In the shadow of the Capital building iin Washington, D.C. is the newest edition to the the exhibiition and recognition of mostly United States history and culture in the grand institutions and monuments along the national mall. The curved tan facade of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) certainly sets itself apart as aesthetically distinct from the grey steps and pillars of the neoclassical Smithsonian museums that flank it. The dramatic four stories of the museum sing with Native American history, culture, and art, as expressed by many native groups and individuals from across America---north, south, and central. The exhibits about the exploitation, suffering, and resilience of indigenous Americans are beautifully and tragically profound, not to mention an essential edition to the culture-holding of our nation's capital. What has recieived some of the greatest praise, however, is the Mitsitam cafeteria, fittingly the first-floor foundation of the museum.
“Mitsitam” means “Let’s eat!” in the Native language of the Delaware and Piscataway peoples. Unlike the standard fast-food-ish fare available in other museum's basement cafeterias (indeed, McDonald's took over much of the Air and Space Museum's offerings), Mitsitam features traditional and contemporary foods from Northern Woodlands, South America, the
Northwest Coast, Meso America and the Great Plains. The regional stations include inticing dishes such as maple and hominy baked beans, sunflower crusted lake trout, sweet potato banana soup, tamarind roasted green papaya, huckleberry wild onion steamed mussels, fire roasted beets with wild ginger and cucumber, prickly pear agua fresca, and pine nut rosemary tart.
While certainly not local to the Washington, D.C. area, the Mitsitam cafeteria celebrates the deeply local offerings from the diverse indigenous culinary traditions of the Americas. The delicious, creative dishes certainly come with a price tag to match, but as always, is the food movement not about a deep cultural critique of what is affordable or not, where we budget our funds, and why? (And the surprising price drop if the ingredients are purchased locally and prepapred at home...)?
As we move closer to the holiday that tells the best lies about kind pilgrims sharing their food with savage Indians, it is worth acknowledging and giving thanks to the indigenous people of the Americas who domesticated almost all of the crops we depend on (corn, potatoes, tomatoes), who originally cleared the land where many colonists settled, who endured and resisted and continue to endure and resist. As we look to the land around us, let us condemn the cruel injustices perpetuated against the people to whom the land has always truly belonged. As is done at the NMAI, let us honor the tragedy with truth about indigenous history, and taste their rich legacy with the food on our forks.
In 2004, the NMAI published the James Beard Foundation award-winning cookbook Foods of the Americas: Native Recipes and Traditions. A lush coffeetable cookbook of delectable and historical photos, essays, and recipes, the book is a great addition to a truly local recipe library. This is a great one for a Midwestern menu:
Wild Rice and Corn Fritters
Rince 1/2 cup of wild rice. Bring to a boil in 1.5 cups of wild rice with a pinch of salt. Simmer for about 35 minutes. Add water as necessary to keep rice completely covered in water while cooking. When tender, remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
To make fritters: mix 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. baking powder, 2 Tbsp. cornstarch, and 1/4 whole wheat or cattail (!) flour in a bowl. Add the cooked rice, a dash of cayenne pepper (to taste), the kernels from one large ear of corn, and 4 chopped green onions. Whisk, then add 1/4 cup beer and beat well. In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs. Fold the eggs into the rice mixture with a spatula. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup parmesean cheese while folding the batter.
To cook the fritters, heat 1 inch of oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. When it sizzle with a small drop of batter, the oil is ready. Slip spoonfulls of the batter into the hot oil using 2 soup spoons. Leave plenty of space between the fritter while cooking. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown, then use a slotted spoon or tongs to turn them. Cook for another 5-6 minutes, until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm while cooking the remaining batter. Serve warm.
