Modern Native Feasts: Healthy, Innovative, Sustainable Cuisine

by Andrew George Jr.

Native American cuisine comes of age in this elegant, contemporary collection that reinterprets and updates traditional Native recipes with modern, healthy twists. Andrew George Jr. was head chef for aboriginal foods at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver; his imaginative menus reflect the diverse new culinary landscape while being mindful of an ages-old reverence for the land and sea, reflecting the growing interest in a niche cuisine that is rapidly moving into the mainstream to become the "next big thing" among food trends. Andrew also works actively at making Native foods healthier and more nutritious, given that Native peoples suffer from diabetes at twice the rates of non-Natives; his recipes are lighter, less caloric, and include Asian touches, such as bison ribs with Thai spices, and a sushi roll with various cooked fish wrapped in nori. Other dishes include venison barley soup, wild berry crumble, seas asparagus salad, and buffalo tourtière. Full of healthy, delicious, and thoroughly North American fare, Modern Native Feasts is the first Native American foods cookbook to go beyond the traditional and take a step into the twenty-first century. Andrew George Jr. is a member of the Wet'suwet'en Nation in British Columbia. He participated on the first all-Native team at the Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany, and in 2012 was part of a group of chefs from twenty-five countries on a US State Department initiative called "Culinary Promoting Cultural Understanding Through Food." His first book, A Feast for All Seasons , was published in 2010.

Genres: Cookbooks, Indigenous, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food and Drink, Canada, Food

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Story · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice selection of Pacific Northwest/ First Nation fusion recipes. I'm eager to try the "toody ni juniper duck". Other recipes include buffalo and cranberry stew, sea asparagus salad with Pacific seafood, sweet potato pie.

[Connie Crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful recipes. I was reading for special meals to make for myself in the coming month, and have found plenty of inspiration. I would have liked more photos, but otherwise found the recipes well laid out and explained.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subtitle says it all. This collection takes recipes you already know and transforms them into something new and unique.

While some of these ingredients aren't available to me, the idea is pure inspiration, beautifully photographed and thoughtful.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A recipe with pickleweed! I’m so impressed and excited to see that included in this book. It’s one of those ingredients that foragers eat, but seldom get space in professional cookbooks. While I’m not a mushroom eater, the customizable mushroom soup with suggested varieties is really nice. The other switches in the intro notes for other recipes were also nice --notes that say one can use rabbit broth or that a dish is suitable for vegetarians. Something this book takes into account is it’s mixed skill level audience and we see that with the notes, but also with the alternatives like the semolina and all-purpose flour pasta options.

Meat & Poultry is definitely the strongest chapter in this collection. This book goes in full with the buffalo recipes. I’m pleased with the venison and elk offerings as well. The Venison Stir Fry, West Coast Seafood Boil, Venison Fettuccini, and Venison Hash were my favorites from this book.

My only complaint is that it leans on French culinary traditions, but the author’s perspective is as a First Nations Canadian author. That combination is realistic and something one might organically encounter there. That said, the fusion elements are also a strength in some instances like the Dandelion Greens Fettuccine.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chef George, himself a First Nations citizen, has led Canada's teams in international aboriginal cooking competitions. Trained in multi-starred European restaurants, he works as a culinary arts instructor who blends native ingredients and techniques with European styles and treatments.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very approachable book for beginner cooks, with a sprinkling of indigenous American ingredients overlaid on mostly classic French techniques.

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of recipes that blends modern and traditional recipes. It's not too thick, but still worth getting. Great to add to your collection.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A number of foraged and traditional ingredients but I found the need to to use french cooking techniques annoying.

[Jada Roche · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be buying this one I think.

[Mills College Library]

641.59297 G347m 2013