would plant squash between corn rows for weed control.
food encompasses a wide range of tribal traditions and customs. The food available to each tribe depended on its location, environment and chosen lifestyle. Most tribes did some farming; others traded for crops with neighboring tribes. Any animal that moved was fair game as a food source, but the types of animals available varied by region, according to Native Languages of the Americas. Food was simple and usually eaten very fresh.
Three Sisters
Corn or maize, beans and squash form the trio of staples that anchors many American Indian diets. Most tribes either grew corn themselves or traded with their neighbors for it, according to NLA. They would grind the corn into meal or flour to make tortillas and cornbread or eat corn-on-the-cob, popcorn and hominy. Native American Resources provides recipes for baked black beans and lima bean succotash. The Manataka American Indian Council suggests a three sisters stew, along with many other squash-based soup recipes, that may be similar to what was brewing over the cooking fire in many American Indian camps.
Crops
Farming was an important source of food for many American Indian tribes. Pumpkins, sunflowers, wild rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, peanuts, avocados, papayas, and chocolate were commonly found in their gardens and fields. Pumpkins, like other squashes, were stirred into soups and stews, made into bread or baked. Vegetables were eaten raw, mixed into a salad or baked over hot coals. Hot chocolate was a popular drink in some tribes. Berries could also be made into puddings or included in pastries.
Herbs
Although NLA states that American Indians did not use many spices in their foods, Native American Resources reports that they did make tea with herbs such as clover, wild roses, elder shrub and wintergreen.
Gathered Foods
In addition to farming, foraged and gathered much of the food they consumed. Gathering parties would collect eggs, honey, maple syrup, sugar and salt. Peanuts, pine nuts, cashews, hickory nuts and acorns, as well as fruits such as cranberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, chokecherries, wild plums and persimmons, and many types of beans, roots and greens could be easily carried in pouches and eaten as they walked along on a hunt or foraging party
Breads
Corn flour or acorn flour was the basis of many traditional American Indian breads. You may be familiar with Indian fry bread, but The People's Path points out that there are many tasty variations among different tribes: Pueblo oven bread, wild sage bread, cracklin bread, fried Cherokee squash bread, huckleberry bread, Hopi piki bread, sun bread and more.
Meat
Hunting was another common way that American Indians could obtain food. Many types of meat were on the menu, including buffalo, elk, caribou, deer, rabbits, salmon, ducks, geese and turkeys. Coastal tribes could feast on clams and marine mammals like seals or even whales. Native Americans would generally roast meat over a campfire or grill it on hot stones.
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