Three Sisters Salad
Our hearts are heavy with the recent discovery of thousands of unmarked graves of indigenous children, buried under residential schools, all across Canada. We are in a period of mourning and as such we made a conscious decision not to celebrate Canada Day this year. Instead, we will be observing the day reflecting, amplifying and honoring Indigenous voices, cuisines and cultures. We stand in solidarity with everyone from coast to coast to coast this July 1st in a national day of mourning, reflection and calls to action.
What can we do instead?
We are following the lead of @OnCanadaProject and here is what we recommend.
Learn about the land we live on and the Indigenous people that belong to it via Native-Land.ca.
Read the Truth and Reconciliation Report, in particular the “94 Calls to Action”.
Email your local elected officials and demand immediate actions.
Donate (if you are able to) to The Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
Why choose food?
As you all know, one half of @TheSpiceOdyssey duo is Canadian and while we love Canada, we also believe we need to learn and do better for the Indigenous people of this land. Instead of the typical celebratory picnic-bbq fare, we are highlighting an Indigenous Inspired dish and using food as a medium to redirect all conversations about how we can build a better Canada.
After all, food is and always has been political. Food, while nourishment, also has its own kind of narrative. It is ultimately about our survival. It's a substance we need to live, but we should also be able to find pride and joy in it. And yet, access to this basic need and source of comfort is deeply unequal, largely due to socio-economic disparities and colonial imperative. And so as anthropologists when addressing social justice, food becomes one of the conduits for education and, sometimes, pointed critique around cultural erasure, appropriation, and privilege.
Indigenous food sovereignty is a huge issue and Native Americans have been directly impacted in their ability to acquire and prepare their food. The systematic displacement and ethnic erasure of indigenous communities has led to mass food insecurity and and this disruption of traditional diets has resulted in so many health problems. In the last decade, we are seeing an initiation of food sovereignty movement, a revitalization of traditional practices, development of local food economies, the right to food, and seed sovereignty. This is central to self-determination and decolonial mobilization embodied by Indigenous people not just in Canada or North America, but throughout the world. Read more about the Indigenous food sovereignty movement here and here.
Who are the “Three Sisters”?
The Three Sisters are the three main agricultural crops of various Indigenous groups across North America : maize (corn), climbing beans and winter squash. The three plants are planted close together and like close sisters, aids one another in their respective growing processes. The Three Sisters are commonly used in a traditional Indigenous recipes like the three sisters soup, stews and succotash.
Agricultural Method
The “Three Sisters” is an Indigenous agricultural method of growing corn, beans and squash together known as “companion planting”. Corn grows tall - as much as six inches in a single day! And her younger sister, Beans, uses her stalk as a pole. Beans also add nitrogen to the soil to boost Corn’s yield and stabilize her shallow roots. Squash, the last sister to germinate, grows along the ground to prevent weeds and help her sisters’ roots retain moisture.
The three plants are also a nutrition powerhouse when combined. Corn contains carbohydrate, providing a rich source of energy while beans provide protein and fiber to help balance the release of sugar into the bloodstream, lower bad cholesterol and prevent overeating by keeping us satiated for longer. The squash is full of nutrients, such as vitamin A that helps to maintain and improve eyesight. For centuries, indigenous women have planted these three seeds together. A Three Sisters garden will grow more food, acre for acre, then each crop in its own row. This type of ecological cooperation is one that many Indigenous peoples believe in and all of us should replicate for a more mindful and harmonious living with our surroundings.
Creation Myth
The term “Three Sisters'' emerged from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) creation myth. There is an abundance of folklore, stories, and history surrounding Three Sisters and almost every First Nations have their own unique stories. To them, the meaning of the Three Sisters runs deep into the physical and spiritual well-being of their people. Known as the "sustainers of life," the Iroquois consider corn, beans and squash to be special gifts from the creator. The well-being of each crop is believed to be protected by one of the Three Sister Spirits. Many folklores and religious stories have been woven around the "Three Sisters" - sisters who would never be apart from one another, sisters who should be planted together, eaten together and celebrated together. You can read more about the Three Sisters here and here.
Recipe - Three Sisters Salad
Serving: 2
Traditionally, this is a soup recipe from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) nation which has been passed down through the generations. Given that we are experiencing really awful heatwaves, I have decided to recreate this hearty recipe and it’s three main ingredients into a salad version. By no means this is an authentic recipe, it is merely our humble attempt at highlighting indigenous ingredients, cuisines and cultures, the likes of which has been the subject of ethnic erasure for far too long.
In this recipe, we tried to incorporate as many ingredients native to this land as possible - squash, corn, beans, maple syrup, and blackberries. Albeit, due to inaccessibility we had to use non-native ingredients like olive oil, dijon mustard and arugula. But we highly recommend adding more traditional ingredients such as hominy, nasturtium leaves and flowers, amaranth leaves, hazelnuts, sunflower oil and meadow garlic, if you are able to find them.
Prepping the Ingredients
Navy Beans - 1 cup
I used canned beans but if you prefer to use dry beans, soak them in cold water for 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Then simmer them in gentle heat in a Dutch oven for 3 to 4 hours.
Butternut Squash - 1 cup
Corn Riblets - 1 cup
Olive Oil/Sunflower Oil - 1/8 cup
Sea Salt - 1 tsp
Combine everything. Roast at 425° F for 30 minutes.
Maple Vinaigrette
Olive Oil/Sunflower Oil - 1/4 cup
Red Wine Vinegar - 1/8 cup
Dijon Mustard - 1 tsp
Maple Syrup - 1 tbsp
Scallions/Meadow Garlic - 2 tbsp
Black Pepper - 1 tsp
Sea Salt - 1 tsp
In a bowl, whisk all the above ingredients until it becomes an emulsion.
Assembling the Salad
Arugula/Nasturtium Leaves - 1 cup
Navy Beans - 1 cup
Roasted Butternut Squash - 1 cup
Roasted Corn - 1 cup
Maple Vinaigrette - 2 tbsp
Lightly toss all the ingredients until the vinaigrette is evenly distributed.
Optional: Garnish
Blackberries - what I used
Amaranth Leaves
Coyote Flowers
If you do recreate our recipe, be sure to
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