The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen

by Sean Sherman, Beth Dooley

Here is real food—our indigenous American fruits and vegetables, the wild and foraged ingredients, game and fish. Locally sourced, seasonal, “clean” ingredients and nose-to-tail cooking are nothing new to Sean Sherman, the Oglala Lakota chef and founder of The Sioux Chef. In his breakout book, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, Sherman shares his approach to creating boldly seasoned foods that are vibrant, healthful, at once elegant and easy. 

Sherman dispels outdated notions of Native American fare—no fry bread or Indian tacos here—and no European staples such as wheat flour, dairy products, sugar, and domestic pork and beef. The Sioux Chef’s healthful plates embrace venison and rabbit, river and lake trout, duck and quail, wild turkey, blueberries, sage, sumac, timpsula or wild turnip, plums, purslane, and abundant wildflowers. Contemporary and authentic, his dishes feature cedar braised bison, griddled wild rice cakes, amaranth crackers with smoked white bean paste, three sisters salad, deviled duck eggs, smoked turkey soup, dried meats, roasted corn sorbet, and hazelnut–maple bites.

The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen is a rich education and a delectable introduction to modern indigenous cuisine of the Dakota and Minnesota territories, with a vision and approach to food that travels well beyond those borders.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Indigenous, Native American, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 10, 2017

Reviews

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is much needed in the cookbook world, and it did not disappoint. Sherman presents a passionate and inspiring argument for decolonizing the indigenous diet, and the recipes included are a beautiful manifesto to that point. While many of the indigenous ingredients in this cookbook are commonplace--squash, cornmeal, sunflower seeds--I also learned about quite a few unusual new seasonings as well. For instance, many of these recipes call for crushed juniper berries in lieu of black pepper, and staghorn sumac as a citrus replacement. Truthfully, some of the ingredients would be difficult to get a hold of for those who live in an urban setting. However, the recipes lend themselves to improvisation and for those committed to decolonizing their diet, this book provides an host of information and inspiration that is not easy to come by.

My only real complaint about this book with the the editing. The book is beautifully produced, with lovely photography, but whoever did the copyediting and layout was not on the ball. There are quite a few typos and shifts in typeface that will hopefully be addressed in the next printing.

[b.andherbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent cook book to have on your kitchen keeper shelf. gluten free and dairy free based on the indigenous ingredients used in all of these recipes, Sean Sherman's collection highlights modern ways to use these ingredients that still honor the traditional foods. I made the squash soup with cranberry topping and it was SO good.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much from this book! Among other things, it sent me looking for Native ingredients I'd never heard of or tried before (like maple vinegar). Recipe success has been mixed so far (probably on me; I'm not an experienced cook yet), but the braised duck breast is hands-down one of the best things I have ever made. Even if you don't cook much, this book is worth reading just for the history and for learning more about the small-but-growing Native food movement.

[Julie Mickens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Innovative cuisine made almost entirely from New World ingredients, including many plants native to the Northern Midwest where chef and author Sean Sherman is from.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important cookbook for our times. Its value goes well past recipes and stories to the heart of food sovereignty and an Indigenous renaissance.

[Gayle Pritchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a fascinating read. There are some great recipes here, and some great tips, such as how to harvest my rose hips and prepare them. I wish there were more information on how obtain some of the rarer ingredients. All in alk, the holistic and respectful approach to food was inspiring. A unique cookbook worth the read.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

I acquired some of the ingredients that I previously lacked for these recipes (juniper berries, sumac, etc.) but without cedar, I think my beans are lacking!

[Jamie Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for continuing education with dietetics, and to supplement my study of Genesis with an indigenous perspective of food. The simplicity of these recipes is astounding. The dessert section contains not a single dish made with wheat flour, dairy, or processed sugar. I’ve only made the wojape sauce so far (cooked down berries, sweetened with just a hint of maple syrup), and loved how it actually tasted like berries! As compared to the cups of sugar and cornstarch to thicken that I’m used to. I’m eager to venture into other recipes that require some more foraging and unfamiliar flavors, and especially to try making my own wheat flour alternatives. Now to take the accompanying test for my credits…

[Abby Stopka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. It was exactly what I was looking for as an upcoming chef for head detail movement cooking.

[Becki Iverson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a die hard fan of the Sioux Chef since I first heard about his work a few years ago. I have yet to eat any of his food but I am impatiently waiting for his new restaurant to go up along the Mississippi - it promises to be an incredible venture.

