Guts and Grease: The Diet of Native Americans

[silverbluewolf]

food

can i get fries with that?

[wyo_rose]

I'm sure that a lot more herbs were used back in the day than we know about now, but probably nothing really that could be called a "spice".

We have to remember that what we grew up on and even what most of grandparents grew up on was not 'traditional' ESPECIALLY frybread. (mmm...hot and greasy and chewy and crispy)

Around here I'm sure we ate lots of deer, elk, buffalo, berries and roots. The mountain Shoshone ate mountain sheep. Rabbits and prarie dogs and rock chucks are plentiful in season. And there's all kinds of fish: trout, whitefish and lingcod. I'm sure we traveled over the divide to enjoy the salmon runs. Or at least traded the Sho-Bans for dried salmon.

I wish I knew more about the roots around here. I've seen wild onions and have heard alot about bitterroot, cammas, wild carrots and wild turnips, but never have seen them. Didn't Sacajawea dig up a whole dinner of roots for them guys when pickin's was slim??

[between2worlds]

Dunno if you'd call them herbs/spices or not but many of the recipes I inherited call for candied or toasted sweet flag root (which is really a rhizome) which has a sharp taste - a bit like cinnamon or ginger. And the leaves add a sweet fragrance/taste something like how vanilla does to bannock and other "breads" (which call for minimal white flour - mostly made from nut, pollen and cattail root "flours"). Toasted cattail seeds are indicated in several soup, a stew and one "sweet bannock" recipe.

Sumac berries - I still use these: both to make water taste better and to put in the stuffing (and soaked in water as the basis of a basting sauce) for birds. I always get compliments on how moist my roasted chicken with sumac turns out, and without the sumac berries it just isn't as good.

Sarsaparilla root, birch twig tips and pine needles all make nice teas... as do mint. Would these flavorings be considered herbs/spices too?

[timmy tiger]

Dont try hijacking this thread TT you know where your room is
LOL

My tribe did not use many herbs those were introduced after 1st contact...
I know one thing we did go nuts over sugar, my grandma drank her coffee extremly strong with lots of sugar!
And loved fry bread and bean bread and biscuits
So lots of Starch and the wrong kind of oil
She was a full blown Diabetic and shot insullin everyday
But nutrition was not a big thing with our tribe in the 1960's along with most other tribes, So she past on very early in her life only 61...

We know nowdays lots of things that are not good for us and alot of our traditional meals that include Frybread are not very good for us we know this
And yet....
Fry bread is good especially hot out of the grease...

Are you grounding me again.j/k LMAO

[Josiah]

Mean while back at the ranch....

Yes, I know what you mean. But in this case, hun, it's a female so it could get really ugly.LMAO

hhuuummmm very true

Dont try hijacking this thread TT you know where your room is
LOL

My tribe did not use many herbs those were introduced after 1st contact...
I know one thing we did go nuts over sugar, my grandma drank her coffee extremly strong with lots of sugar!
And loved fry bread and bean bread and biscuits
So lots of Starch and the wrong kind of oil
She was a full blown Diabetic and shot insullin everyday
But nutrition was not a big thing with our tribe in the 1960's along with most other tribes, So she past on very early in her life only 61...

We know nowdays lots of things that are not good for us and alot of our traditional meals that include Frybread are not very good for us we know this
And yet....
Fry bread is good especially hot out of the grease...

[Eagle Plumes]

Yes, I know what you mean. But in this case, hun, it's a female so it could get really ugly.LMAO

hhuuummmm very true

[timmy tiger]

Im sooooo not lol now I can laugh but man the nerve!

Yes, I know what you mean. But in this case, hun, it's a female so it could get really ugly.LMAO

[Eagle Plumes]

You still aren't over that one, are you.LMAO

Im sooooo not lol now I can laugh but man the nerve!

[timmy tiger]

Ok BlackBear as long as the chap dont start talking about todgers we will be OK!

You still aren't over that one, are you.LMAO

[Eagle Plumes]

Ok BlackBear as long as the chap dont start talking about todgers we will be OK!

[Blackbear]

The key to buying good fish is to buy wild caught not farmed. Farming actually has more mercury and pollutants in it because they are localized to one area and don't get to go out to sea like the wild salmon do. Check the pollutant levels in the rivers, streams, lakes and ponds you go to.. there ARE some that are'nt bad out there. Oh and buy american wild caught, not the imported stuff... lately some bad things have come about from imported fish that you really don't want!

As for this wierd comment on herbs that seems to be applied to all of us... I know my people did'nt deal with alot of herbs themselves, but we did use alot of shoots and roots. Many of the herbs we use today were brought over here from the orient from what I understand. Sage is indigenous as well as I know my people refined salt from salt mines.. which is also something the Onondaga were known for doing. But when you read about healing plants and foods the herbs don't seem to be included for consuming but more for burning.

LOL comparing lentils to frybread as an equal... that's a GOOD joke!

[Josiah]

silence is golden is becoming very clear that you have not read any of the numerous replies to your rambling posts

By all means do so....

[between2worlds]

Im so sorry if thats happenning to your body...a good preventative and these days,for survival,,,its good to break fast with 4 oz. of wheatgrass and a 16 0z. cup of carrot beet juiice...if your iron is low,beat juice will raise it fasrter than anything.. wheatgrass ids like drinking a few pounds of raw vegis....and of course pure water...then you have to wait a few hours...then eayt some beans,rice and chapatis{frybread thats not fried.}(split moong beans are the most digestible,high protein bean{for those with cancer}my fav. is lentils....those are like frybread without grease...thats a lot of a complete protein diet. fruits need to be eaten by themselves..no white flour,and no white sugar...and some ginger root ,and cilantro with your meals,and yogurt...thats all I can think of and ive been studying health my whole life.If native american indians insist that threy must eat fish...they should move to Alaska,,,soon they wont be able to eat the fish in Alaska...sounds like maybe you have a huge amount of mercury in your system.the native american indians are expert cooks so they know what spices are healing .

Uh hello?

I AM native, was raised up native BY natives out in the middle of no-where northern USA.

What's your lineage?

[between2worlds]

[wyo_rose]

Can you please stick to the subject of nutrition and quit the condescending Native American references??

I almost get interested in what you have to say, then you blow it with stereotypical, and nonsensical NA remarks.

I don't know if you have ever had frybread, but chapatis is NOT like frybread, it's more like a tortilla. And don't even compare lentils (which I LOVE) to frybread.

You know we're all living in the 21st century, so luckily we don't have to MOVE to Alaska to enjoy seafood. Nor should we have to listen to your hair brained NA ramblings.

AND Please don't try to diagnose anyone!! *stomping off*