European invasion. These ingredients form the basis of Native American cuisine till this day. They included those dubbed by, Culinary Anthropologist and Chef, Lois Ellen Frank (Kiowa Tribe), as “The Magic 8” – corn, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, squash, chillies, cacao, and vanilla. These are the basic, or commonly used, ingredients that played great parts in developing the modern-day cuisines of many countries both during the colonial and post-colonial era.

without, and before, the colonisation of the Americas, the various cuisines of the world would have been vastly different

This means that without, and before, the colonisation of the Americas, the various cuisines of the world would have been vastly different. The U.K. would not have chips or roast potatoes, Indian and West African cuisines would not have chillies, French desserts would not contain vanilla or chocolate, and Italian cuisine would not contain tomatoes. These are almost unimaginable exclusions to the present-day traditional cuisine of these countries and regions.

They charred chillies in order to bring out their medicinal oils and flavours

The cooking methods of this period included boiling, drying, smoking, clay baking, steaming, charring and pureeing or mashing in order to make dishes, some of which are still eaten till this day and some of which for what is now known as the “soul food” of the southern Americans. They charred chillies in order to bring out their medicinal oils and flavours and wrapped foods in corn husks before encasing them in clay and placing them into fires to steam or bake the food. Although a lot of the foods were cooked or dried, fruits such as berries, papayas, avocados, and pineapples were often eaten fresh.

Culture Tuesday: Native American Cuisine of North America (+Recipes) - Best of Vegan (3)

European Contact (between 1492 and the 1800s)

During the European invasion, the Europeans brought grains such as wheat to the Americas as well as non-vegan products (domesticated animal products and by-products). These were all things the Native Americans did not consume during the pre-colonial era and which were of less nutritional value than their traditional foods.

policies such as the Indian Removal Act (signed into law in 1830), making it illegal for Native Americans to practice their culture

As millions of European immigrants invaded North America, they sought land by pillaging, plundering, burning towns, and killing Native Americans. The United States government played a dominant role in this through the creation and implementation of policies such as the Indian Removal Act (signed into law in 1830), making it illegal for Native Americans to practice their culture and committing atrocities such as the Trail of Tears and The Long Walk.

These reservations were unsuitable for gathering or growing traditional food like the Native Americans were used to

The Trail of Tears, which occurred between 1830 and 1877, involved tens of thousands of Native Americans (members of the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee, Seminole and Muscogee (Creek) Nations in the southeast being removed from their ancestral homelands and forced to march thousands of miles in harsh conditions resulting in the deaths of thousands upon thousands of people. Those who survived were confined to a designated ‘Indian Community.’ Over time, little by little, even the Indian Community was seized by the European invaders and the Native American tribes were forced unto the plots of land known as the ‘reservations’ to control them. These reservations were unsuitable for gathering or growing traditional food like the Native Americans were used to. This was the period when a lot of the traditional Native American cuisines from the aforementioned tribes were lost.

they were then confined to reservations with land unsuitable for growing or gathering traditional foods and they, too, lost a lot of their traditional cuisines

The Long Walk took place during the 1860s. During this tragic event, thousands of Navajo and Apache people were violently removed from their homelands by the U.S. military which carried out a Scorched Earth campaign. They burned the Navajos crops at Canyon de Chelly, a Navajo stronghold, as well as those of the Apache tribes and starved the people until they surrendered. Upon surrendering, they were forced to march to what was essentially a concentration camp in south-east New Mexico.

As the land within the concentration camp was unfit for farming, the Navajos and Apaches had no choice but to abandon their ancestral foods and survive off nutritionally deficient rations. As a result of this, thousand of Native American died of starvation and/or diseases. Eventually, those who survived were released by the U.S government, but like other tribes, they were then confined to reservations with land unsuitable for growing or gathering traditional foods and they, too, lost a lot of their traditional cuisines.