It's no surprise that this cookbook was this year's James Beard award winner. It's a beautiful piece and totally unique, and something I feel was long overdue. The true history of Native Americans has been so buried in this country, a fact that has hindered all of our health, development and consciences. This manages to be like nothing I've ever read and is the true meaning of locavore food. The recipes are fresh, healthy, distinct yet deceptively simple, even elegant, and there is so much additional mythology and history packed throughout these pages. A favorite element was the final section of the book which features dishes from other indigenous chefs around the Americas, truly bringing home the global nature of the fight for indigenous rights and the incredibly complex cuisines and histories that we all still have so much to learn about.

I happened to read this at the same time as Braiding Sweetgrass and it was a perfect marriage, discussing the botany and biology of Native lands at the same time as the cuisine of Native peoples. If you're interested I'd highly recommend doing the same - these books really pair well together and they both have a LOT to teach all of us. Cannot recommend this highly enough, I adored it. And Chef Sean, please get that restaurant up and running soon - I would love to support your work more directly!

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard about this cookbook through an NPR program while driving down to my family in Illinois, and I had been curious about it since then. Although I don't possess most of the ingredients that are called for within the book, I still appreciated the storytelling and photography. It was a bonus that the book was both an introduction to modern Native cooking and a small educational primer. I even learned more about a brand of jerky I recently bought at a local MN grocery store (Tanka).

After reading this cookbook, I would like to seek out the author's food truck and/or restaurant to actually try some of these amazing dishes (I was particularly interested in Wojape and all of the amaranth-based dishes). This cookbook will expand your mind about many things: types of flours that can be made besides wheat flour; that maple vinegar exists; that there are other types of trees besides maple that can be tapped; and that cedar can be used in other applications besides a plank to cook fish on.

All in all, I would recommend this cookbook, for the following reasons: the author does offer substitutions if you can't find some of the more obscure items, but even if you don't make anything from the book right from the get-go, it's still a great educational resource for those curious about Native cooking and culture.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen is more than a book of recipes; it’s an education, exploration, and exaltation of seasonal, indigenous American food. Author and chef Sean Sherman has worked to decolonize the Indigenous diet by tracing the history of foods and their introduction to the first people. There is no white flour, sugar, or dairy in this cookbook - only authentic Indigenous ingredients that have evidence of being utilized in America before Western introduction. While there were many unfamiliar ingredients to me - like juniper and sunchokes- there was plenty of the familiar, too, like sweet corn and squash. Chef Sherman encourages homecooks to go out to your local farmer’s market and find ingredients that are in season and close to your kitchen, and incorporate or substitute them into the recipes. The focus stays on the fundamentals of food, with the recipes organized into chapters based on where ingredients are gathered, like Fields and Gardens, and Prairies and Lakes. Even if you don’t plan on making any of the recipes featured, the beautiful photos and Sherman’s informative writing is well worth checking out. I especially enjoyed reading through and seeing the beautiful photography, the special attention paid to every ingredient, and the anecdotes and informative stories sprinkled throughout.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say I normally would have sought this book. Yes, I enjoy cooking. Yes, I enjoy cultures. Do I want to work that hard to make a meal, no. There are some excellent ideas and ideals behind this book and style of cooking, but honestly I read this to check off a book in a reading challenge.
I took down a couple recipes, that I'm sure I'll have to amend - I won't be making grouse, but I'm sure I can utilize the ideas for chicken - and the idea to use maple syrup in place of sugar is intriguing. So I guess 3 outta 5. I liked it, but didn't love it.

[Jo-Ann Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book as a birthday present and I LOVE it! I found it hard to put it down and I can't wait to try some of the recipes. Most cookbooks are not a great read but this book is different. I loved the history and descriptions of the ingredients. It was a fascinating read around the recipes.

Most of the recipes seem pretty simple. But I am unfamiliar with most of the ingredients. I have heard of most of them but never eaten most. I now can't wait to find some of them, probably on my own property, and try cooking them up.

I look forward to more books from this chef.

[Foxthyme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Keep coming back to it again and again. It has inspired me to grow more squash and sunflowers. Have always grown beans and sunchokes. Corn not so awesome in my northern area, can be sketchy year to year, but tried mini-corn, more of an Asian method, with great success.

Also covers wild rice, wild game, and wild foraged items. ...These are a few of my favourite things.

This book is a wonderful resource for from the land eating in the most soul comforting and beautiful way. Food is beautiful and good and nourishing.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I haven't gotten a chance to try any of the recipes in this yet (many of the ingredients I'm going to have to find at specialty shops), but they look super tasty. The important part in this cookbook is all the history and information about Indigenous food! I had no idea that wild rice wasn't actually rice and that certain weeds were actually edible. Sean Sherman is a prolific chef who the nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems and also gives resources in his book and online of all the places you can go to find certain foods for cooking indigenous cuisine. Pretty excited about this and one of the only cookbooks I've actually sat down and read!

