We have a lot to think about. We’re gonna need snacks.
Jump to RecipeI hope that however you celebrated last night, it was absolutely delicious. And, that you’re finding a way to extend the celebrations through this day + into the weekend. There’s a lot to be grateful for – for all of us – and I’m sure you’re with me when you say that a single meal, or a single day of cooking it can’t quite express that.
In addition to being the day of recovery after our feasts, and one of the biggest shopping days here in the United States, it’s also Native American Heritage Day – a holiday only signed into legislation in 2008. Many Native Americans feel it in bad taste that this holiday, meant to enhance and emphasize student understanding of Indigenous cultures, rituals and history, would share Black Friday (a day largely accepted as day of gluttony, greed and excessive capitalism in many circles.)
And so, we have a lot to think about today. As we shop, rest, recover, and play. We’re going to need a snack. And these homemade Sweet + Salty Corn Nuts are as good as any, ya know?
Now that we know all about corn + nixtamalization from Tuesday’s newsletter, your brain is already pinging about all the ways that Native American peoples use the 12,000 species of corn known today – all of which stemmed from the 250 original corn varieties cultivated by Native American peoples.
Nixtamalized corn looks a bit different than it does when it’s plucked off the cob. After soaking in it’s alkali bath the kernels become puffy, meaty, and slightly engorged…similar to the giant white corn or hominy we use in this recipe for corn nuts. In fact, EXACTLY like that.
Giant white corn or hominy (also called “maiz mote pelado“) is food that came north to Native American tribes through the spread of Mesoamerican culinary wisdom and is still used widely in Mexican, and Southwestern cooking ways today. It’s relatively easy to find ingredients (though you probably won’t see it at a fancy supermarket.) Take a peek at South American markets or bodegas near you, at specialty grocery stores or order from the internet. Easy peasy.
Once you’ve got your giant corn kernels, this recipe is easy to make (bring the kids!) and fun to eat.
The last thing I want to share before the focus of our celebrations turns from the harvest to other festive notions, are these words from Robyn Wall Kimmerer, and her book Braiding Sweetgrass – a book you’ve seen me a quote before and one I highly recommend if Native American plant wisdom is interesting to you.
She shares the “guidelines for the Honorable Harvest” within it’s pages. “The guidelines aren’t written down, or even consistently spoken of as a whole,” she says. “They are reinforced in small acts of daily life. But, if you were to list them, they might look something like this:”
“Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.
Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life.
Ask permission before taking. Never abide by the answer.
Never take the first. Never take the last.
Take only what you need.
Take only that which is given.
Never take more than half. Leave some for others.
Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.
Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken.
Share.
Give thanks for what you have been given.
Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.
Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.”
These are words I’ll be keeping with me as I cook, love, shop, and source over the next few weeks. Maybe they’ll be helpful for you too. If nothing else, it’s something provocative to think about, as you’re standing in the kitchen these next few days, snacking on corn nuts.
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