What Native American Tribes Were Eating In the Old West

The creativity with which Native American groups brought ingredients together reflected an awareness of and respect for the environment. When it comes to what kind of foods Native Americans ate in the past, their meals were often about both sustenance and ceremony.
Native American groups thrived on staple foods like corn, beans, and squash. When available, meat, fruit, and other vegetables were mixed in, not to mention roots and greens. Many foods Native Americans ate were high in fat, protein, and carbohydrates - intentionally loaded with nutrients in order to combat potential hardship and struggle. Food was also used for celebrating and bringing people together.
#NativeAmericans #FoodHstory #WeirdHistory

[@chrisswimm4948]

I really wish there was a restaurant that served these traditional foods, like an Italian restaurant or Mexican restaurant does. I think it would do very well.

[@milliedragon4418]

Me too, the only way is we did like the Thailand government did which help fund it.

[@Shayna11NM]

We have that here in Albuquerque, NM at the Native American Cultural Center. There's a restaurant that specifically makes and serves traditional southwestern Native recipes.

[@chrisswimm4948]

@@Shayna11NM thats awesome!

[@Kerosene.Dreams]

@@Shayna11NM This should be, at the very least, a Nation Wide thing. These cultures need to be known and not forgotten.

[@knightjedi666]

@Justin Mccarthy Use more caution when you utilize a racial slur like that. It is never appropriate.

[@mattwilliams9506]

For those of you wondering about native restaurants, “The Sioux Chef” has opened a indigenous foods restaurant in Minneapolis. The food looks amazing and can’t wait to try it!

[@ashleighnicole797]

They won JBFA Best New Restaurant for it last year!! My work was up against them for it but I couldnt be happier we lost.

[@jgvtc559]

​@jerryboden2671😂 in other words the Indian is so rich now he wants the rest of us not just eating bugs but paying exorbitant prices to do so . Is his name Claus by chance

[@masterlee9822]

Dried out corn cakes and wild game?

[@rodeo4786]

The Sioux Chef that's a frigging good one 👌

[@AdzaanMaiiTso]

Navajo here, just a couple corrections: Kneel Down Bread is called so because of the kneeling position you take when making the bread. Also, 'fry bread' isn't just a Navajo thing. It became a staple because the US military imprisoned us after forcing us to endure The Long Walk, the ingredients were given to us as rations during this time. We didn't know how to use a lot of these things (and a lot of what they gave us was rotten anyway) so we first began cooking the bread mixture over ashes. Frying it in the grease also became a thing in this time. It was prison food and was taken with us when we were finally released.

[@loscheiner]

Thank you for sharing this history. I would like to add that native foods do not contain wheat or dairy- because wheat and cows were only introduced after colonizers came.

[@meganclark-hutchings7464]

Thank you for taking time to say this. I was going to say the same thing when I found your comment.

[@threeshocks5769]

I often imagine a world where the anthropological facts, were taught and oral history was alive and well.! With the Germanic way of teaching it's just their story not truth. I believe our mother earth will heal us one day from this evil called science and technology.

[@tajon5394]

@@loscheiner cows weren’t the only source for that type of milk. I remember my grandmother making a dish from bison milk, and her fermented meat made with deer milk. So to think dairy is only from cows is misleading misinformation.

[@loscheiner]

@@tajon5394 That is very cool! In the area by me (coast California) the native people did not milk animals. Thank you for teaching me something.

[@danielsmith4090]

There's nothing particularly "weird" about these foods, just uncommon today. I wish there was a native American culture class in high school. I believe there's a lot to be gained.

[@marialiyubman]

I agree. I want to study native botany and herbalism.

[@optimusprimus89]

It's the name of the channel

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

That class is offered in many colleges. But, remember, there are perhaps several hundred groupings which are distinct.

[@TheMan-yd1cq]

We actually had a course in my high school, called “native studies”. In Canada

[@wesscotchdog9078]

Like the wheel, hygiene, and smelting.

[@nobodycallsmetubby5586]

As a latino, its really interesting how close these foods are to some of our traditional foods like tamales, flautas, salpicon, caldo or even pepian

[@CrazyTwoSix]

Sigh lol do you not realize most "luh-tea-nos" like Mexicans are just Natives Amerindians who speak Spanish. The term "latino" only came because of the French trying to claim the continent away from the Spaniards and Anglos. Quote by White Argentine President "Mexicans came from Indians, Brazilians came out of jungle, but we Argentines came from Europe."

[@GeckoHiker]

A lot of the foods you mention were shared between Mesoamerica and the northern and southern areas. What the US calls Texas, for instance, used to be North Mexico. My children and I look latino but we are North American Cherokee. There is a lot of shared genetics from over 14,000 years of exploration and settlement throughout both continents. An interesting fact is that 75% of the world's food plants originated in the Americas.

[@Auto-Toon]

I’ve always considered Mexican food as a pre Hispanic food as that is what it mostly is ( not stuff like churros, mazapán, or flan tho), which is why foods mentioned here are so similar to what u will find in the contemporary Mexican cuisine. Have u ever been to a Spanish restaurant? nothing similar to Mexican at all. Shoshoni, Comanche, Ute(as in Utah) and Aztec are all in the same language family. Just different tribes basically.

[@rafangille]

@@Auto-Toon it varies a lot though, my family is from northern mexico and our diet has a lot more european influence than “traditionally mexican” food

[@rafangille]

@@CrazyTwoSix most latinos aren’t native american though, there are a lot of indigenous ppl in latin america but they’re not the majority. also whenever i see photos from argentina most the people really don’t seem that white lol

[@ebbiarevalo]

Pemmican: the original protein bar! I'm Piikani and can make it, but with elk, chokecherries, and huckleberries (when in season)

[@ebbiarevalo]

@Dragon of HatefulRetribution I'm a fancy shawl dancer... sticking to traditional healthy foods help us powwow dancers with our endurance as well as reuniting with our communities during the season. An Elder offers you food, you eat it 😋

[@churchether]

Here in Norway I just dry halibut, cod etc. Great snack.

