# Native Cuisine **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 26, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004 "2016-11-26T02:10:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/21 "2016-11-26T08:14:17Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > Like camas and cattails. šŸ™‚ Up here in the Northwest, native cuisine not only includes camas, but also wapato, salal, and Oregon-grape (which is a berry, not a grape). Also salmon, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/22 "2016-11-26T09:29:10Z")
So, people have named dishes prepared by Native Americans in various parts of the USā€“and Canada. And weā€™ve noted that Native foods are widely popular here, adapted by cooks with European or African roots. To me, ā€œcuisineā€ has a touch of ā€œfine dining.ā€ In 2014, Rick Bayless offered [ā€œMexico City 1491ā€](http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2014/02/10/see-topolobampos-kitchen-before-columbus) at Topolobampoā€“a tasting menu of dishes using only pre-Columbian ingredients. Inspired by the great Mesoamerican cultures, the dishes were prepared by cooks using state-of-the-art techniques. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/23 "2016-11-26T12:54:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And **Ruken** , most ā€œtraditionalā€ Old-World cuisine is also strictly post-Columbus. If we can consider Irish potatoes, Italian tomatoes or polenta, Swiss chocolates, Hungarian paprika, and Thai chilis to be traditional, then why not American fried flour bread, too? Itā€™s an artefact of the reservation system. U.S. gov supplied lard and flour. Weā€™re not talking about hundreds of years here. Just a handful of generations. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/24 "2016-11-26T13:09:37Z")
My sisterā€™s European ex asked me, ā€œWhere are the Native American restaurants?ā€ I said there arenā€™t any, there is Native North American cuisine, and it inspires a number of restaurants with influences, for example ā€“ Tex-Mex (remember: Mexico is North America, not Central or South America.) I asked him, ā€œWhere are the Gypsy, or Romani restaurants in Europe?ā€ Yes, they have a cuisine, and it can inspire fusion themes you can find in small places. But there isnā€™t a tradition of Gypsy restaurants like there are French or Italian. See, there are centuries of inns, taverns, and hotels, building to a restaurant culture. If that isnā€™t part of the historical culture, you wonā€™t find a certain type of restaurant, despite the existence of a certain cuisine. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/25 "2016-11-26T13:15:25Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > The lungs of what? Just curious. Your enemies? Revenge may be a dish best served cold but Other Tribe lung soup is definitely better when hot and fresh. Not meant as a GQ answer; just me goofing around. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/26 "2016-11-26T13:17:56Z")
A lot of what Granny Clampett was mentioned cooking on _The Beverly Hillbillies_ would count as Native American cuisine, including crawdads (crayfish), [pawpaw](http://www.splendidtable.org/story/how-did-americans-forget-about-the-pawpaw), and possum. Iā€™d guess for the average person reading this, those count as ā€œhadā€, ā€œnever hadā€ and ā€œnever wanted.ā€ Other options include pokeberry and acorns, both of which need to be specially treated before they become palatable. (Iā€™ve long wanted to try growing a few pawpaw trees here in South Carolina, but never got around to buying any. The fruit apparently doesnā€™t have a good shelf life, which is why you donā€™t find it in grocery stores alongside your apples, oranges, and bananas.) ETA: Oh! More Native American foods worth checking outā€“muscadine and scuppernong grapes. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/27 "2016-11-26T14:03:36Z")
ā€œA handful of generationsā€ is plenty of time for a dish to become ā€œtraditionalā€. When people say ā€œtraditionalā€, what they really mean is ā€œlike Grandma used to doā€. And every Native American alive is young enough for their grandmas to have made fry bread. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/28 "2016-11-26T15:22:17Z")
Muktuk is found a little further north. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/29 "2016-11-26T15:36:53Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > The lungs of what? Just curious. It was part of a roadkill deer that someone brought in. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/30 "2016-11-26T15:50:05Z")
The Mrs. and I had a lovely meal at the [Desert Rain Cafe](http://www.desertraincafe.com/desert-rain-cafe-review-2/) a few years ago, featuring dishes based on the traditional foods of the Tohono Oā€™odham. Past thread on this topic here: [Where are all of the Native American restaurants? - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=710932) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/31 "2016-11-26T18:17:45Z")
