Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

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NaphthoquinonesseeVitamin K


Native American diet
Origins
When Christopher Columbus dropped anchor on
the shores of San Salvador in the Caribbean Sea, he
believed he reached India. Because he believed he was
in India, Columbus named the inhabitantsIndians,a
term that was soon used to refer to all the native
inhabitants of North America. Today, the termNative
Americanis more commonly used.


The Hardships of Settlement
New settlers in North America had a difficult time
learning how to grow food and harvest crops to sus-
tain their colonies through the land’s harsh winters.
The Native Americans, on the other hand, were accus-
tomed to the climate and the land’s nuances, and were
familiar with what types of food were available to
them during the different times of the year. They did
not go hungry as the settlers did. The Native Ameri-
cans were skilled agriculturists, nomadic hunters,
and food gatherers who lived in relatively egalitarian
communities where both the women and men had
equal responsibilities.


The portal that Columbus opened when he first
stepped foot on the soil of the New World in 1492
triggered a steady influx of European settlers, indelibly
affecting the lives of Native Americans. However, it
was Thomas Jefferson’s purchase of the Louisiana
Territory from France in 1803 that fundamentally
changed the course of Native Americans’ future in
North America. Hoping to expand the nation’s size,
Jefferson urged the Creek and Cherokee nations of
Georgia to relocate to the newly acquired land. This
began an era of devastating wars over land. The many


years of struggle between Native American tribes and
the U.S. government resulted in the near extinction of
many Native American tribes.

General Diet before the Colonial Period
The Native American population, including
American Indians and Alaska Natives, once totaled
nearly 24 million, with over 500 tribes. The diets of
Native Americans varied by geographic region and
climate. They lived in territories marked by specific
natural boundaries, such as mountains, oceans, rivers,
and plains. Hunting, fishing, and farming supplied the
major food resources. Native Americans survived
largely on meat, fish, plants, berries, and nuts.
The most widely grown and consumed plant foods
were maize (or corn) in the mild climate regions and
wild rice in the Great Lakes region. A process called
nixtamalizacion(soaking dry corn in limewater) was
used to soften the corn into dough, callednixtamalor
masa. This was prepared in a variety of ways to make
porridges and breads. Many tribes grew beans and
enjoyed them as succotash, a dish made of beans,
corn, dog meat, and bear fat. Tubers (roots), also
widely eaten, were cooked slowly in underground
pits until the hard tough root became a highly diges-
tible gelatin-like soup. It is estimated that 60% of
modern agricultural production in the United States
involves crops domesticated by Native Americans.
Maple sugar comprised 12% of the Native Amer-
ican diet. The Native American name for maple sugar
isSinzibuckwud(drawn from the wood). Sugar was a
basic seasoning for grains and breads, stews, teas,
berries, vegetables. In the Southwest, the Native
Americans chewed the sweet heart of the agave plant.
Many tribes preferred broth and herbed beverages
to water. The Chippewa boiled water and added
leaves or twigs before drinking it. Sassafras was a
favorite ingredient in teas and medicinal drinks.
Broth was flavored and thickened with corn silk and
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