[@pattytheseeker8902]

My mama taught me to make pemmican. My family loves it. I make it from venison during deer season.

[@tammievaldez44]

Recipe please

[@ebbiarevalo]

@@tammievaldez44 A couple pounds of elk meat (dried), then grind it and put in a bowl with some fat and dried berries, mix it up and mold into bars. That's what I do.

[@stef1lee]

I've had about a 3rd of these dishes and grew up with just a few of them. We didn't know where they originated from or how the recipes were acquired but only knowing they were passed down. Within the last 3 years, I became familiar with the acorn for flour and meal, as well as, many wild greens that grow in our yard and forest areas. I've been practicing wild medicine for a few years now and trying to learn more from our Native Ancestors but that is a bit tough because my skin color is what holds back the Elders from wanting to talk. I've been reading much and studying Native American medicine over the last few years but there is nothing better and more meaningful than a hands on "why our people use this and prepare this sacred healing plant". But I am quiet and listen to whatever I can and who ever will open up with me. It's not much but it is special when it happens.

[@faze_buendia9514]

Fry bread is one of those weird foods that it seems like all Natives eat; even up in my part of the world the Alaska Natives always make fry bread for fundraisers along w/ a bunch of toppings. The most popular is an "Indian Taco", which is just taco fixin's on a piece of fry bread. I personally prefer just butter and honey on my fry bread.

[@robotix2106]

Thats culture right there I love the nostalgia I get from eating indian tacos

[@noahmiller8042]

if i were to hazard a guess thats due to mainly fry bread evolving out out of what basic necessity's that were oh so generously(and i hope the sarcasm is coming across their because obviously the government was not really that generous) divvied out to them by the US government after they had stolen their land(I'm relatively conservative and even i can admit that great injustice was done to the Native Americans of this country). Its a good case of making the best out of a bad situation.

[@robotix2106]

@@noahmiller8042 respect that a lot. A lot of people just excuse it as what people did in the time but that history wasnt very long ago, I think were more empathetic now and thats why people resonate with native americans or romanticize them

[@tessablol309]

True

[@davidortega357]

I like indian taco Mexican tacos and tacos and burritos

[@phelanmcdonald1635]

Fascinating! I worked as a chef most of my life. Indigenous Americans ate good healthy food. Excellent and creative use of what they could find in their natural surroundings. A lot of time involved with the preparation, methods and cooking these recipes.

[@jcnyc55]

A lot of the time it isn’t really healthy at all. On the reservation where I live in New Mexico we have a high obesity rate and diabetes and high blood pressure runs ramped. A lot of the older people eat fry bread with a lot of their meals. Fry bread, mutton stew, Navajo tacos, have a lot of fat and sodium. Not to mention on the reservation we dont have access to fresh healthy food due to there being no grocery stores close by. We have some fast food but no major grocery, usually hours away. It’s pretty sad. People here are barely getting electricity and water for the first time in their life. No joke. Look it up.

[@brianwilson4861]

Food is healthy. That's why it's called food. Every food that is used by your body is broken down into sugar. Eating nerds candy and drinking coca cola is healthy. Eating rocks isn't healthy.

[@oldironsides4107]

& Johnny Charley In Nebraska even Indian reservation has a casino. All fat and drunk.

[@jackedkerouac4414]

@@jcnyc55 I was wondering. In the part of the video when the narrator said seasoning was used, did it include salt?

[@atomaszfarbaa1650]

@@jcnyc55 i usually dont like to tell people what to do, but for me its pretty clear that if you live in such a place (or any place excluding antartctica!) you should plant some vegetables and fruit trees, preferably native to have a good reliable source of fresh healthy food, and also share this concept with neigbours. Maybe community garden? Who knows what you can do in your area, please consider this.

[@zach7193]

Man, this is great. Not bad on the pronunciations. Native Americans have unique tastes when it comes to food. This is something.

[@yazzyy0312]

It’s closely related to Mexican food :) most Mexicans are descendants from Aztecs. Mostly vegetarian food ! I am half Mexican and native from Mexico.

[@Kerosene.Dreams]

@@yazzyy0312 Of course, the people of Mexico and many other places were Native Indigenous peoples, same as other people in North America, before the Spanish came. It makes perfect sense for you to be.

[@yazzyy0312]

@@Kerosene.Dreams ♥️♥️♥️

[@alexrennison8070]

No, they just didn't have any choice lmao

[@jessicathompson236]

Many of the foods that you know as "soul foods" have roots in native foods and cultures.

[@priayief]

KZbin is unbelievable! A couple of minutes ago I was watching a video about meal preparation in a three star Michelin restaurant and now I'm watching primitive meal preparation. Awesome!

[@RetroClassic66]

I really appreciate not only the history lesson, of course, but the effort to provide the original terms for the various dishes in their respective Native languages, and especially the narrator's effort to pronounce these terms properly, which, since I don't speak any of these languages myself, I hope he was able to do the languages justice and get the pronunciations pretty close if not exactly right. To my ear they sound right, but since I don't speak these languages, I don't really know how good or bad he's done with the pronunciations. Either way, good job, Weird History!

[@Benni777]

This was very fascinating! I had no idea of any of these dishes!! I wish I could’ve learned these sooner. There needs to be more education of Native American culture and history like this video in schools! 🧡🧡🧡

[@That.Lady.withtheYarn]

Check out the pbs cartoon " molly of denali". She a native Alaskin girl it uses their language, goes over food. Its s fun show

[@ComancheWarrior63]

There are several Native websites that have recipes for traditional food. This video only listed a few of the hundreds of dishes that were prepared by my people. The recipes varied according to region and seasonal availability. With the hundreds of edible plants and a huge variety of animals we had/have hundreds of variations of available food dishes. We had pottery and clay/stone ovens, smoking/drying racks, dehydrated fruits/meats/fish... the list is very extensive. Scientists found caches of pemican that was a couple of hundred years old and scientifically verified that it was still safe to eat.

