Food and Feasts

You will learn more than you ever thought you knew about parts of our fauna and flora as medicines, in recipes and as part of our culture.

  • Community Feasts: moose meat, caribou, fish, jams

  • Bannock: basic instruction, on a stick, fry, with or without raisins

  • Teas: labrador, chaga, rosehips, leaves, needles, willow

  • Natural Syrup: instruction on tapping and processing

  • Wild Plants and Berries: identify, harvest, store, preserve, jam making

  • Dry fish and meat Making: whitefish, cony, pike, moose, caribouddd

The American Indian Contribution To The World’s Food

Did you know that over 62% of all the food that the entire world eats today was originally developed by American Indian people ? It’s true ! In fact, if you took out all the food in your cupboards and refrigerator that was developed by Indians, you wouldn’t be left with much to eat. Have you ever gone to a movie and had a tub of popcorn ? Well, if it weren’t for the ingenuity of ancient Indian folks, you’d have to eat something else at the movie ! Yes, that’s right, Indians invented popcorn … and many other foods and drinks you enjoy today. The list below will clearly convey the overwhelming Indian contribution to the food of today’s world.

Foods originally developed or discovered by Indian people

  • Corn – all types including sweet, flint and popcorn

  • Beans – almost all types including Pinto, Lima, Kidney, Navy, Red, White, Black, Green (String, Pole, French, Snap), Butter, Great Northern and Wax

  • Squash – all types including Zucchini, Acorn, Spaghetti, Crook neck, Summer, Winter and Butternut

  • Tomatoes – all types including Red, Yellow and Orange, from cherry to melon size

  • Potato – 250 varieties grown (20 varieties are 75% of total harvest) 3,000 Varieties were developed by the Incas

  • Cacao (Cocoa and Chocolate come from this)

  • Peppers – all types including Green, Chili and Banana

  • Sunflowers (the seeds and oil as well)

  • Avocados, Cashews, Hominy, Passion Fruit, Vanilla, Catfish, Grits, Hickory Nuts, Cayenne Pumpkin, Gum, Pomegranates, Peanuts, Jerky, Wild Rice, Sweet Potato, Chilies, Tortillas, Jerusalem Artichoke, Persimmon, Yams, Arrowroot (starchy flour), Prickly Pear Cactus, Pineapple, Guava, Papaya, Pawpaw, Blueberry, Strawberry, Mulberry, Cranberry, Huckleberry, Chokecherry, Maple Syrup, Sassafras ( Tea & flavoring of Root Beer) Catnip, Manioc or Cassava (Tapioca Pudding), Mesquite, Ramps ( Wild Leeks), Wintergreen Mint, Paprika, Allspice, Pecan, Black Walnut, Acorn, Beechnut ( fine quality oil), Clams, Scallops, Shrimp, Crayfish, Turkey, Bison, Moose, Caribou, Musk Ox, Antelope, Opossum, Armadillo, White Tailed Deer, Alligator ..