How Navajo ancestors (smartly) self-optimized.
Jump to RecipeThe little bag of Navajo (Diné) blue corn that Renee sent me last spring was probably the best gift I received all year. She hadn’t told me what she sent, just that she sent a little gift she wanted me to have, so when the postman dropped it on our porch I cradled it upstairs and sliced open the box with more excitement than would be expected for a humble bag of cornmeal.
But this was not any bag of cornmeal, and that was clear to see as soon as the little packet was in my hands. Peeling back the locking tabs that concealed the bag, I poked my nose in and took a long drag of the fragrant, smooth, nutty scent wafting from the pale blue powder. It was like nothing I had ever smelled before, and certainly much more interesting than the corn I frequently work with in the kitchen. There was another little packet inside the box too, labeled G’ad bit’eezh – juniper ash. Fragrant, and reminiscent of gin, this tiny bag of ash was a true and deep unlocking for me. And, as it turns out, for the corn that it had arrived with as well.
Over the next few months, Renee and I would exchange little notes and messages about the corn, how I was using it, how the Diné use it. And just how critical it is to their culture and identity. She talked about how, when the lands were taken, the ability to grow these sacred crops was lost, replaced with commodities and Western foodways that lacked nutrition or soul. The people lacked the ability to nourish themselves, to connect with the land the same way that their ancestors had, and with it, they began to lose their culture, identity, medicine, and spirituality as well. For an American told they could no longer eat cheeseburgers, a lack of “food sovereignty” might be a service. But for Native Americans, this was a devastating sentence.
As Renee and I dug deeper, I began to feel more and more compelled to learn more about Indigenous ingredients and to do what I can as a chef to elevate them. But I also came to understand how much nutritional wisdom was lost for all of us with the dissolution of their foodways.
Lessons that modern science + wellness texts are just now “uncovering” about how to eat well, in tune with nature, and for longevity and joy were actually known by Native peoples centuries ago. And one of the most critical of them lay in that tiny little bag of G’ad bit’eezh – juniper ash.
Ashes, Minerals and Nutrition
“Shimasani carefully puts water on the stove. She heats it until just before boiling. In a separate bowl, she combines dry roasted blue corn with cold water until it’s evenly mixed. She pours the blue corn into the water that is heating on the stove while stirring continuously. She adds a spoonful of fine, white Juniper ash into the pot (G’ad bit’eezh). I take over stirring the blue cornmeal for her. She says that we will know when the Toshchiin (blue corn mush) is done cooking when the color of the blue corn changes and becomes more brilliant. This makes sense to me because g’ad bit’eezh (Juniper ash) is also used as a mordant in our traditional plant dyes for weaving. The ash helps the colors become more brilliant when dying sheep wool, and helps the dye set more deeply into the wool.”
–Asdzaan Nez, G’ad Bit’eezh * Juniper Ash :: Indigenous Goddess Gang
The colorful change that Asdzann describes as she makes blue cornmeal mush with her grandmother is a chemical reaction occurring between the corn and the ash; a reaction that the Diné have understood and recreated each time they cook corn for centuries….and not just because of the ceremonial spirit, flavor it imparts, or the vibrant colors it creates.
Different tribes use different culinary ashes in their cooking, and while the varieties of plants they use are different, their super powered purposes are the same. The earth holds rich amounts of different minerals and nutrients in the soil; nutrients that plants and trees rely on for nourishment. It turns out that WE rely on these for cellular nourishment too. We’ve come to know these components as “macro” and “micro” nutrients. Macronutrients are minerals that trees and plants need in large amounts: calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sulfur. Micronutrients are minerals that are also necessary for healthy plant growth, but in much smaller amounts: iron, zinc, chloride, boron, manganese, copper, sodium, etc. Trees and plants draw these minerals up through their root systems and use them to fortify their lives. But, when the plants are burned, certain minerals like calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, etc. are left behind in the ash.
When culinary ash is mixed into the cooking water with the corn, something magical happens. The minerals are transferred into the water, then absorbed by the corn, where they change the chemical structure of the corn itself. As the colors of the corn amplify, so too does the nutrient densities. At the same time, these minerals make the nutrients from the corn bioavailable to us. For example, g’ad bit’eezh (Juniper ash) increases not only the amount of calcium in blue corn but also zinc, iron, copper, magnesium, etc.