[@KB-ke3fi]

nah, they're too busy teaching gender studies and telling little boys they are really girls.

[@Benni777]

@@KB-ke3fi not you being transphobic 🤣🤣🤣

[@aaronbone7077]

I'm from a rez (Hoopa CA) and we are a river tribe, so at special events like at ceremonies we will have salmon on sticks, which is salmon on carved redwood sticks suck in the sand around a pit of fire. Next is the soup, which is traditionally made with buck meat, tan oak mushrooms, indian potatoes, wild onions, and with a small bowl of acorn soup. My family like to make little round fried bread for the soup too. I like the video. It was pretty accurate to the foods that we.

[@greensfarmland]

Hey Cuz, Yurok tribal member here with a bit of Hoopa as well. Have many family members on that Rez. From the Green family.

[@clondir6404]

Indian potatos ... pls explain...

[@Faronthefiddler]

We grew up in the Desert SouthWest. For a Summer, we lived in Gallup, New Mexico. We ate what they ate and it was so good. Many years later, I was trucking and had a weekly run up to Window Rock, Arizona to deliver produce and meat to their grocery store. Each time, I made sure to eat that very same food again. It was so tasty and satisfying, especially the Indian Fried Bread. Haven’t been back in fifty years. Before I expire, for sure, I’ll have to make one last trip and feed my face once again with that wonderful, blessed food.

[@kamauwikeepa7308]

I had the privilege of being billited on a reservation belonging to the Tsutini nation in Calgary, just on the outskirts in fact. It was really an amazing experience and similar in many respects to our connection to mother nature. We had the wonderful opportunity of visiting a neighboring nation, known as Siksika and visited many sacred sites as well as a feast at an event center. The food was quite an experience and learned their history from them not from some non native narrator. I found them more sensitive than we Maori from New Zealand and reserved. I'll never forget the quite hospitality of these people. Thank you for sharing.

[@omggiiirl2077]

I don't know what it's called by my ancestors but we still eat kneel down bread, wojapi, bean bread, hot water cornbread(considered soulfood, but has indigenous roots.) Suncoast, all sorts of game meats like opossum, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, deer, elk, or whatever else that could be caught such as frog and turtle! We also collected bracken tips, perilla, mint, cress, and nuts. Pemican is also still eaten we make it for the guys when they go hunting, and my grandma brought pokeweed from Oklahoma to Washington so we had that growing up, and the fresh seafood, was also eaten because my ancestors were gullah but also coastal tribes. It's sad though because we don't have the language left in our family, or much of the culture. Just family recipes. Now that we live in Washington we got to sample the bounty from our brothers up here! My Mother is Korean and it's crazy how similar many traditions are, like collecting acorns to make food, and collecting bracken ferns, and perilla too. I'm not really crazy about Bannock though...o have yet to try Buffalo meat, and some of the other first nations foods. I REALLY want to travel up to Canada and visit the tsimshian nation, thier home is so lovely, and so is the tlingit, and the many tribes up here, beautiful land and just pure environment. We need to work to preserve these places and protect thier way of life! Indigenous people aren't dead, they're.....we're still alive and well.

[@steveanacorteswa3979]

I'm here in Washington and I can't believe what the bounty must have been way back, Salmon so thick you could walk on them and crab and shellfish. Must have been much tougher in the southwest. Over fishing destroyed it all, there were no fish back in the 70s when I visited here and fished, so sad all the habitat was destroyed.

[@tilda3316]

Bison is amazing, I hope you get the chance to try some soon. Elk is also wonderful and makes great taco meat :-)

[@omggiiirl2077]

@@tilda3316 I love elk, haven't had it in years! I will have to try that bison!!

[@latinamajor]

Bison is so good. Every bit as good as beef but far more healthy for the body. I grew up in Washington next to a rez and my first friend, as a child, was Native American. His family introduced me to my first taste of smoked salmon which was easily the most delicious food I had ever tasted. Even now, all these years later, every time I see or hear the word 'salmon' or see a filet in a grocery store, it takes me back to that smoke house and that mouth watering smell.

[@majaturner9066]

Corn bread indeed has indigenous roots. It was natives that taught the colonizers what maize was...

[@kimnotkimberly1]

please tell me I'm not the only one who thought a lot of this sounded really good!

[@yamas4799]

Same

[@pattytheseeker8902]

Native Americans used spices. They used wild onions, garlic, scallions... many were exceptional farmers. Lots of good nutritious food.

[@MegInWhispers]

of course!

[@lookoutforchris]

@@pattytheseeker8902 strange how the term native Americans covers everyone from the Aztec to the Seneca. That's like one label for the Ancient Egyptians and the Stone Age Britons.

[@UltraViolet666]

Why would you expect it not to?

[@drive-incinemapictures1554]

Northern Chippewa Native here! Our diet is a little different from the Old West: blueberry bread, fry bread, corn, wild rice, fish and venison. A lot of fruits and berries, basically anything the natives found in the wild and were edible.

[@wishiwas4383]

Now all native people eat is french fries, fries chicken, pizza, cheese burgers, chips and cola....except me of course , I try to set an example for all the fatties.

[@fragolegirl2002]

The northern natives will have similar food as the Canadian natives and Métis. South west food has more similarities to Mexican natives and mestizos

[@ingriddurden3929]

all sounds good to me ! back to nature, back to healthy unspoiled foods ! No chemicals, no messing with genes, just eat what you can find, and what grows.

[@cherylcampbell9369]

Yeah. This channel could make a 4-6 vid series re Native foods. Maybe his new WEIRD HISTORY FOODS will do this!

[@uzumate9976]

@@fragolegirl2002 Navajo taco bread is not real Native food it is more likely Mexican foods introduced to Native community about 17th century. To begin with, Navajo original ancestors came from Siberia or Alaska and spoke Dane or Na-Dane (Athabaskan) languages have about 30 different dialects. Those people ate raw or dry fishes & meats when they didn’t have fire to cook.

