The Food of a Younger Land (28 page)

Before the traders brought steel knives, the Chippewa made knives of the ribs or other bones of animals. These were sharp enough to cut meat. They often used clam shells for spoons. Pointed sticks were used to take meat out of a kettle if it was too hot to take with the fingers. Cups and all sorts of dishes were made of birchbark, and it is said they could heat water in freshly cut birchbark. To do this they made a “kettle” of folded birchbark, fastened at the ends with strips of bark. The inside of the birchbark was on the outside of the “kettle.” This was cool and moist. The Indian women put water in it and hung it over the fire, and the water heated before the bark was dry enough to take fire.

The old-time Chippewa ate only once a day, usually about the middle of the morning, but children could get food whenever they were hungry. If food was plentiful, the Indians ate as much as possible. A man might go to seven feasts in one day, and he was expected to eat everything that was put in his dish. If food was scarce, the people suffered terribly. They did not know how to store food when they had plenty in order that they might not starve when winter came and the hunting failed.

The first time a Chippewa woman saw a pie, she was very curious to know how it was made. She had bought flour at the trader’s store and tried to make bread like that made by the white women, but there was blackberry sauce in the middle of what looked like a flat piece of bread. How did it get there? These Indians make up a name for whatever is new to them and the word describes the object. So the Chippewa made up a name for blackberry pie and it is one of the longest words in the Chippewa language. It tells all about the pie except how to make it. This is the Chippewa word—
muckode-tututs-gominun
(blackberries),
bashkominisigun
(sauce),
bukwezhigun
(bread). A Chippewa can say this whole word without stopping for breath.

A funny story is told about an old chief who went to Washington with others to sign a treaty. Usually the Indians who go to Washington enjoy eating many good things that they do not have at home. When they sit down to dinner they order more than they can eat. This chief, it is said, knew only one English word for food and did not like to show his ignorance. His word was “rosbif.” So whenever he was asked what he would like to eat [he] said “rosbif.” He ate roast beef day after day and watched the others eating also interesting new kinds of food. He was very tired of roast beef when he got home, but all the same [was proud] that he had been able to order his food in English.

A
half-century and more after the last straggling remnants of free ranging buffalo herds were slaughtered in Western Nebraska, buffalo meat is reappearing on Nebraska menus.

A traveler will seldom find it on a restaurant bill-of-fare but he may read an invitation in the newspaper to come and get a free helping of barbecued buffalo at some community celebration.

Return of this meat—once a mainstay in the diet of pioneer plains-men and farmers—is due to conservation of the animals by federal and state governments. Herds of buffalo in some cases are increasing in numbers beyond the pasture capacity of the game refuges and the surplus animals are butchered and sold. Applications for the meat are received by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Nebraska State Game, Forestation and Parks Commission.

“Barbecued buffalo” announced in connection with community celebrations is a powerful advertising drawing card, as indicated by the attached accounts of such affairs.

Mr. S. R. Danekas, who lives at Thedford, Neb., Thomas County, in the heart of Nebraska sandhills cattle country, has considerable reputation as a master of ceremonies at barbecues. Invited by letter to describe his system, he responded as follows:

“The first step is to select the meat animal. Naturally the better the grade of meat used the better the finished product. In the particular barbecue on which you asked information we happened to use two buffalo.

“After the carcass has been thoroughly chilled and cured, preferably six days or a week, in a meat cooler, the bones are removed and the meat rolled into uniform pieces 6 to 8 inches in diameter, no piece to exceed 26 pounds in weight.

“Then for seasoning, I like to use just plain salt and pepper rubbed into the meat, the amount used depending upon the age of the meat animal and degree of seasoning desired.

“The meat is then wrapped, each meat roll individually in clean muslin or cheese cloth, then wrapped in clean burlap. These bundles are then ready and must be kept cool until it is time to be put in the pit.

“A well-drained location should be selected for the pit. A pit 4 ft. deep and 3½ to 4 ft. wide and 4 to 5 ft. in length should be allowed for each 200 pounds of boneless meat.

“The best fuel is hardwood worked up into uniform pieces. I list a few of them in order of their preference: hickory, oak, ash, hard maple, elm, willow and cottonwood. These are the common varieties used. Pine or fir or other resinous, pitchy, or turpentine trees cannot be used as they injure the flavor of the meat. The same is true of walnut and other woods which produce an offensive odor in burning. Even cedar, cypress and the like should be avoided if anything better is available.

“The fire should be started in the bottom of the pit 20 to 30 hours before serving time. Seven to 12 hours time is necessary to get a bed of live coals three feet deep, depending on the dryness of the wood, the draft to the pit, etc. Ten to 20 hours cooking time must be figured, depending on the age and quality of the meat and the liveness of the coals. Some woods give better coals than others.

“The next step is levelling off the bed of coals and removing all unburned pieces. Then one to two inches of coarse dry sand is spread evenly over the coals. The bundles of wrapped meat are then placed on top of the sand, allowing an inch or so between the bundles so that the heat can penetrate each chunk of meat uniformly. As quickly as possible the trench is covered with sheet iron or some durable material supported by iron rafters or pipes to hold up the 12 to 16 inches of dirt that is to be put on top of the chest iron to completely insulate the barbecuing process. The heat is thus retained and all meat juices are under seal in each package.

“The meat is left in the pit 10 to 20 hours, for the reasons mentioned.

“When a small portion of the pit is uncovered, with the aid of a pitchfork I hook a chunk of the wrapped meat and place it in a tub ready to unwind the burlap and muslin. Then place the savory smelling chunk of cooked meat on the slicing table.

“The meat is sliced cross-grained into slices to be put into buns or bread. From 350 to 400 servings can be expected for each 100 lbs. of boneless meat.

“I might add that this method of barbecuing eradicates waste and conserves the natural properties of the meat, while the main objection to the open fire method is that the meat burns to a crisp on the outside and the inside may remain raw.”

M. C. NELSON

H
ollywood sometimes uses hundreds of bushels of corn flakes to create the illusion of a snow storm but there is no illusion when five or six hundred bushels of snow-white pop corn fluff out of the poppers and into the mouths of several thousand celebrants during Pop Corn Days in North Loup, Nebraska, every autumn.

This community on the North Loup River wants the world to know that Valley County in the north-east central part of the state specializes in this crop. Crop statistics reveal that it has harvested as high as 7,910 acres and 6,478,290 pounds of pop corn in one year (1926). Since there are about 56 pounds of shelled pop corn in one bushel, and a kernel increases about 18 times in size when popped, this bumper crop had a potential of some 2 million bushels of popped fluffiness.

This would make quite a “snow storm” even in Hollywood.

Three days late in September usually are reserved for the festival. The first day is “Entry Day” when exhibits of farm crops, cooking, canning, school work and fancy work are arranged. School is dismissed and crowds of people from neighboring communities go to North Loup to test the meaning of its invitation: “Free Pop Corn—Free Admission—Free Entertainment.”

Entertainment includes the coronation of the Pop Corn Queen. A typical description of this ceremony is contained in the Sept. 24, 1937, issue of the
North Loup Loyalist
in part as follows:

This has been going on at North Loup since 1902. Free pop corn, all you can eat and free coffee is the big attraction each year. Going back through the newspaper files we find that in 1911 a total of 13,000 sacks of pop corn were given away. In 1912 the amount eaten was estimated at 306 bushels (of pop corn). In 1920, 1,800 pounds of shelled kernels were popped. Last year, 1940, the amount was 1,400 pounds. The population of North Loup in 1940 was 567.