Government-issued (middle to late 1800s)

The government-issued foods for survival included ingredients like flour (wheat), coffee, salt, sugar and non-plant-based products in oil/fat or powdered form

As more people died from starvation and disease in the camps and reservations, the government issued starvation foods/military rations that were able to keep the Native Americans (barely) alive. The government-issued foods for survival included ingredients like flour (wheat), coffee, salt, sugar and non-plant-based products in oil/fat or powdered form. All of these were foods completely different from what the Native Americans were used to and far less in nutritional value than what they traditionally ate.

to some, it represents colonisation and dark experiences forced upon them by the European invaders

This period brought along the creation of fry bread. The recipe for fry bread was developed by the Elders using the government-issued foods (flour, salt, and water) to prevent people from perishing due to starvation. Although now traditional foods such as fry bread worked to keep the people alive, to some, it represents colonisation and dark experiences forced upon them by the European invaders. Therefore, there are Native Americans who strongly oppose eating it and do not consider it as part of their cuisine.

Culture Tuesday: Native American Cuisine of North America (+Recipes) - Best of Vegan (4)

Neo-Traditional

The surviving aspects of the Native American cultures were passed down through word of mouth. Being robbed of their land and forced into concentration camps then reservations led to the decimation of the Native American’s way of life and cultural traditions including culinary ones. Their past is echoed and reflected till this day through several reservations that are food deserts. There is a lack of food establishments in the reservations and the few supermarkets that do exist are 80% stocked with foods that have little to no nutritional value.

they still made strong efforts to connect with their ancestral practices through the knowledge of ingredients and food preparation methods passed down through generations

Over time, Native Americans adopted the cooking practices of the European invaders and their descendants although they still made strong efforts to connect with their ancestral practices through the knowledge of ingredients and food preparation methods passed down through generations. Therefore, new dishes have been created which use (solely or mostly) the traditional/indigenous ingredients but are cooked and present in less ancestrally traditional or untraditional ways (following European methods or those influenced by enslaved Africans) although some are still made following traditional methods.

These include dishes such as three sister stew (made with beans, corn and squash), cornbread, acorn bread, succotash (made with corn and beans), hominy, blueberry barbeque sauce, sofkee (cornmeal mush), kanuchi (pureed nut soup), grape dumplings, amaranth crackers, manoomin (wild rice) and berries with popped rice, braised sunflowers, refried beans, tortillas and roasted timpsula/turnip and winter squash with an agave glaze.

taking knowledge from the past, and the tools [they] have today, to move forward and break free from oppression

The Native Americans are, as Sean Sherman (Sioux Nation) said in a Food&Wine interview, “taking knowledge from the past, and the tools [they] have today, to move forward and break free from oppression and the poverty that’s been plaguing Indian country. [They’re] not going backwards in time to recreate foods from, like 1491.”

Culture Tuesday: Native American Cuisine of North America (+Recipes) - Best of Vegan (5)

Neo-Traditional and Paleo-Traditional Recipes

Below are recipes for some traditional Native American dishes. They are the Navajo Tanaashgiizh/Blue Corn Mush (a porridge made from blue corn, juniper ash and water) Chickasaw Three Sister stew (a stew made from the Three Sisters – corn, beans and squash), Three Sisters Stuffed Squash and Minty Wild Rice Salad.

Blue Corn Mush Recipe by The Fancy Navajo

Click here for the recipe.

Culture Tuesday: Native American Cuisine of North America (+Recipes) - Best of Vegan (6)

Click here for the full recipe.

Three Sisters Squash Recipe by Native American Vegans

Click here for the recipe.

Culture Tuesday: Native American Cuisine of North America (+Recipes) - Best of Vegan (7)

Click here for the full recipe.

Minty Wild Rice Salad Recipe by Indigenous Food Revolutionary

Click here for the recipe.

Culture Tuesday: Native American Cuisine of North America (+Recipes) - Best of Vegan (8)
Culture Tuesday: Native American Cuisine of North America (+Recipes) - Best of Vegan (9)

Click here for the full recipe.

Three Sister Stew Recipe

Click here for the recipe by The Chickasaw Nation.

Culture Tuesday: Native American Cuisine of North America (+Recipes) - Best of Vegan (10)

Click here for the full recipe.

Author: Samantha Onyemenam.

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Culture Tuesday: Native American Cuisine of North America (+Recipes) - Best of Vegan (2024)

FAQs

What are 5 traditional Native American foods? ›

The most important Indigenous American crops have generally included Indian corn (or maize, from the Taíno name for the plant), beans, squash, pumpkins, sunflowers, wild rice, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, peanuts, avocados, papayas, potatoes and chocolate.