[@mildredlackey1938]

I liked this video a lot, thanks, love anything that has to do with our true native Americans, 👍🇺🇸

[@roberthormson3323]

Hello 👋 how are you doing? Hope you’re having a good day I was dropping a comment when I come across your profile, I liked what you shared , but we are not friends . May the lord be with you and your family 🥰

[@juandacharroninja]

Tiswin is also known and consumed in Mexico as "Tesgüino" or "Tejuino" and is done with fermented corn masa/dough.

[@Type-0]

Sounds good

[@amyjulian1641]

o

[@JaimeGarcia-pe7bj]

True

[@efrainoctavio3506]

No me había dado cuenta de que eran parecidos, tiene sentido porque mucha de nuestra cultura viene también de pueblos nativos americanos

[@childrensfairytalescandinavia]

Hi there. how are you🌷 I live in Turkey. To be honest, living conditions in my country are very difficult. I just graduated from university and I am looking for a job and on the other hand I'm here to earn an income and not be a burden to my family. I want to be able to take better care of both myself and my family because my parents divorced and we are in a difficult situation. My mother cannot work because she had cancer surgery. I work hard here to make my dreams come true. I make these comments to make my voice heard as much as possible. Even if 2-3 people out of this many people support me and join our EAL family, it is enough for me to find courage, thank you in advance…

[@annasahlstrom6109]

They ate very well and I'm deeply glad to see the Native foodways coming back.

[@dropperknot]

Anna Sahistrom I seriously believe you would still be hoofing it off to K.F.C. and Burgerking.

[@jcnyc55]

Come to New Mexico and you can try authentic Native American foods. Or you can hire me and I’ll be your chef in person or I can teach you via FaceTime lol

[@tonyringo6309]

Beef jerkey...they invented it

[@TheAll5555]

Most Latin foods from the Americas have Native Indian roots, like the tamale, pasteles, corn masa, bananas leaves, beans, casava, yuca root vegetables. The Taino tribe of Puerto Rico, which they called the Island Borinquen were barbecuing (barbacoa) meat on a grill called a bucan, sleeping in their hamacas (hammock) & taking shelter from the terrible storm god called Huracán (hurricane) long before Columbus set foot on the Caribbean. You might say the indigenous peoples food & way of life are still alive in some way & continue to present day. 🙏🏼

[@ab9840]

Banana trees (they are really a giant herb not native to the Americas) did not arrive in the Americas until the Europeans brought them to the Americas from West Africa in the 15 to 16 century.

[@cherylcampbell9369]

This is such an awesome video. The research re not only the foods, but the care shown in pronunciation, is impressive. PLEASE do part 2 to include NW and Alaskan Native foods! Wow. This could be a multiple- part series. NE areas, the Great Lakes, the southern and gulf tribes/ nations....

[@irishmade8136]

What a fantastic people, some helped Ireland during the Famine when they had little themselves What a great country America was. They took what they needed and respected the Earth. Pity America and may other countries don't take heed. No Global warming back then. Native Americans should be so proud of themselves. From Ireland 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪

[@Nuevomexicano]

The potatoes your people desperately needed to survive also come from the Americas

[@Cypresssina]

America sheltered many of the families fleeing from England's attempt at genocide.

[@esca4283]

We love u guys too! I heard they even built a statue for us after the potato thing

[@irishmade8136]

@@esca4283 Fact. Ahh the patatoe thing was called The Great Famine.

[@irishmade8136]

@@Nuevomexicano That's true, but what most people don't know is there was plenty of food in Ireland back then but the British shipped it to England for profit. Check out Trevellion. Amazing that somethings never change. Just look at poverty today in Ireland and America etc. All about profit and greed with some wealthy scum. Mind you not all, some rich people are generous 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇮🇪🇮🇪

[@sheikhboyardee556]

Being from the Mexican Border I can see where many Mexican foods came from. A strong Native American influence.

[@diegolopez000]

Before the borders, they really shared a lot

[@ramencurry6672]

Delicious

[@irideaunicorn1620]

I live in San Antonio and you’re exactly right.

[@sheikhboyardee556]

@Jerry Boden Good post, Jerry. It's all about perception, nothing wrong with eating bugs. I remember going into a Oaxacan restaurant in Mexico City and being served an appetizer of fried Crickets. Not bad, a real nutty flavor.

[@Itzpapalotl.]

I’m glad white people are starting to understand that about us. After so many years of racism against our people.

[@joettaserio9618]

I have some Souix ancestors and it was great news for me to learn what they used to eat. Thanks for bringing me up to date. I've been to powwows where fry bread was made as well as the bread you showed that was spread thinly on a flat grill instead of a stone. I often wondered how the women kept their hands from being burned as they spread the mixture.🥰

[@shiverarts8284]

What are your clans

[@animequeen78]

Recipes like these fascinate me and make me want to cook them.

[@YellowCapeInvincible]

The reason the Navajo Kneel down bread looks the same as Tamales from Mexico and Central America is because before borders separated us. Natives from the north and south would often trade and live along side each other. Colonialism has convinced us that we are different people but we are not.

[@Nuevomexicano]

Just because groups of people trade doesn’t make them the same people

[@YellowCapeInvincible]

@@Nuevomexicano they are literally the same race Lmao

[@MSanz-jc2bg]

@@Nuevomexicano same blood line.

[@faithnfire4769]

@@YellowCapeInvincible Race matters little to war. Nor does blood or color or creed. That's just history mate. All Europeans are not one people, at least not because of blood. Nor were Native American groups. Certainly it is not enough to prevent division.

[@crustybastard1068]

@Michelle Sahtu dene in Canada's north west territories/ western arctic speak the exact same language as the Navaho same people .dene are in Alberta. Montana etc same people same language . Due to residential school in Canada Eskimos and dene Indians have inter married where as even in the 1950s they were still deadly enemies .

[@bravelittletoaster6211]

Love your channel! Could you do more videos on Native American culture and life before colonists arrived? You never really learn much about Native Americans in the US schools so I would love to learn more about daily life, relationships between tribes, technology they used, etc!

