Succotash
Succotash is one of the dishes that have been so successfully integrated into the mainstream American diet that some may not realize that its roots reach further back than Southern-style cooking to native cuisine. The word succotash comes from the Narragansett word “sohquttahhash,” which means broken corn kernels.
The dish is made of a combination of corn, beans, and sometimes, tomatoes or peppers. It is strictly a New World dish that developed from the tradition of the “three sisters” — corn, beans and squash — which were planted together by Native Americans for centuries because they thrived and supported each other in the garden. The European settlers first encountered vegetables like corn, tomatoes and many varieties of beans that were not endemic to Europe in the New World. Much of the success of early settlers depended on their willingness to incorporate these foods into their cooking.
Today, succotash is a popular dish at Thanksgiving celebrations in the northern United States as well as in the South, where it can refer to any vegetable dish that uses lima for its base. The Mitsitam Native Foods Café at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., is a great stop for anyone interested in trying succotash and other examples of Native American cuisine.
Buffalo Stew
Native culture and the buffalo are so interlinked that when the government sought to subdue the Plains tribes, it went about doing so by attempting to wipe out the buffalo. The Plains tribes viewed buffalo as a food source and as a sacred animal. Not only did a single buffalo feed a large group of people, but its hide was used for clothing and shelter, and tools were made out of various bones and body parts.
Today, the American bison is no longer endangered; herds of varying sizes can be found in all 50 states. At its lowest point, the species numbered only a few hundred, but it has since rebounded to more than 200,000 head in North America. South Dakota, in particular, is known for buffalo meat, since Custer State Park is home to the largest herd of American bison. The park holds an annual Buffalo Roundup and Buffalo Arts Festival each year at the end of September. One of the highlights of the event is the Annual Buffalo Wallow Chili Cook-Off, where cooks compete to see who can make the best buffalo chili.
Indian Pudding or Majarete
While not a native dish, Indian pudding is a fusion of New England indigenous and Colonial cultures. Its chief ingredient, maize, and its name both came from the native peoples living in New England at the time the British colonized the area. The colonists contributed the method of cooking. Puddings, both savory and sweet, are popular in British cooking.
There is a similar dish called ”majarete” that is popular in areas associated with the Taino culture such as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Both Indian pudding and majarete are corn puddings made by adding corn meal to hot milk and then adding vanilla or spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
Each region has its own variations. In Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, it is often made with coconut milk; in Puerto Rico, rice milk is common. New Englanders often serve the dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. The Patuxet Café at Plimoth Plantation and Old Sturbridge Village are both popular stops for Indian pudding in Massachusetts.
