Food and Fry Bread Recipe

Meat Being Made Into Jerky - Photo Source: www.pinchxeverything.blogspot.com

The Nez Perce fished and hunted year round for food. They often fished in the Columbia River for salmon, which was their favorite fish to eat. Along with fishing, they hunted deer, elk, birds and other small animals. In order to save their stock of meat from spoiling they usually turned their meat supply into jerky. They would cut their meat up into strips and then dry it out in the sun. The Nez Perce also picked berries and roots. Kouse, or cowish, is an edible root they harvested. It is said to taste like turnips. The white settlers referred to kouse as the “biscuit root” because they thought it tasted like stale biscuits. Another root harvested and eaten by the Nez Perce were camas bulbs. The abundance of the camas root was the origin of the name of a local prairie, Camas Prairie. They would steam the camas bulb by applying water to a fire below the bulbs. Sometimes the Nez Perce would apply roots that they harvested to water and make tea. Camas tea was a popular drink among them. Also eaten was flat bread, which is flat dough that was fried in oil.

Although there seemed to be an abundance of food, the Nez Perce faced a period of famine and starvation in the 19^th century when the white man drove them from their land. Today, the Nez Perce is not as healthy as they once were. Fast and processed foods have infiltrated their naturally organic diets. The once lean and strong Nez Perce now face a high percentage of obesity. Alcoholism is also prevalent within their tribe. Today about 30% of the Nez Perce are obese while about 19% of them are dependent upon alcohol.

Fry Bread Recipe:

2 Cups of Flower

2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon of Salt

1 Tablespoon of Sunflower Oil

¾ Cup of Water

Fry Bread - Photo Source: www.fs.usda.gov

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, then add the oil and water and mix it in with a large spoon. Dust your hands with flour to keep them from getting sticky and mix the dough with your hands until it is stretchy, but not sticky. Do not use a lot of flour or the dough will get heavy. When it is smooth, pull off a clump of the dough about the size of a plum and roll it into a ball with your hands. Squeeze the dough ball gently between your hands until it is flat. Then, gently pull the dough to stretch it out until it is thin. It you cannot get it stretched thin, lay it on a surface dusted with flour and roll it flat with a rolling pin. Punch a hole through the center with your thumb. This hole will help the bread cook evenly. Drop the dough in a few inches of hot canola or peanut oil. When one side turns a light brown, turn it over with two forks or a long metal spatula and cook the other side. Put the hot bread on a plate covered with a paper towel to drain and cool. If you like, you can sprinkle the bread with powdered sugar or drizzle it with honey.

Fry Bread - Photo Source: www.thepioneerwoman.com

Recipe Source: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/npnht/learningcenter/?cid=stelprdb5312571