[@lookoutforchris]

Strange, at my school we had extensive lessons on native Americans. Did many projects. Built a small long house in the classroom in 4th grade. Went to the natural history museum to see artifacts and artwork, etc. As an adult with a better education, they're interesting but not much different than other Stone Age /nomadic tribes from Asia.

[@bravelittletoaster6211]

@@lookoutforchris out of curiosity what state was that in/how close to past or present Native American settlements? I went to school in Ohio, not near any previous Indigenous locations. I remember one year we had a small unit where students picked a tribe and presented on them/their culture and brought in a food item from that tribe. That’s the most that my education system brought up Native Americans other than occasional mentioning in the colonization of America by Europeans. Maybe location and its relevancy to Native American sites impacts education? Food for thought, I guess 😅

[@calebmaggard590]

Really love the Wild West videos! I’ve watched all of them. Please make more of them!

[@ryankottke8120]

Really enjoying your content, thank you!

[@ichoudhury007]

Just had Atoo recently! My wife got a huge beef (large roast) from Costco. She put some carrots, celery, onions, turnips and other ingredients in a slow cooker and we had those with some Ntsidigio, which she referred as cornbread. Washed them down with some Tiswin!!Very delicious!

[@edgarbanuelos6472]

Yum

[@cleverusername9369]

Did y'all make the Tiswin, or is it commercially available somewhere?

[@ichoudhury007]

@@cleverusername9369 actually it was just Sam Adams. I was half joking about my wife prepping pot roast, cornbread, and regular beer in our pantry contrasting with the food discussed in the video.

[@daltongarrett7117]

@@ichoudhury007 pretty much what it all is.

[@ichoudhury007]

@@daltongarrett7117 exactly 😄. That’s what I was thinking when I was commenting initially. 😂

[@deecee9548]

I admit I have no point of reference in this, but I really love your pronounciation of all of the foods/ tribes - it makes it such a seamless and informative video. Thank you!

[@fullmetalfreedom]

Live your channel. What a blessing that I'm able to learn so much from your efforts. Thank you!

[@bonnieuptree5691]

Thanks for sharing this Knowledge. I would L💚VE to be able to harvest and make these foods on a regular basis.

[@roberthormson3323]

Hello 👋 how are you doing? Hope you’re having a good day I was dropping a comment when I come across your profile, I liked what you shared , but we are not friends . May the lord be with you and your family ❤️

[@mistreme8341]

I have used Kanuchi to thicken stews instead of a roux or cornstarch before. I don’t know why it isn’t used for this purpose more! Kanuchi is, by far, one of the healthiest and effective thickening agents if you want creamy soups or thick stews! It is easy to make in a food processor or even with a mortar and pestle! It imparts a wonderful nuttiness to anything it is used in from sweet to savory. Kanuchi with squash and turkey is more American than Apple Pie and wonderful tasting.

[@nukaghoula]

Brilliant! I'd love to see a video about what native Australians ate before being colonized

[@scottmantooth8785]

*agreed...that would be awesome*

[@evelynsnyder5866]

@@scottmantooth8785 i third this!

[@dropperknot]

Jacs S Mainly 'Witchetty bugs', they would dig them from the tree bark.

[@lookoutforchris]

Hint: each other.

[@Screddy_Henks]

@@dropperknot witchty grubs and much more diverse

[@terriejohnston8801]

Loved hearing about ALL the different meals...the tribes worked SO hard to get together. Ive had a few of them, when attending various PowWow's over the many yrs. PILAMAYA...🌲 🐺 🌖

[@beverlywaits7663]

Very interesting video because of having so many Choctaw and Chickasaw in my family 😊🙏🏾🙏🏾❤️

[@kati1017]

I'd like to try them all! Native Americans were amazing and clever! It's terrible we couldn't have learned from them instead of destroying them!

[@thunderbird1921]

We learned at least some from them. We actually were allies with some such as the Pawnee, but unfortunately forming tribal alliances meant war with others like the Sioux. The Sioux and Cheyenne actually committed horrifying attrocities on the Pawnee and Crow, including murdering children and raping their women, one of the worst incidents being Massacre Canyon in Nebraska. Needless to say, the nearby settlers were absolutely shocked by the violence and some begged the US government to intervene. In the War of 1812, the Choctaw willingly helped us crush the British-supporting Red Sticks and take all of their land. Attrocities by our govt like Wounded Knee and the Trail of Tears should NOT EVER be excused, but history is usually a LOT more complex than the media likes to portray.

[@lookoutforchris]

They were not a unified people. Being friends with one group made us enemies with their neighbors. What your comment is perpetuating is the "noble savage" stereotype and is a form of racist bigotry. Educate yourself. There was huge differences between tribes and regions, they viciously fought with each other, committed genocide and cannibalism. They were not much different from other tribal or nomadic groups found across Asia. They we're not unfamiliar with watergate and they were highly territorial. They practiced slavery. They lost in competition with Europeans doing what humans have always done: compete with each other and fight over resources. And 99% of them were wiped out because they did not have immunity to common European pathogens. If you read the early history of America you will be shocked at the comparative level of honesty and compassion with which the federal government dealt with the Indian tribes. Several state governments were bad actors as were many individuals. They're lucky to still be alive. Other cultures would have truly wiped them out.

[@tilda3316]

@@lookoutforchris perpetuating the idea of rampant cannibalism among America's indigenous people lime Europeans weren't grinding up fucking mummy's and eating them as medicine just over 100 years ago is racism and bigotry.

[@cherylcampbell9369]

Are. Not were. ❤

[@resentfuldragon]

@@lookoutforchris buddy don't try to pretend what happened to the native wasn't genocide. You can't wipe away the sins of the usa by pretending that it was justified at all. You can exterminate large swaths of people including civilians, nor can you abusively break treaties and force them to repeatedly move and be moral. It wasn't war, it was a genocide because the usa quickly was much stronger than the natives, and rather than integrate them they got rid of them. What the spanish did was conquer, what the americans did was genocide. Thats why there are natives who are numerous and speak spanish to our south, but our lands have few of native decent.

