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Frybread

November 23, 2023

Not to be confused with fried bread.

Frybread (also spelled fry bread) is a dish of the indigenous people of North America that is a flat dough bread, fried or deep-fried in oil, shortening, or lard.

Frybread
TypeFlatbread
Place of originNorth America
Created byNative Americans
Main ingredientsDough, leavening agent, fat (oil, shortening, or lard)
Other informationState bread of South Dakota
  •   Media: Frybread

Made with simple ingredients, generally wheat flour, water, salt, and sometimes baking powder, frybread can be eaten alone or with various toppings such as honey, jam, powdered sugar, venison, or beef. It is the base for Indian tacos.

Frybread has a complex cultural history that is inextricably intertwined with colonialism and displacement of Native Americans. The ingredients for frybread were provided to Native Americans to prevent them from starving when they were moved from areas where they could grow and forage their traditional foods to areas that would not support their traditional foodways; the dish is often seen as both a symbol of colonization and a symbol of resilience.

History edit

According to Navajo tradition, frybread was created in 1864 using the flour, sugar, salt and lard that was given to them by the United States government when the Navajo, who were living in Arizona, were forced to make the 300-mile journey known as the "Long Walk" and relocate to Bosque Redondo, New Mexico, onto land that could not easily support their traditional staples of vegetables and beans.[1] To prevent the displaced Native Americans from starving, the United States government provided a small set of staple food items, which included the ingredients with which to create a simple quick bread which was cooked in a pan of hot lard over coals and became known as frybread.[1] The food eventually spread to other tribes.[2] Boarding schools also helped to spread frybread in Native American diets.[3]

Frybread was named the official state bread of South Dakota in 2005.[4] That same year, activist Suzan Shown Harjo wrote a piece against frybread in Indian Country Today, calling the dish "emblematic of the long trails from home and freedom to confinement and rations...It's the connecting dot between healthy children and obesity, hypertension, diabetes, dialysis, blindness, amputations, and slow death".[1] In 2012 the Phoenix restaurant The Fry Bread House was named an American Classic by the James Beard Foundation.[5]

Culture and symbolism edit

 
A member of the Creek tribe making frybread (2004)

Frybread became inextricably intertwined with Native American culture and feelings toward colonialization and displacement, and also with pride in the resilience of a people and culture.[1][2]

According to Smithsonian Magazine, for many Native Americans, "frybread links generation with generation and also connects the present to the painful narrative of Native American history".[1]

Frybread's significance to Native Americans has been described as complicated[1] and their relationship with it conflicted.[6] Although frybread is often associated with "traditional" Native American cuisine, some Native American chefs reject it as a symbol of colonialism. Indigenous chef Sean Sherman calls it "everything that isn't Native American food",[7] writing that it represents "perseverance and pain, ingenuity and resilience".[8] Frybread became a symbol of resilience as it was developed out of necessity using government-provided flour, sugar, and lard.[9] However, indigenous chefs such as Sherman consider it a symbol of colonial oppression,[9] as the ingredients were being provided because the government had moved the people onto land that could not support growing traditional staples like corn and beans.[1][10]

The journalist and documentary filmmaker Patty Talahongva, who identifies as Hopi of the Corn Clan, calls frybread "Die Bread" and associates it with diseases endemic to Native Americans, including gallbladder disease, diabetes, and more. She attributes the spread of frybread to boarding schools, like the Phoenix Indian School, which she attended in the late 1970s. She also describes the movement toward indigenous food sovereignty, which promotes healthy foods like corn, beans, and squash, instead of starchy, high-fat foods like frybread.[3]

Preparation and serving edit

 
Frybread being cooked in a cast iron skillet during a funeral potlatch in Tanana, Alaska.

A typical frybread recipe consists of flour, water, salt, a small amount of oil or lard, and sometimes baking powder or more rarely yeast.[5] The ingredients are mixed and worked into a simple dough, and covered with a cloth for 30 minutes to an hour, until the dough rises. It is then formed into small balls, and are either rolled or pulled into flat discs prior to frying in hot oil.[1]

 
A frybread taco, Indian taco, or Navajo taco, is a frybread topped with various items, normally venison or beef, as well as other toppings commonly found in tacos.