We had lunch at the Hopi Cultural Center on Second Mesa this past summer. Their menu has a lot of things like burgers and other typical American fare, but they also have some typical Hopi dishes. We had both Tsiliā€™ongava (Slow cooked Red Chili beans and ground beef served with diced green chili and choice of regular or blue frybread or regular or blue flour tortilla} and Noqkwivi (White corn hominy and tender lamb stew served with diced green chili and choice of regular or blue frybread or regular or blue flour tortilla). Descriptions are from their [menu](http://www.hopiculturalcenter.com/lunchdinner) (scroll down to get to the Hopi items). ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/32 "2016-11-26T23:47:11Z")
Wild rice is a Native American food ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/33 "2016-11-27T00:24:50Z")
**Moderator Action** Since this is about food, letā€™s move it to CS (from GQ). ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/34 "2016-11-27T00:34:04Z")
Saying Native American cuisine would be akin to saying European cuisine. Itā€™s so broad as to be somewhat meaningless. Despite this, Iā€™ve long encouraged my Indian wife to go into the restaurant business with her family selling ā€œAuthentic Native cuisineā€ by real live Indians. Here in the bay area this would go over well. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/35 "2016-11-27T04:56:38Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > the Native American foods have been appropriated. Iā€™m getting to really really hate the use of this term. ā€œAppropriatedā€. Every damned culture on Earth as picked up and incorporated things from other cultures. It is how Humans work. It isnā€™t ā€œtheftā€ to start eating a new food you encounter. Entire native American cultures changed in a generation with the arrival of horses. That wasnā€™t ā€˜appropriatingā€™ European culture either. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/36 "2016-11-27T06:35:04Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Iā€™m getting to really really hate the use of this term. ā€œAppropriatedā€. Every damned culture on Earth as picked up and incorporated things from other cultures. It is how Humans work. It isnā€™t ā€œtheftā€ to start eating a new food you encounter. > > Entire native American cultures changed in a generation with the arrival of horses. That wasnā€™t ā€˜appropriatingā€™ European culture either. I didnā€™t say it was theft. I donā€™t think thereā€™s anything wrong with appropriation of culture. What about the literal use of a word is bothering you? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/37 "2016-11-27T07:40:21Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > ā€¦ you can by traditional wild rice from northern Canada. Not likely. More like northern Minnesota. Wild rice is the seed of a grass that grows in lakes. Harvesting it is very labor intensive; one person has to paddle a canoe slowly through the grass while another beats it with paddles so that the grains fall into the canoe. This is why itā€™s so expensive. At least, thatā€™s the traditional way. Maybe agrobusiness has made inroads into wild rice production, but Iā€™ve only ever seen packages of wild rice harvested by Native Americans in this manner. Wild rice is also very tough and has a strong nutty flavor. For this reason, itā€™s often mixed in with brown (unmilled long-grain) rice, which is what I use when making my holiday turkey dressing. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/38 "2016-11-27T07:49:13Z")
This might be of interest to some: https://www.youtube.com/embed/JtYnGbK8ink?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=PLC4OmLeHkcPjxg2wm0ksVGEl320j9MwXl Jeff Smith did a number of shows on Native and Early American cuisine (along with the cooking of many other ethnic groups). ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/39 "2016-11-27T08:08:38Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > This might be of interest to some: > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtYnGbK8ink&list=PLC4OmLeHkcPjxg2wm0ksVGEl320j9MwXl&index=77](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtYnGbK8ink&list=PLC4OmLeHkcPjxg2wm0ksVGEl320j9MwXl&index=77) > > Jeff Smith did a number of shows on Native and Early American cuisine (along with the cooking of many other ethnic groups). Was this before or after he sexually harassed every young man who worked in his studio? This is from a person who owns both Three Ancient Cuisines and Cooks American. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2016, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004/40 "2016-11-27T08:48:18Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Was this before or after he sexually harassed every young man who worked in his studio? This is from a person who owns both Three Ancient Cuisines and Cooks American. I would assume this was before such accusations were leveled against him, yes. Not that I give them any credit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/native-cuisine/773004.md?page=3)