[@skitebird]

My guy, between your knowledge, voice, and pronunciation of words in so many different languages, you deserve a job as a host on Jeopardy

[@crazycherokee8552]

It took the entire video, but I'm very glad and honored that my tribal people were mentioned 😁 Tsalagi, or Cherokee people, had lots of different foods, but I think hickory oil (my grandma called it hickory stew) really was a specialty of ours. I'm not too sure how to make it myself, it was mostly a woman's job from what I understood, and my mom was never taught so I never got the opportunity to learn. My favorite food that is part of my heritage is venison jerky (deer jerky) and venison stew with corn and potatoes. 🤤

[@a.s.h.a118]

I always wished for more videos about native American food. I would like to try all mentioned dishes, especially the soups/stews

[@AH-vt6hq]

Fucking love fry bread bro! Used to be a shitty little harvest festival in pahrump, NV where i spent my 5-10 years old phase and there was a vendor who sold indian tacos which was just fry bread covered in taco meat and toppings it was absolutely brilliant! Thanks for sparking my memories

[@beeeean]

"hey victor your mom makes the best fry bread"

[@marthawelch4289]

@@beeeean A line of dialogue from the excellent movie, Smoke Signals. It has well-written and believable characters, great actors, very real emotions, and heart-felt still up-to-date messages.

[@CouldntThinkOfaUsername]

Indian tacos low key hit

[@wayneblair8099]

What kind of word is that

[@carissafisher7514]

Did you see that movie about fry bread competition?

[@HXXIIA]

This honestly all sounds so good 😊

[@jodyharnish9104]

I love Three Sisters Soup! I don't know what tribe it's from. They grew corn, beans and squash together and called them The Three Sisters. The beans grew up the corn stalks, and the squash leaves shaded the ground. Scientists learned later that each plant added nutrients to the soil that were needed by the others. Just chop up a zucchini and put it in a pot with a can of beans (I like pinto, but you can use any kind), a can of corn or the equivalent amount of fresh or frozen corn, and a can of chicken or vegetable broth. Cook until the squash is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You can also add a tablespoon of butter.

[@btetschner]

A+ video! LOVE IT! Some of the foods look great too!

[@lynetttsosie5989]

This guy wasn't afraid to pronounce the Native language. 👍👏

[@prestonsmith9824]

Hello Lynette! How are you doing? I hope you are fine and staying safe?

[@bobbybacon3478]

It’s weird. People seem to forget that all humans have. been cooking and eating off the earth with basically (regionally) the same ingredients for 1000’s of years

[@Saskguy20]

Keen observation captain obvious. The culinary arts are laughing at you. Lol

[@KeyofDavid5778]

So true but the only recipe without a pot is the 1st one where they cook the corn in the husk? How did they cook soups other than putting them in skins or heating them up on rocks?

[@esca4283]

@@KeyofDavid5778 yea, i can only speak for my tribe, but we use stones to hold a pot over the fire and thats how we makes soups

[@edmundooliver7584]

@@KeyofDavid5778 they used clay pots

[@Me2Lancer]

Thanks for sharing. All of these foods sound delicious to me.

[@shanmugambala1883]

Very interesting information. Thanks.

[@nazfan01]

I remember years ago in Alaska and learning about how Eskimos survived off the land. The one thing I remember the most is how they preserved their meals over the winters. When hunting and killing a moose, they cut the moose up and kept the legs and hollow the inside of the legs, leaving the skin intact. They took the meat not only from inside the legs but from the moose in general and cook up a soup with the meat and vegetables such as corn etc etc. Once the soup was cooked up the eskimos would pour this back into the legs which now became a 'container' sort of speak for the soup. The top of the legs would be tied up on the top and then hung up to the top of a tall tree. The purpose of tying them up a tall tree served two prposes. One was animals could not smell the meat from that high up. Two, it would freeze from the freezing winter. Whenever there was a need for food during the winter, the eskimos simply went to the frozen soups that were hanging and take them back to their home and heat them up. Kind of like a MRE (emergency kit) Simple and ingenious!!

[@florenmage]

That is really smart.

[@TheHeston83]

*Inuits

[@hylacinerea970]

ok but the e word is a slur. Inuit is the proper word. the e slur means “snow eater” in some languages

[@nazfan01]

@@TheHeston83 - I was just keeping it simple but if one wants to get technical and precise, it is nuk, dual ~ Inuuk - Your welcome

[@TheHeston83]

@@nazfan01 I remember years ago in Alaska and learning about how Inuuk survived off the land. fixed it for you should refer them to that always also Indians are for people in India not the indigenous people here in North America #AccountabilityCulture

[@latanyam.267]

My mother LOVES kneel-down bread with her morning coffee ☕️ It’s pretty good although I’d rather have it with Navajo tea 🤎

[@nehemiahjandroep4568]

Very interesting video. Thank you

[@bruns.like.spoons9251]

Very interesting video, thanks!

[@mrs.g.9816]

I'd like to try just about every food mentioned in this video. I know acorns definitely have to be leached as they are very bitter. As a young child, I opened an acorn and popped the nutmeat into my mouth - and promptly spit it out. There is one dish I cook up for every Thanksgiving: Hidatsa savory stuffed sugar pumpkin. I use ground buffalo meat, wild rice, onions, eggs and sage, with salt, pepper and ground dry mustard. It's a hit with my family!

[@sharennyberg7795]

I have had fry bread in a restaurant in Arizona many years ago. They called it a Navaho Taco and it was HUGE so I ate half there and took the other half home for my next meal. It was soo good. Last time I was down that way the resteraunt had closed :(

[@warjdani]

Keep an eye out for pow-wows or native festivals at your near by tribe there's always a fry bread stand or if you're lucky an Indian taco stand.

