6 Dishes to honor Indigenous American culture this Thanksgiving
Did you know that many classic Thanksgiving dishes - including cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, squash dishes and even cornbread - are inspired by the traditions and cuisine of Indigenous people?
Each of these dishes are made with native foods cultivated by the indigenous people of the Americas over hundreds of years. Sadly, the famous Thanksgiving story as a symbol of peace between Native Americans and Pilgrims is more myth than fact.
This famous narrative leaves out the diseases, wars and broken promises brought on by the colonising settlers, resulting in the loss of over 90% of the Native population in only a few short years. To this day, many tribes are still fighting to return to the lands they were removed from and rebuild connection to the native plants that sustained them for centuries.
Old Fashioned Cranberry Sauce / Jalapeño Cornbread / Squash Soup
This year, we invite you to take part in changing the narrative and explore Native American food culture to honor our shared, complex history.
6 Dishes inspired by Native American cuisine
These seasonal dishes celebrate foods native to North America and the wide variety of ways to prepare them. We hope you enjoy them and carry on their stories in your own festive gatherings this year!
1 - Succotash
The name for this lima bean and sweet corn dish comes from the native Narragansett word sahquttahhash, meaning ‘broken corn kernels’. This dish was eaten by many native tribes throughout New England before being adopted by white settlers.
With a combination of grains and legumes, succotash is high in essential amino acids and serves as a beautiful side dish to any main, from turkey to fish.
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2 - Three Sisters Stew
The Three Sisters refers to three essential crops of the Americas - beans, corn, and squash - each plant providing benefits to the others when grown together. They are also delicious when eaten together, like in this stew cooked with venison or buffalo, two meat staples of Indigenous Americans. You can also use beef as a substitute or go meat free as this dish is also high in plant-based protein.
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3 - Cornmeal Polenta
One of the three sisters, corn, is an essential ingredient in Native American cooking. Aside from making cornbread, you can boil cornmeal into a thick porridge and top it with butter, cheese and sage for a delicious and warming side dish or main meal.
The Italian version of this is called polenta, which is made with slightly coarser grains for a less mushy consistency, but we think standard cornmeal works just fine.
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4 - Johnny Cakes
Also known as griddle or ‘hoe’ cakes, these quick breads popularized in the 18th century are another great way to use cornmeal, or ‘Indian meal’ as it was called back then. Perfect for breakfast, a fun side dish or even a main meal, these corn pancakes are basically just fried cornbread with a thinner batter - perfect for making on the ‘fry’!
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5 - Roasted Squash
Another one of the three sisters, winter squashes - including butternut, pumpkins, and more - are an essential plant for surviving harsh winters as they can be stored for much longer than summer squashes. The word ‘squash’ can also be traced to the Narragansett language, from the word askutasquash meaning “eaten raw or uncooked.” Nowadays, we tend to prefer our squash cooked, especially when roasted in the oven with autumnal spices.
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6 - Wild Rice Pilaf
While the dish pilaf has its origins in the Middle East, people living in the Americas have been cultivating their own wild rice for centuries. Wild rice has a more nutty taste and chewy consistency than white rice, and is generally considered to be much healthier as it contains all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein all on its own.
Wild rice is sometimes more expensive than white rice, so try cooking it together with a cheaper rice like basmati to get more flavor for less!
Do you have a favorite Native American inspired dish? Share it with us on Cookpad! 🧡
Special thanks to Cookpad author Skunkmonkey101 for sharing his recipes and knowledge of Native American cuisine 🙏
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