Cherokee Cooklore: To Make My Bread, Recipes, Herbs, Wild Foods, History, and The Feast

by Mary Ulmer Chiltoskey, Goingback Chiltoskey (Illustrations)

First published in 1951, Cherokee Cooklore introduces us to traditional Cherokee cooking. It starts with a photographic essay as Aggie Lossiah demonstrates how she makes bean bread. This is followed by recipes gathered from the North Carolina Cherokee community (including yellowjacket soup, blood pudding, hominy corn drink, baked squirrel, and hickory nut soup). A description of Cherokee food customs follows. This is a fascinating booklet that provides valuable food lore for the adventuresome gourmet or the student of Native American history.

Genres: Cooking, Cookbooks

82 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

A native of Demopolis, Ala., she had been a resident of Cherokee since 1942. She was a member of The University Women and St. Francis Episcopal Church. She began teaching in 1923 and taught in Cherokee from 1942 until retirement. During that time, she started the Cherokee Community Library. When she retired, she started the Free Book Center.

She authored "Cherokee Cooklore", "Cherokee Plants and Medicine", "Cherokee Fairs and Festivals", "Cherokee Words" and "Aunt Mary Told Me a Story".

She received several awards in both quilting and writing, including the Sequoyah Award and the 1986 Mountain Heritage Award from Western Carolina University as a major force in collecting writing and sharing the Cherokee way of life.For her work with the Cherokee, Chiltoskey was named an honorary member of the Eastern Band.

She was the daughter of the late Edward W. Ulmer Sr. and Nettie A. Lipscomb Ulmer.

Taken from: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1...

Reviews

[Samantha Gronberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this was certainly a book that required google and a native plants field guide! As much as I would love to give this informative piece of writing a higher rating there were a few reasons why I couldn't. 1. The "Recipes" listed were really just broad looks at how a meal could be made, however without any measurements or times listed these recipes are really more for entertainment than a how to guide. That being said if anyone is willing to try and make some Yellowjacket (yes the stinging insect!) soup I'd be more than willing to try a bowlful. 2. The terms used within the book made certain concepts more difficult to understand, for instance "Slick-Go-Downs" or "Oo-Ni-Lo-Que" are apparently a type of local edible mushroom. Much to my chagrin I've yet to figure out what species it is. Any ideas folks? Finally my largest point of contention was within the "For Palefaces" section in the back of the book written by Walter Carroll. Here he discusses how many of the white visitors to a local feast felt towards traditional indigenous foods "their faces registering various expressions, ate some of the food; most of them just played around with it. The Indians, running true to form cleaned up their plates." There were additional examples of underlying racism within this section including a study on the head shapes and skull sizes of Cherokee people as well as 'famed' Dr. Arthur Kelly's description of the group as a "brave, wise, and intelligent group, but added that they had always been 'Something like the Irish' in that they could not pass up a good fight when they saw one." I understand that this book is dated, as someone who has a BA in Cultural Anthropology I also understand that our knowledge of other cultures grows, evolves and changes as we make progress as a society. Despite those reasons, reading this section left a sour taste in my mouth. Certainly an interesting read, but one that should be taken with a grain of salt.

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was some interesting cultural information along with the recipes, but it was challenging culling it from the jumble of the original presentation made worse by atrocious kindle formatting.

There were sections with no rhyme or reason. Recipes or techniques with small variations that could and should have been grouped together were instead scattered throughout.

This is also not a cookbook in the sense that measurements are giving; it's left to the reader to experiment. The last half consisted of letters and articles and a small index.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the descriptions in this collection from around 1951 are accurate, and I have no specific reason to doubt that they are, it seems traditional Eastern Cherokee cooking was very time-consuming and labor-intensive. Apparently they did not eat corn except when the skins of the kernels had been stripped with lye, similar to hominy. I'd love to be able to taste some of these dishes, but I simply do no believe my own cooking skills (and strength!) will allow me to make anything myself. Interesting book, but with some dated perspectives and biases of course.

[Emma Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am appalled, the lack of understanding, by other reader on here. This book was written by native Cherokee people, recipes from mouth to paper. And as a historical text why would it be changed, it doesn’t matter if it offends you, it was still written. The people reading this book as just a cookbook are ignorant to culture, and history written here. Btw the authors are Cherokee legends. I’m sure the book was the way they wanted it, and that’s how I want to read it.

[Jessica Donegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The formatting of the book needs a lot of work but for something put together by a local museum and Miss Mary Ulmer as the head research, it seems like a solid place to start looking at indigenous food recipes.

[Clay Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

valuable cultural artifact imo

[Barkshire Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Native Americans featured in the book are from the 1900's and how they still managed to make old recipes, living off of the land as inexpensively as possible. The recipes themselves came down from the older eras and there is a little historical information in the book. Quaint book. Fun to read and gets you thinking what could I do if I knew what the plants are growing in my yard.