Something else happens when the ash and the corn swim around in that pot together. The minerals in the ash dissolve the phytic acid intrinsic to the corn. Phytic acid is a biotoxin that naturally coats corn, but also grains, seeds, nuts, beans…anything that has the biological capability of sprouting a new plant. The phytic acid’s job is to deter predators from consuming it before it can do its ultimate job of sprouting new life, so it gives the predator (in this case, us) digestive discomfort in hopes that this discomfort will discourage a repeat eating. Phytic acid is also an anti-nutrient, literally blocking our ability to absorb the nutrients in our foods when present. In modern society, we practically ignore this response and just keep eating, embracing the discomfort to enjoy our favorite foods. But, Native American tribes centuries ago knew better.
The way to dissolve the phytic acid is to introduce the seed to minerals and water, replicating the chemical environment of the soil, where the seed would sprout. By cooking corn with ash, these minerals float away and dissolve the phytic acid, make the nutrients of corn bioavailable, and increase the digestibility and vitality of corn for our consumption.
Ash isn’t the only way that Native American peoples worked with the chemistry of their foods to increase bioavailability or nutritional value. Cooking with culinary ashes is basically nixtamalization 101. And, nixtamalization is basically the alkalizing of corn.
Whether it was back in elementary school, or in your travels through Mexico or the Southwest, you’ve likely heard of nixtimalization. ‘Nixtamalization.’ is a Nahuatl word (Aztec) that comes from “Nixtli” = ashes, and “Tamalli” = unformed corn dough. And, nixtamalized corn is corn that has been soaked with lime prior to being used for culinary purposes. It’s speculated that nixtamalization may have originated in homelands of peoples like the Aztec from southern Mexico & Mayans from Guatemala, where natural limestone is prominent. It’s very possible that these people heated limestone chunks with the water to boil and cook their corn, possibly spurred on by the changing of colors that occurs. Regardless, it was a practice embraced widely and without question by Indigenous people who enjoyed corn-centric diets, for not only was the corn more nutritious and comfortable to digest, it also was easier to work with.
Corn that has not been nixtamalized is crumbly and difficult to shape into dumplings, tortillas or bread, for example. But, nixta corn (as it’s referred to in modern-day) is pliable, malleable, and easy to shape and this has everything to do with the softening of the corn, or the change in the pH.
Adding ash, or lime, to the corn, and to other ingredients changes the alkalinity of the substance. This explains the reason why the corn changes to a vibrant blue when cooked with culinary ash, but also explains why our digestive systems process corn (as well as other foods such as seeds, nuts, grains, and beans) when they’re properly processed and cooked.
When our colonial ancestors discovered corn via the Indigenous tribes they encountered in the New World, they failed to appreciate the time-consuming process of nixtamalization, cooking with minerals, and simply took to cooking the ingredients. If you purchase corn, check to see if it’s nixtamalized. The chances are, it’s not (despite the fact that humans have known for centuries what’s good for them.)
This porridge was one of the first things that I made with the blue corn that Renee sent me, and I’ve been making it on special mornings since. If you weren’t sure already, I LOVE a good porridge, and this is one of my favorites. It’s sweet, creamy, vibrant, grounding, satisfying and deeply fortifying, especially for us athletes. Lower in fiber than oats or buckwheat, blue corn or yellow corn porridge is a marvelous option to fuel a big effort, or to recover from one.
That said, I can’t in good conscience tell you to run out and buy just any old cornmeal to make this dish. But, what I do suggest is to order yourself up a bag of Navajo grown and harvested Blue Corn Meal from Shiva of Navajoland, and a little packet of Juniper Ash to go with it. And then, you’re in business.
Most Diné would enjoy this homey bowl of breakfast without adornments, though I have seen many recipes from Navajo chefs that include simple toppings such as honey, maple, and maybe berries. All are foods from the earth that would have been present in pre-colonial times. (Bananas, fancy nuts…not so much.) Modern families would add milk or butter as well, if they wish.
I choose to use a traditional recipe here, but to add a few Native, perhaps even fancy toppings with humble intentions. I quickly cook some frozen blueberries with a drizzle of maple syrup (wild in this case, brought home from a trip to Washington this fall,) and toast some sunflower seeds and pinon nuts gently in a pan while the porridge cooks. I ladle out the porridge into bowls, top with the berries and seeds, a drizzle of honey and a dab of ghee which, would not have been available for Indigenous peoples, but does create a lovely flavor and is a boost of fat in this season when our bodies are asking for oily, warm, brothy, soothing and soft foods to take the edge off of a brisk, blustery fall.
I hope that you tackle this special dish, that you’re inspired by the wisdom of our human bodies, and the biochemistry of life that was prevalent centuries before the internet, before wellness influencers, before protein shakes and supplements, and that it reminds you that the keys to nourishing our bodies whole are already RIGHT in front of us, if we just reach out and grab them. (Or, simply toss a pinch into the pot of water.)
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