Exploring Indigenous Foods: Recommendations from Native American Chefs

The United States is celebrated as a diverse blend of cultures, people, and cuisines. Throughout its major urban areas—such as New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles—residents and visitors can indulge in an array of international dishes.

Promoting Indigenous Cuisines

Despite this culinary diversity, Chef Sean Sherman, affiliated with the Oglala Lakota Tribe, highlights a scarcity of dining establishments dedicated to the Indigenous foods distinctly crafted by the over 570 recognized Native American tribes and Alaska Native communities. Each tribe boasts its unique culinary legacy.

Restaurants such as Watecha Bowl, Tocabe, and Owamni strive to change this by rejuvenating or honoring traditional techniques and flavors maintained through ages.

Lawrence West, the visionary behind Watecha Bowl and a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, stated, "We're united in the cause of food sovereignty, and it's about showcasing Native American cuisine to the globe." He emphasizes the cultural significance of his culinary practices, which represent his heritage.

Indigenous-Inspired Dining Venues

West's Sioux Falls, South Dakota based establishment, Watecha Bowl, is a fast-food venue offering Lakota Nation-inspired cuisine. West takes pride in serving a global clientele, reaching individuals from every U.S. state. Currently, his restaurant engages in a charitable initiative by providing an Indian taco in exchange for toys benefitting Native American children in foster care.

Tocabe, a Denver, Colorado eatery, promotes a build-your-own Native American culinary experience, aiming to restore the foundational American food system. Founder Ben Jacobs, of the Osage Nation, seeks to make Native fare accessible while creating a welcoming space for Native patrons, reflecting on how Native food has struggled for recognition since 2008. Over sixteen years later, Tocabe continues to narrate cultural and communal stories.

In Minneapolis, Owamni by Chef Sherman endeavors to "decolonize" dining by sourcing ingredients typical of pre-colonial North America. "It’s disheartening that such a restaurant is singular in its kind," Sherman remarks, hoping to normalize healthy Indigenous dining while proving its feasibility.

Must-Try Indigenous Dishes

One traditional delicacy, according to West, is wojapi—a thick, luscious berry sauce often paired with frybread, meats, or consumed plainly. Bison, including chislic, a South Dakota original, and wild rice with maple syrup, also top the list.

Frybread is central to Native American cuisine, albeit born out of necessity during the U.S. government's coercive assimilation policies like the Trail of Tears. Jacobs stresses the Indigenous origins of many common grocery items such as corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and chilies. He aspires for Americans to comprehend and honor the origins and narratives of their food.

Understanding Native American Culinary Evolution

Sherman attributes the marginalized status of Native American cuisine to historical ideologies like "manifest destiny," which perpetuated U.S. territorial expansion across North America.

Together with West, he discusses forced assimilation mechanisms implemented by the U.S government. These included legislation like the 1830 Indian Removal Act, the 1862 Homestead Act, and the 1887 Dawes Act, which aimed at integrating Native populations into mainstream society.

The Trail of Tears epitomizes the forced displacement of Native communities during the 1830s, displacing an estimated 100,000 Indigenous people from their ancestral lands.

Such policies detrimentally impacted Native food systems, leading to long-term food insecurity and health issues, as reported by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). Despite treaties dating back to the 1700s, intended to supply Native communities with provisions, the rations provided, like lard and white flour, were frequently unhealthy.

In 2023, approximately 1.3% of Americans identify as Native American. Jacobs notes the imperative of rediscovering and fortifying Native culinary systems, emphasizing that reclaiming dietary autonomy is akin to reclaiming their future.