Indigenous cooking sustained the first North Americans as they built the foundation of the food system that nourishes us today. “The original North American food system was based on harvesting wild plants for food and medicine, employing sophisticated agricultural practices, and on preserving seed diversity,” says Sean Sherman, a member of Oglala Sioux Tribe, which is part of the Lakota Nation. He is also a Chef and Author of James Beard Foundation Award-winning cookbook The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen. “My ancestors used all parts of the animals and plants with respect, viewing them as part of our environment, not above it.”

The cookbooks included here showcase bright Indigenous-style dishes using ingredients native to the area, especially the three staples: corn, squash and beans (often referred to as the “three sisters”), and with limited or none of the components introduced through European colonialism: white flour, sugar, dairy and fat. 

There are 573 federally recognized tribes in the United States and 634 aboriginal groups in Canada. Approximately one out of five Mexicans identify as a member of an Indigenous group. Dana Thompson, Co-owner of The Sioux Chef, invests hope in the books, which she believes “raise the awareness for how Indigenous wisdom was systematically removed from tribal communities by genocide and forced assimilation. They are just one step towards regaining this important knowledge.”

“The larger mission is to embrace a positive message about Indigenous cultures,” says Jennifer Cockrall-King, Co-author of tawâw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine. “It’s something that we don’t hear nearly enough about in North America. Everyone should be able to experience the beauty of the land and people around us, and the food that we can create with it.”  

The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen

By Sean Sherman with Beth Dooley

tawâw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine

By Shane M. Chartrand with Jennifer Cockrall-King

The New Native American Cuisine

By Marian Betancourt