What plant based foods did Native Americans eat? ›

For example, the Hopi and Pueblo tribes relied heavily on corn, beans, and squash, known as the "Three Sisters," as staple foods in their diet. These tribes also incorporated a variety of wild fruits, vegetables, and grains into their meals.

Can Native Americans be vegan? ›

For many Native Americans, going vegan is a revolutionary act against the injustice of speciesism. Animal agriculture is also massively damaging to the land, a concern of many land defenders.

What is the most famous Native American dish? ›

One of the most iconic NativeAmerican dishes that people know of is fry bread, pictured at the top. This dish, with its roots coming from the Government Issue Period, when imposed foods were issued to displaced Native Americans, includes flour and lard or solidified vegetable fat.

What is the best diet for Native Americans? ›

Eat whole foods like corn, beans, lentils, chickpeas, and grains like wild rice, quinoa, and buckwheat. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, especially dark green, red, and orange vegetables such as bell peppers, berries, apples, squash, and salads.

What kind of beans did Native Americans eat? ›

Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are a diverse and important crop to Native American farmers throughout the Southwest. They are eaten young as green beans or dried and shelled. Plants can be bush, semi-pole, or pole.

Are there any indigenous vegan tribes? ›

Are there any indigenous people who are or were vegans or vegetarians? Per PETA, the Brokpa tribe of Ladakh, has thrived while eating a plant-based diet for more than 5,000 years—all while living in harsh Himalayan terrain. The tribe's staple food is barley, which its members harvest on steep mountainsides.

What fruit is native to North America? ›

blueberries, cranberries, huckleberries, farkleberries have their origins in North America although they are now cultivated worldwide. Rubus spp. — blackberries, dewberries, raspberries.

Are Cherokee vegetarian? ›

Modern Cherokee Food

Cherokee people still eat the three sisters and grow a variety of vegetables and fruits. People also get together for hot dogs, hamburgers, BBQ, turkey, ham, steaks, fish, etc.

Which tribe is vegan? ›

The Brokpa tribe of Ladakh, for example, has thrived while eating a plant-based diet for more than 5,000 years—all while living in harsh Himalayan terrain. Plant foods provide all the nutrients and vitamins that the Brokpa need to live healthy, active lives at 15,000 feet.

What religion is completely vegan? ›

Pure vegetarianism or veganism is Indic in origin and is still practiced in India by some adherents of Dharmic religions such as Jainism and in the case of Hinduism, lacto-vegetarianism with the additional abstention of pungent or fetid vegetables.

What culture is most vegan? ›

India. Three of India's major religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism — teach the practice of ahimsa, or non-violence towards all beings. Because of this religious tradition, India has the highest percentage of vegetarians out of all the countries in the world.

What do Native Americans drink? ›

Surprisingly, there are a number of accounts of alcohol use among other American Indians and Alaska Natives. Beverages were limited to wine and beer, and included: balche, pulque, and "haren a pitahaya" wines, tulpi beer and other beverages.

What desserts did Native Americans eat? ›

native American dessert recipes
  • Besan Ki Burfi (Gram Flour Fudge) ...
  • Indigenous Food and Traditional Recipes. ...
  • Cherokee Huckleberry-honey Cake Recipe. ...
  • Delicious New Recipes Every Day | Kraft Heinz. ...
  • Cherokee Cooklore. ...
  • Wojapi - Traditional Native American Berry Dish Recipe. ...
  • Recipe: Nokake (Native American Blue Corn Cakes)

What do Native Americans prefer to be called? ›

The consensus, however, is that whenever possible, Native people prefer to be called by their specific tribal name. In the United States, Native American has been widely used but is falling out of favor with some groups, and the terms American Indian or Indigenous American are preferred by many Native people.

What are three common foods in Native American culture? ›

The three sisters (corn, beans, and squash) were the major staples of Native American agriculture, and were always grown together.

What are first foods Native Americans? ›

For the Coast Salish people of Western Washington, Oregon and British Columbia alone, there are more than 300 types of First Foods, from well-known staples like Chinook salmon, wapiti (elk) and camas root, to lesser known species including goose-neck barnacles and eulachon (candlefish, a type of smelt).

What did Native American drink? ›

Pre-Columbian Native Americans fermented starchy seeds and roots as well as fruits from both wild and domesticated plants. Among the most common are drinks made from fermented corn, agave, and manioc.

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