‘If you ate today, thank an Indian’
If you like tomato on your burger, thank an Indian. If you like pork and beans, thank an Indian. If you like maple syrup on your pancakes, thank an Indian.
The average person truly has no idea of the level of contribution of Native Americans to the daily diet of people around the world today. In part four of our series in honor of Native American Heritage Month, we will explore the Native American contribution to “Our Daily Bread”.
From corn to beans, from peanuts to sunflower seeds, one can truly not go through an average day without eating something brought to us by Native Americans. While Europeans were struggling to feed themselves during the dark ages, Native Americans were developing new and ever more nutritious foods.
Corn is probably the most well-known, being called for many years “Indian corn.” Many scholars believe that corn was first domesticated by the indigenous people of the new world some 10,000 years ago. Funny thing is, corn started out as just a form of grass, nothing even remotely close to the staff of life that it is today. Native women, over several hundred years, developed this grass into the miracle it has become.
And miracle it is. One can use it for bread, for a sweetener and preservative, or to make whiskey. So important is this grass and what it became that every Native culture that raises corn reveres the legendary “Corn Mother.” They call her by different names, but they all share the same basic legend.
And potatoes, what about potatoes? For many years folks called them “Irish potatoes,” but the truth is, potatoes were a major crop for several Indigenous communities around 2,000 years ago. So, the next time you order “French” fries, or “Home” fries, or those artisan chips that are so popular at upscale pubs, just remember the potatoes were brought to you by the Native American. And the ketchup you put on them, the tomatoes are also a contribution from Native people.
The list goes on. When you make your child a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, remember that the peanuts were brought to you by the Native Americans.
The truth is that had the Taino people not found that fellow wondering around the Caribbean Sea, a lot of people in Europe would have died of hunger and famine. Foods developed by Native Americans were not only more nutritious but were also more productive than what was available in Europe at the time.
Some theologians have speculated that the new world was the original Eden, and that Native Americans were the “Chosen Ones” not exiled from the garden because they did not participate in the “Original Sin.” I personally find that speculation somewhat far-fetched, but one can see whence it comes, considering that before the arrival of colonials the new world was indeed a paradise full of good food and pure water.
I know a lot of cowboys who love to watch western movies and eat chili. Well, you guessed it, chili peppers were brought to you by the American Indian. Indigenous peoples began cultivating chili peppers 5,000 to 8,000 years ago. The great debate, beans or no beans, rages on of course, but for the pro bean crowd, yeah, the American Indian brought you the beans as well.
And let’s not forget the avocado, a staple of everything from “California style” pizza to guacamole. Avocados have been a staple for a very long time, the exact date of domestication is a matter of some dispute, but one thing is for sure, Native Americans were domesticating avocados well before Egypt’s first dynasty.
In fact, Native Americans were growing corn in cooperative fields well before Egypt was even a remote thought.
Let us also remember that cacao, the cornerstone ingredient of chocolate, was brought to you by the Indigenous people of the new world. While the rulers of Rome were killing family members over politics, Native Americans were enjoying chocolate.
So, the next time you bring chocolate to that special lady in your life, and she responds, just remember to “Thank an Indian.”