It is served both in homes and at gatherings such a pow-wows and potlatches as well as at state fairs and other festivals.[11] The way it is served varies from region to region and different tribes have different recipes. It can be found in its many ways at state fairs and pow-wows, but what is served to the paying public may be different from what is served in private homes and in the context of tribal family relations.

They may be eaten plain, salted, or with sugar or honey, or as a base for Navajo tacos.[2]

Nutrition edit

A 100-gram serving of a typical frybread contains 330 calories, 12.2 g of fat, 48.3 g of carbohydrate, and 6.7 g of protein.[12]

In popular culture edit

  • Frybread, and the phrase "Frybread Power", is featured in Sherman Alexie's 1998 film Smoke Signals. Characters are frequently seen eating, frying, or discussing the bread's taste and cultural importance.[1][13]

Similar foods edit

The bannock of the First Nations of Canada shares a similar cultural history with frybread.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Miller, Jen (2008). "Frybread". Smithsonian. from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Navajo frybread is a golden crisp canvas of possibilities". The Takeout. January 23, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Talahongva, Patty (Spring 2018). "No More 'Die Bread': How Boarding Schools Impacted Native Diet and the Resurgence of Indigenous Food Sovereignty". Journal of American Indian Education. 57 (1): 145–53. doi:10.5749/jamerindieduc.57.1.0145. S2CID 158695489 – via JSTOR.
  4. ^ "Official State Foods from NETSTATE.COM". www.netstate.com. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "From the simplest ingredients to the most delicious dishes, Fry Bread House is cooking up a storm". 12news.com. November 28, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  6. ^ Rupp, Rebecca (November 23, 2016). "Native American Cuisine Returns to Its Roots". National Geographic. from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  7. ^ Lam, Francis (November 3, 2017). "Exploring indigenous kitchens of North America with Sean Sherman". www.splendidtable.org. from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  8. ^ Sean Sherman; Beth Dooley (2017). The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-9979-7.
  9. ^ a b Judkis, Maura (November 22, 2017). "'This is not a trend': Native American chefs resist the 'Columbusing' of indigenous foods". Washington Post. from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  10. ^ d'Errico, Peter (July 13, 2017). "(Not) Fry Bread: The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen". IndianCountryToday.com. from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  11. ^ Stradley, Linda (April 21, 2015). "Indian Fry Bread and Indian Taco Recipe". What's Cooking America. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  12. ^ "Calories and Nutrients in Frybread, made with lard (Navajo)". caloriesinformation.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  13. ^ ""Smoke Signals," p. 3". www.ejumpcut.org. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  14. ^ McNeel, Jack (March 24, 2012). . Indian Country Today. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012.
  15. ^ "Fry Bread". Macmillan. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  16. ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14708636/

External links edit

 
Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on
  • Fry Bread
  •   Media related to Frybread at Wikimedia Commons