[@sharennyberg7795]

@@warjdani Thanks I will

[@jcnyc55]

*navajo we’re not hoes lol come to New Mexico you can find authentic Navajo foods or I can share a recipe and teach you via FaceTime..I’m Navajo btw

[@freedomisthechoicesyoumake8594]

Fried bread 🍞 is not part of Native American culture. That originated in Europe. Flour and wheat are not indigenous to the Americas. Research it

[@femboydoja3760]

Here in Arizona in the town of Tuba City North of Flagstaff there's a Restaurant called Hogan Restaurant, also you'll find Piki bread, Kneel Down Bread, Blood Sausage, Blue Corn Mush, Hopi Cookies only at the Flea Markets which are open Fridays and Saturdays

[@pumpkin6529]

They all look like cozy and delicious foods, I wish to try.

[@kevinpalmer9756]

All of those dishes sounded absolutely delicious and made my mouth water...

[@_thomas1031]

I'm SO glad there has been a great recent focus on Native content from my fav history channels!😄🙌🙌

[@dgsantafedave1]

Thanks for talking about Wiiwish! I live in Northern California among the oaks and they drop enormous amounts of nuts on some years. I always wondered if the Native America tribes in the area used them as a staple! Now I know! Thanks again!

[@Kerosene.Dreams]

But should not be eaten straight from the tree or ground. A special preparation needs to be done to make them safe. I ate one as a child, not knowing. and got pretty sick. I did that a lot as a child, eaten stuff from nature not knowing they were poisonous.

[@adriennefloreen]

There's more than one type of oak in Northern California that produces edible acorns but you need to cook them in certain ways.

[@aaronbone7077]

Do you think we just eat acorns everyday? My guy most of us are just fat eating McDonald's just like y'all. During special events, maybe we'll have some salmon on sticks or acorn soup during ceremonies, but the salmon is running out. The rivers are dying. The dams are killing them all... That got depressing fast but it's fact

[@wreconteur13]

I'm surprised Miwoks were mentioned! I'm half Miwok (mountain band). I wish you could just buy acorn flour so I can make fry bread with it. Creator knows I don't have time to hit the grinding rock for hours! 😁

[@wreconteur13]

@@aaronbone7077 That's why a lot of us are fat and diabetic. We were forced to eat from the food boxes, and natives weren't made to eat European foods. Too many of the wrong carbs, not enough whole foods. Personally, I have seen great improvement in my health by "eating like the ancestors" as much as I can. 😕

[@charlenestrauss3539]

So very interesting! Thank you.

[@MythicalHippie]

Last fall I made chocolate chip cookies with acorn flour! I hand cracked each acorn, leeched them, and used my mortar & pestle to grind into flour. My bf & I are not Native but we love foraging things straight from the land. Just last week I made a pie with his sister using blackberries we picked from the wild bushes in her yard. And another favorite is sautéed cattails! So good with just butter, salt & pepper!

[@nmarbletoe8210]

mmmmm my sister makes Mesquite flower, it is much like a sweet wheat

[@fatman9443]

I’m part of the Chickasaw tribe. Doritos are my main source of corn now. My ancestors would be so proud 🥲

[@arthurbrumagem3844]

Damn I must be a native 😂😂

[@davidortega357]

Don't forget Mexican salsa goes good with nachos and scoops corn chips I'm native

[@schradog01]

I Hail from the Cool Ranch tribe

[@amberrose7495]

I heard of so many meals from ancient history that made my stomach turn but this ethnic ancient meals are so amazing I’d love to eat them!

[@oneshotme]

Enjoyed the video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@jamessatterfield5705]

Thanks for the video.

[@emister2397]

I’ve been watching theses videos of food eaten during certain periods. All of those meals shown above have such creative delicious ingredients and look way more appetizing than ANY meal eaten during the depression era and the Native Americans ate off the land. Wow, just wow.

[@ulrikeneitch9887]

Fantastic information! I realize there were many hundreds of cultures in the Americas, and it would be difficult to offer food examples from each, but I would thoroughly appreciate additional episodes representing other cultural regions and their foods. How about one on the Pacific Northwest Native American dishes, and examples of foods used during potlatch celebrations! Thank you for your consideration.

[@matthewm2528]

Thank you for making this ❤ 👍

[@beautybread6855]

I would try piki, because the ash would make the thin bread last for ages. Beautiful information on Native American foods.

[@trevorslinkard31]

There’s so much more foods to explore! You should do a part two! Especially the Great Lakes tribes

[@madamvaudelune3298]

Here in Texas what we call the 'desert' near the Pecos, the native folk called the 'Supermarket.' The fish swam thick in the Pecos along with the turtle and other river critters of the edible sort. There is a type of root called 'mogollon" that is big as a yam. It has to roasted underground a couple of days but its sweet as molasses. Cactus apples in season grew more than could be eaten, along with soft-shell pecan and maypop. Some tribes collected the acorns that grow iff the live oak tree and made porridge and a kind of flat cake. Wild honey was harvested ( with clay pot of smoking herbs and a yard of guts).

[@m.f.richardson1602]

Very interesting. Thank you,💕🇺🇲

[@mizfrenchtwist]

the food looks delicious......thank you , for sharing.........

[@pleasureincontempt3645]

These recipes speak to me. Sweet and Savoury foods have thown down the gauntlet to humanity itself even before the proper french schools of Le Cordon Bleu were established. Eating chemistry so to speak is a reward for everyone.

[@The7Reaper]

A lot of these sound pretty damn good, I wouldn't mind trying them all. There should be a restaurant that serves traditional food from as many tribes as they can.

[@mickikindley7821]

There’s one in alb

[@ShizayaBoi]

I agree 100% @The7Reaper

[@thomasholmes7070]

All very fascinating. I am now hungry . Thanks.

