AMERICAN INDIAN FOOD LINDA MURRAY BERZOK GREENWOOD PRESS AMERICAN INDIAN FOOD Locations of major tribes in ad 1500, before any significant European contact. AMERICAN INDIAN FOOD LINDA MURRAY BERZOK Food in American History Greenwood Press Westport, Connecticut • London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Berzok, Linda Murray. American Indian food / Linda Murray Berzok. p. cm.—(Food in American history, ISSN 1552–8200) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–313–32989–3 (alk. paper) 1. Indians of North America—Food. 2. Indians of North America—Eth- nobotany. 3. Food habits—North America. 4. Plants, Cultivated—North America. 5. Plants, Useful—North America. I. Title. II. Series. E98.F7B47 2005 394.1'2'08997—dc22 2004027858 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2005 by Linda Murray Berzok All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004027858 ISBN: 0–313–32989–3 ISSN: 1552–8200 First published in 2005 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.greenwood.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984). 10987654321 The publisher has done its best to make sure the instructions and/or recipes in this book are correct. However, users should apply judgment and experience when preparing recipes, especially parents and teachers working with young people. The publisher accepts no responsibility for the outcome of any recipe included in this volume. TM For Bob, husband and best friend, whose patience, love, support and editorial wisdom have made this book possible. Series Foreword ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xxi Chronology xxiii 1. Introduction: Food, History and Culture 1 2. Foodstuffs 49 3. Food Preparation, Preservation and Storage 97 4. Food Customs 127 5. Food and Religion 143 6. Concepts of Diet and Nutrition 171 Glossary 201 Selected Bibliography 205 Index 207 CONTENTS This series focuses on food culture as a way to illuminate the socie- tal mores and daily life of Americans throughout our history. These volumes are meant to complement history studies at the high school level on up. In addition, Food Studies is a burgeoning field, and food enthusiasts and food scholars will find much to mine here. The series is comprehensive, with the first volume covering American Indian food and the following volumes each covering an era or eras from Colonial times until today. Regional and group differences are dis- cussed as appropriate. Each volume is written by a food historian who is an expert on the period. Each volume contains the following: • Chronology of food-related dates • Narrative chapters, including Introduction (brief overview of period as it relates to food) Foodstuffs (staples, agricultural developments, etc.) Food Preparation Eating Habits (manners, customs, mealtimes, special occasions) Concepts of Diet and Nutrition (including religious strictures) • Recipes • Period illustrations • Glossary, if needed • Bibliography • Index SERIES FOREWORD [...]... National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall in Washington, D.C., opened in September 2004 with the cooperation and support of many tribal people The American Indian Culture and Research Journal at the American Indian Studies Center at the University of California at Los Angeles (one of many American Indian studies programs around the country) is both edited and staffed by American Indians Those tribes... of Indian baking, to the Indians of New Mexico 1600s Period of war between Native Americans and colonists on the east coast disrupts native hunting territories and Indian planting grounds Native Americans forced to migrate and adapt to new foods in new territories British and French colonists introduce east coast Native Americans to brass and copper kettles, guns and metal traps for hunting and new foods... cooking and preservation methods developed by the Indians Native American communities are taking renewed pride in their ethnicity and celebrating their roots through ceremonies, plantings and food This is the true culinary heritage of America, and it is to these first peoples and first foods that this book is dedicated SEMANTICS Native American or American Indian? When Columbus landed on a Caribbean island... perpetuate is that American Indian ways are relegated to the past Today, many tribes are hand-harvesting wild rice just as their ancestors had done for thousands of years, making mesquite pudding and baking the sacred blue maize piki bread I have long been interested in ethnic food, those dishes with distinct cultural markers that come to symbolize specific cultural identities American Indian food qualifies... membership These are the foods of communities with common social roots Ethnic foods are most vibrant for their signature flavors and dishes and for the way in which they perpetuate a culture when people no longer live in their homeland Taste bonds members together, reminds them of home and draws forth deep memories Most important, ethnic foods survive In the case of the American Indians, these foodways have survived... project I am also grateful to Sara Heitshu, reference librarian for the American Indian Studies Program at the University of Arizona; Rebecca Ohm of Sawyer Library at Williams College; and the staffs of the American Indian research collection at Huntington Free Library and Reading Room, Bronx, New York, the Museum of the American Indian, New York City, and the State University of New York at Albany Library... enter the master’s program in food studies at New York University’s Department of Nutrition, Food and Food Management Quite simply, I felt like I had come home For their pioneering efforts in making Food Studies a field of academic inquiry, and for their personal strong support, I will be forever grateful to my advisor, doctoral candidate and director of the Food Studies and Food Management Program, Jennifer... lands on coast of Florida, pillaging Indian food stores and burning villages 1521 Spanish cattle from Mexico migrate northward into the Southwest, where they are captured and raised by Indians Beef will eventually mean a huge increase in animal protein for Native Americans 1530 European diseases dramatically reduce the Native American population, decreasing the amount of food they need but leaving fewer... formation of American Indian food habits Foodways were one of the first layers of culture attacked by the invaders The new arrivals wanted to set strong cultural boundaries between themselves and the Indians European conviction of superiority over the “savages” (characterized as stupid, lazy and unenlightened), plus the newcomers’ desire to re-create their homeland, led them to force the Indians to cultivate... invader 1924 Congress grants citizenship to Native Americans 1934 Federal government now owns 90 million acres that were originally in Indian hands Indian Reorganization (Wheeler-Howard) Act becomes law, permitting Native American communities to form tribal governments and corporations 1960s–1970s Birth of the Pan -Indian movement, in which Native Americans identify with the entire group rather than . AMERICAN INDIAN FOOD LINDA MURRAY BERZOK GREENWOOD PRESS AMERICAN INDIAN FOOD Locations of major tribes in ad 1500,. in ad 1500, before any significant European contact. AMERICAN INDIAN FOOD LINDA MURRAY BERZOK Food in American History Greenwood Press Westport, Connecticut