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Native American diet as an orphan

January 17, 2011 by Suzy Badaracco — President, Culinary Tides Inc

Bacteria adjust to their surroundings, as do viruses, with sometimes shocking ease. Bacteria amend their diet to survive. For mammals, the ability to adjust to their surrounding food supply is also a matter of survival. Their metabolism may have to adjust, their energy needs may change, their growth may be altered - yet they survive.

There is a long history in health research of studying the Mediterranean Diet and other native diets which have seemingly magical properties of health and longevity.

But when does a native diet become "Native?" Is it 20 years? 50 years? 200 years? And why in the United States we have ignored our own Native American diet is not only astounding but undefendable. The most ironic part is with the surrounding trends of local, seasonal, fresh, simple, organic, and sustainable (to name a few), few in the industry have turned to and promoted a Native American diet. It remains an Orphan: a potential trend with ties to many successful current trends but which has no Champion to carry it forward. (Read also, There's a new shadow in town, pardner.)

Let's break down this trend's support structure. Native American foods tie into sustainability, health and wellness, regional cuisine, consumer behavior, and nutraceuticals.

Regarding sustainability, Native American cuisine ties into the "local" trend, seasonal, organic, animal welfare, and ethical. In fact, Native American cuisine could be considered the poster child for sustainability.

Native American cuisine also fits under the umbrella of health and wellness, as the backbone of the cuisine includes whole grains, fish, lean meats, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Seasonal eating is shaping up to be the new "local" and health research has shown that items grown in season (instead of during the seeds' dormancy) produce foods with higher nutrition content. The whole grain trend is still going strong and what health expert is NOT pushing leaner meats, fish and fruits and vegetables?

The Nutraceutical tie is simple in that Native Americans have a long history of using both food and beverage as medicine. The European settlers who came to the United States have a history of beverage as medicine but not food and the FDA will not recognize the Native American history, only the EU history for health claim purposes.

The tie to regional cuisines is also straight forward as tribal cuisine is regional by its very nature. If located in the South West, then the cuisine was of that region. If a NY tribe, then the cuisine was grounded in that region. The concept of "fusion" really doesn't come into play if you see what I mean.

And then we have consumer behavior and motivators. Native American cuisine inspires hope, healing, and the feeling of control and history but also the feeling of being experimental, exotic, and adventurous. Above all, it gives consumers the feeling of being grounded. Going forward into 2011 consumers will regain their adventurous side but for a time will want to have one foot on the ground before leaping entirely back into the world of experimentation with food, or anything else in their life, for that matter.

So although Native American cuisine remains an Orphan with no champion it is very well supported by surrounding successful trends and stands as a good candidate to become the "next big thing" if only it is adopted by a champion who can carry it forward.

About Suzy Badaracco

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