[@kenolson3064]

Red Oaks are very common in Southern California. I usually collect acorns between October and November under the old growth trees. You have to collect them green because the animals get to them very quickly. I usually spread them out over a towel in a safe dry cool place indoors and let them dry for about a month. By then they are easy to crack open. I usually use a corn hand grinder to grind the acorns whole into a course meal. Red Oak acorns have an enormous amount of tannins that is bitter, and leaves a lingering aftertaste. Too leech the tannins out, I put the acorn meal in a pot with water on a low heat, stirring it occasionally. I will take it off the fire when the water temperature reaches about 140° then dump the mash through a strainer then rinse with fresh water, then return the mash to the cleaned out pot, add fresh water, then do the process again. You can see the leached out tannins in the water. After I've done the leaching process about three times, I will taste a little piece of the acorn meal. If it is still too bitter, continue the leaching process a few more times, until the acorn meal suits your palate. Put the cornmeal in a cheesecloth and squeeze out the water. I spread the damp acorn meal on a cookie sheet and put it in very low heat in the oven until it is very dry. Once it is cool, the acorn meal can be ground into flour like any other grain. Acorn is an acquired taste. If you're going to bake with it, for the first time I would substitute 25% of the wheat flour with the acorn flour to start. Experiment from there. Once you have gathered and prepared acorns, then successfully make it into food. You will appreciate how laborious was for our Native American ancestors to eat a simple meal.

[@foxqueen6214]

This made me miss home a fair bit lol I grew up on a Dakota reservation and frybread and wojapi are so good and eaten all the time still! My best friend's grandma made the best wojapi and my ex's mom made frybread with a little sugar to sweeten it

[@aliencat11]

Im drooling! I'm going to see if I can find recipes online to try some of these. Great episode! Thank you so much.

[@prestonsmith9824]

Hello Mary! How are you doing? I hope you are fine and staying safe?

[@boyermchristopher1]

As always, thank u for post

[@jimmymalone3494]

I enjoyed your video thank you for sharing.

[@tremorsfan]

Food has always been the great leveler. No matter what our differences, we all need to eat. I'd like to know what was served at all the peace negotiations throughout history.

[@MrMann-gt1eh]

You mean you don’t know?! 😂🤣 LIES! LIES have been served at every single peace meal in history.

[@ariadnemarquez9179]

As a Mexican, I love how my culture has similar foods today 🖤🙏🏼

[@lookoutforchris]

Makes sense. Your ancestors conquered the natives and mixed with them, and the slaves they brought, to varying degrees.

[@fragolegirl2002]

@@lookoutforchris she’s a mestiza not a Spaniard. Might as well call your black Americans British for being mixed with the pilgrims. Spaniards are white and no one thinks we mestizos are Spaniards in Spain.

[@collinsbico]

@@fragolegirl2002 yea but blacks in the USA didn't mix with anglos like the Spaniards mixed with natives in Mexico. Most Mexicans have more Spanish to them than they want to accept. And a HUGE part, I repeat a HUGE part of Mexican culture is derived from Spain.

[@elconquistador5095]

Most of us have the blood of the natives.

[@ariadnemarquez9179]

@lookoutforchris from what I know, I do not have Spanish in my blood. So no, my ancestors did not conquer another culture. Not everyone who is Mexican comes from Spanish decent.

[@roxanneweichinger9318]

Wow, this was an interesting video, thankyou for sharing it.

[@roberthormson3323]

Hello 👋 how are you doing? Hope you’re having a good day I was dropping a comment when I come across your profile, I liked what you shared , but we are not friends . May the lord be with you and your family ❤️

[@johnkrebs2781]

I enjoyed it, very interesting.

[@KittyMeow1993]

My father-in-law (he is Native American) made fry bread years ago and it is addicting! So so good drizzled with honey. I had so much I almost puked. WORTH IT. 😅

[@kyleshiflet9952]

Fry bread is awesome especially when its loaded with meat refried beans cheese lettuce tomatoes and black olives

[@lisafairclough8122]

Sounds lovely! X

[@kyleshiflet9952]

@@lisafairclough8122 it is

[@YungStinkyWinky]

Great work with the pronunciations. Much respect folks, thank you.

[@markcrume]

Nice presentation, well done.

[@SuperSPatrick]

I am native. Most frybreads don't have milk or shortening right in the dough. It's flour, baking powder, salt, water, and sometimes a pinch of sugar. Then fried in oil or fat of some kind.

[@toughbutsweet1]

I thought that didn't sound right. Shortening was only invented during World War 2 and cattle arrived only approximately 100 years before that.

[@edmundooliver7584]

@@toughbutsweet1 they used Lard

[@tilda3316]

Where I grew up we used powdered milk sometimes, as it came with the rest of the government commodities. And fried in lard. We would melt that awesome cheese on top sometimes or spread peanut butter on top with a drizzle of maple

[@oklahomafreedom5536]

@@tilda3316 same here! Looking back, man we was pooor!

[@jayvan4821]

Have a few friends that live in the Navajo reservation. Visited it once and their sheep mutton is amazing. Tender and flavorful.

[@roberthormson3323]

Hello 👋 how are you doing? Hope you’re having a good day I was dropping a comment when I come across your profile, I liked what you shared , but we are not friends . May the lord be with you and your family 🥰

[@honeybennett4429]

Thanks for the informative

[@M1iguy]

🌻🌻 great video

[@KowboyUSA]

In my foods stores there's always pemmican. Pemmican is compact, super long shelf life, and contains all the nutrients and calories needed to continue to live.

[@KeyofDavid5778]

Great...what's your ingredients?

[@KowboyUSA]

@@KeyofDavid5778 Usually venison or elk, local berries (most often dried huckleberries and/or thimbleberries, occasionally cranberries) and bear fat (if not available, then beef suet).

[@KeyofDavid5778]

@@KowboyUSA That sounds wonderful! On a big time backpacker and back country hiker. I need something to sustain me longer as the junk that's in the stores is just that..... If you have a good recipe throw up my way. Thank you so much

[@theonuss6607]

Leeching is a big step in preparing acorns. Tannins have benefits in small quantities but can be toxic and disrupt nutrient absorbed. But indigenous tribes in the NW had a really awesome way to remove the tannins by running cold water over the ground acorns that were in a thin layer over soft sand.

[@risboturbide9396]

Best narrator on any youtube channel.

[@DrawMaster115]

Thanks this video was missing from youtube