[Diana Cramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fascinating book by a Lakota man who in his chef's journey was called to rediscover native foodways. He makes an excellent case for a pre-colonial diet, in terms of both health & spirituality, for NA Folk, with excellent lessons for all of us.
My own feeling is that for those living in or having lived in MN, WI, & the Dakotas, we can best honor the fact that all of us are living on Native land by reading this book and learning what went on before lutfisk & hot dish. I believe Chef Sherman would encourage us to also enjoy the recipes, adapting as necessary - and for those of us living elsewhere, to learn the native tradition foodways of our own areas

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating to read, but hard to cook from. A lot of the decolonized subs are hard to find - I googled around but can’t find maple vinegar, for instance. (It sounds delicious so I’m sad.) Some I do know how to get my hands on, like birch syrup, but that’s just due to chance of who’s at the farmers market in this area.

It is however a great brain-tingler for thinking about what food I’m eating and how it could be decolonized and made healthier. The history of fry bread and the effects of commodity government food on Native American health is particularly moving.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up from the library even though I was thinking for some reason that the chef was in the US southwest - I was very excited to hear he was in Minnesota, because it meant that a lot of the wild edible plants he talked about are in my area too! I already harvest a lot of the greens he mentions, but didn't have a lot of ideas about what to do with them. I ended up reading this book cover to cover, and it went right on my wishlist to buy. Really inspiring for what can be made with what we have here.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating information about native foods and methods of cooking. I would love to see more of the ingredients available in mass production, as I am not one who can gather plants from the wild. Also, we need more restaurants run by indigenous people and with these ingredients. I don't want to have to travel all the way to Minnesota or Colorado, so I hope more people are encouraged to be chefs and entrepreneurs!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating. I am heartbroken that I never learned anything about this in school, and am determined to incorporate into my curriculum.

I am also determined to start hunting these ingredients down and start cooking indigenous food. The health benefits are amazing, and the support provided to the farmers is incredible.

Forsythe family- hope you’re ready for some unique dishes at upcoming family gatherings! 😉

[Jewlsbookblog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a keeper! The recipes are reasonably approachable—some ingredients might be difficult to get, but substitutes are provided. The historical context about native food I found really interesting. The connections between nature, food, self, family, and spirit definitely strikes a chord.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book very much. Unfortunately I found only about four recipes that I would feel confident trying. I did enjoy the history, folklore and traditions described by the author!

[Aimee Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

More educational than practical since some of these ingredients aren’t available where I live. I saw Chef Sherman give a presentation and there is so much to learn here.

[Alicia Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good recipes and information!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

New flavors to explore...sumac, cedar, and juniper. This is a chef's cookbook, so some recipes are more demanding in terms of time and ingredients than I normally invest. But a fascinating look at a cuisine I did not know much about.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incomparable knowledge of indigenous foods and culture but, in my opinion, the photographs that illustrate each section were truly the highlight. Outstanding.

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually hate the "decolonize your diet" genre - including the eponymous original - because I think they are a load of hooey. To me, the genre indicates a massive insecurity towards the actually-existing history and culture; a load of bad history and mythicization; and a delusion sense of purity and gate-keeping.

Let's be clear - this cookbook is not for most people. It is based on the wild ingredients found in Minnesota and the Dakotas, so for most people this book will be unusable. I, for one, have no idea where I'd find bison meat, fresh acorns, or juniper berries - and even if I did, they'd be specialty items that either need a lot of DIY foraging work or a lot of money. Also if you are vegetarian or don't want red meat, good luck! A lot of the recipes are bison or elk.

I thought I was going to hate this cookbook too - but I read through the whole thing instead of throwing it down in a rage after 20 pages.

Why don't I hate it? There's a few reasons:

1) The author opens this up as a thought experiment - "What did my ancestors eat before the Europeans arrived on our lands?" (p. 3). The author did their research "I started reading everything I could get my hands on and had books shipped directly to me - cookbooks, magazines, research publications - that covered Native American cooking, history, wild foraging, ethnobotany, anything that might provide a glimpse [. . . ]" (p. 4). They even included a bibliography at the end - who's ever heard of a cookbook with references! Even more than a cookbook, this is a thought experiment into what precolonial Lakota food did, or could have, looked like. The author's cookbook is an attempt to actually discover the reality of the past that was and to imagine a present that could be.

