Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America

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At once a culinary document and cultural history, Turtle Island is Sean Sherman’s most ambitious work to date—an expansive and deeply researched exploration of the Indigenous food traditions of North America. Spanning the Arctic, the Great Plains, the Eastern Woodlands, the Pacific Coast, the Mesoamerican highlands, and more, Sherman charts a continent of foodways shaped by diverse ecosystems and centuries of continuity, innovation, and resilience. Organized by region, the book introduces the ingredients, techniques, and community knowledge that define each area, before presenting recipes that reflect both ancestral practices and contemporary expression. Among them: Smoked bison ribeye Wild rice–crusted walleye cakes Corn tamales with heirloom beans Quail with plum and sumac Sunflower seed “risotto” Dandelion bud capers and manzanita berry powder What sets Turtle Island apart is the balance it strikes between practical cooking and cultural context. Over more than 400 pages, Sherman—Oglala Lakota chef and founder of The Sioux Chef—combines lived experience with rigorous scholarship, honoring the continuity of Indigenous food knowledge while acknowledging the disruption of colonialism. The book’s reach is broad, but its impact is often found in careful attention to specific people and places: foragers, seed keepers, cooks, and growers who continue to shape Native food cultures across the continent. This is a significant and beautiful volume, for anyone interested in food history, Indigenous culture, or a more grounded and complete understanding of American cuisine. Hardcover. Color photographs throughout. Show more