2) The author makes a rather important point regarding fry bread. "I'm often asked why we don't have fry bread on the menu or offer a recipe for fry bread in this book [. . . ] Fry bread represents perseverance and pain, ingenuity and resilience [. . . ] Yet frybread continues to high levels of diabetes and obesity that affect nearly one-half of the Native population living on reservations [ . . .] "Frybread has killed more Indians than the federal government," sings rock star Keith Secola [. . . ] Let's update this story with real corn cakes that enfold braised bison or smoked duck, authentic Native food. They taste of the time when we, as a people, were healthy and strong, and of the promise that we can stand up to the foods that have destroyed our health, the forces that have compromised our culture. And our corn cakes are easier to make and far tastier than any fry bread".

I deeply appreciate how much thought the author put into their culinary choices, and justifying these. This is based on genuine concern for existing communities, and the author can justify their choice by history, health, and taste - all important criteria for cookery!

3) There are a few recipes I really do want to try. I want to try the cookies; I want to try making the squash and cranberry soup. I want to try the corn puffs and the dandelion sauce.

Because the ingredients are so inaccessible and so comparatively limited, I cannot call this amazing. Yet, because the author put so much thought and care and research into this - and most importantly, because there are a few recipes I want to try - this book does deserve a 3.

If you read this as a thought experiment, it is very clever and well thought out. If you want to use this as a cookbook, just be aware that if you do not have a bison/elk/juniper berry/maple sugar guy, then you'll have to find some workaround for about 3/4 of the recipes.

UPDATE: I tried making some of the recipes multiple times, and they are absolutely repulsive. I recant my previous praise, and I am docking this down to a 1/5.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a bright, attractive cookbook that I borrowed from the library, but want to buy! I probably won't get much use from the recipes calling for wild game like rabbit and grouse, but I loved the simple, plant-based recipes that rely heavily on wild greens and seasonings. I'm looking at corn and wild rice with fresh appreciation now.

I think the author strikes the perfect balance between being a food purist (I don't eat X-ingredient bc it's not local) and a food pragmatist, recognizing that tribes widely traded with each other and ate a variety of foods. So he incorporates dishes that have strong importance among the Plains tribes, and dishes that have roots in other regions like the Southwest and Mexico. He promotes traditional indigenous cooking staples, but also provides helpful substitutes you can find in stores--lemon juice in place of sumac, light brown sugar for maple sugar, etc. He really just wants to get people cooking and experiencing the dishes more than strictly adhering to a list, and this made me feel more able to take on some of the recipes.

I've read some authors that have a doomsday tone when talking about European-introduced ingredients like white flour and cane sugar--never, ever, eat them!!--but I felt like this author's approach was more to encourage readers to branch out and start looking at all the other creative options that you have alongside the more common ingredients. It's so clear that he deeply loves the foods and traditions he writes about and wants to highlight how special they are to him. Some of the dishes are really simple, so simple they probably wouldn't even stand out as particularly "native," but the point is that they represent centuries of everyday life on the Plains. He celebrates the tradition of using every part of the ingredient, demonstrating that even corn cobs can be used to make a soup stock.

I think that Sherman did an amazing job at celebrating his tribe's food traditions while also envisioning how contemporary tribal communities could preserve and adapt them today. It's part history, part how-to. There are some unfamiliar dishes like Fish Head Soup, but also plenty of simple, comfort food staples like corn cakes and squash salad. There's also an attractive pantry guide and ingredient glossary that I found really helpful. What a fun collection!

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen is part memoir, part cookbook, part promotion for indigenous chefs and food. Chef Sean Sherman is a member of the Oglala Sioux nation and is working to revive indigenous foods, ingredients, and methods of preparing food. He brings his skills learned working as a chef at other restaurants to create some delicious recipes.

I’m ignorant when it comes to indigenous foods. I mentioned this sad fact in a conversation with a friend and she recommended this book to me. It’s changed how I perceived indigenous culinaria and also how I view the foods and recipes I cook.

Several characteristics stood out to me after reading the book and recipes. A vast majority of the recipes are naturally vegan or could be adapted to be so. There’s no dairy and the only eggs that are used are duck. The meats are from elk, bison, venison, pheasants, game hens, etc. The basic grains used are corn, amaranth, and wild rice which are all gluten free. Basically, if one were to eat more indigenous foods not only would you be naturally eating locally, you would also be eating seasonally.

Reading this book has sparked my interest to read more about indigenous food. I’m already seeing how some of the ingredients from Mr. Sherman’s recipes appear similarly in dishes from American cookbooks. I’d like to challenge myself to eat more indigenously or at least highlight more indigenous ingredients into my diet.