November 23, 2023
frybread, confused, with, fried, bread, also, spelled, bread, dish, indigenous, people, north, america, that, flat, dough, bread, fried, deep, fried, shortening, lard, typeflatbreadplace, originnorth, americacreated, bynative, americansmain, ingredientsdough, . Not to be confused with fried bread Frybread also spelled fry bread is a dish of the indigenous people of North America that is a flat dough bread fried or deep fried in oil shortening or lard FrybreadTypeFlatbreadPlace of originNorth AmericaCreated byNative AmericansMain ingredientsDough leavening agent fat oil shortening or lard Other informationState bread of South Dakota Media FrybreadMade with simple ingredients generally wheat flour water salt and sometimes baking powder frybread can be eaten alone or with various toppings such as honey jam powdered sugar venison or beef It is the base for Indian tacos Frybread has a complex cultural history that is inextricably intertwined with colonialism and displacement of Native Americans The ingredients for frybread were provided to Native Americans to prevent them from starving when they were moved from areas where they could grow and forage their traditional foods to areas that would not support their traditional foodways the dish is often seen as both a symbol of colonization and a symbol of resilience Contents 1 History 2 Culture and symbolism 3 Preparation and serving 4 Nutrition 5 In popular culture 6 Similar foods 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksHistory editAccording to Navajo tradition frybread was created in 1864 using the flour sugar salt and lard that was given to them by the United States government when the Navajo who were living in Arizona were forced to make the 300 mile journey known as the Long Walk and relocate to Bosque Redondo New Mexico onto land that could not easily support their traditional staples of vegetables and beans 1 To prevent the displaced Native Americans from starving the United States government provided a small set of staple food items which included the ingredients with which to create a simple quick bread which was cooked in a pan of hot lard over coals and became known as frybread 1 The food eventually spread to other tribes 2 Boarding schools also helped to spread frybread in Native American diets 3 Frybread was named the official state bread of South Dakota in 2005 4 That same year activist Suzan Shown Harjo wrote a piece against frybread in Indian Country Today calling the dish emblematic of the long trails from home and freedom to confinement and rations It s the connecting dot between healthy children and obesity hypertension diabetes dialysis blindness amputations and slow death 1 In 2012 the Phoenix restaurant The Fry Bread House was named an American Classic by the James Beard Foundation 5 Culture and symbolism edit nbsp A member of the Creek tribe making frybread 2004 Frybread became inextricably intertwined with Native American culture and feelings toward colonialization and displacement and also with pride in the resilience of a people and culture 1 2 According to Smithsonian Magazine for many Native Americans frybread links generation with generation and also connects the present to the painful narrative of Native American history 1 Frybread s significance to Native Americans has been described as complicated 1 and their relationship with it conflicted 6 Although frybread is often associated with traditional Native American cuisine some Native American chefs reject it as a symbol of colonialism Indigenous chef Sean Sherman calls it everything that isn t Native American food 7 writing that it represents perseverance and pain ingenuity and resilience 8 Frybread became a symbol of resilience as it was developed out of necessity using government provided flour sugar and lard 9 However indigenous chefs such as Sherman consider it a symbol of colonial oppression 9 as the ingredients were being provided because the government had moved the people onto land that could not support growing traditional staples like corn and beans 1 10 The journalist and documentary filmmaker Patty Talahongva who identifies as Hopi of the Corn Clan calls frybread Die Bread and associates it with diseases endemic to Native Americans including gallbladder disease diabetes and more She attributes the spread of frybread to boarding schools like the Phoenix Indian School which she attended in the late 1970s She also describes the movement toward indigenous food sovereignty which promotes healthy foods like corn beans and squash instead of starchy high fat foods like frybread 3 Preparation and serving edit nbsp Frybread being cooked in a cast iron skillet during a funeral potlatch in Tanana Alaska A typical frybread recipe consists of flour water salt a small amount of oil or lard and sometimes baking powder or more rarely yeast 5 The ingredients are mixed and worked into a simple dough and covered with a cloth for 30 minutes to an hour until the dough rises It is then formed into small balls and are either rolled or pulled into flat discs prior to frying in hot oil 1 nbsp A frybread taco Indian taco or Navajo taco is a frybread topped with various items normally venison or beef as well as other toppings commonly found in tacos It is served both in homes and at gatherings such a pow wows and potlatches as well as at state fairs and other festivals 11 The way it is served varies from region to region and different tribes have different recipes It can be found in its many ways at state fairs and pow wows but what is served to the paying public may be different from what is served in private homes and in the context of tribal family relations They may be eaten plain salted or with sugar or honey or as a base for Navajo tacos 2 Nutrition editA 100 gram serving of a typical frybread contains 330 calories 12 2 g of fat 48 3 g of carbohydrate and 6 7 g of protein 12 In popular culture editFrybread and the phrase Frybread Power is featured in Sherman Alexie s 1998 film Smoke Signals Characters are frequently seen eating frying or discussing the bread s taste and cultural importance 1 13 Keith Secola features it in his song Fry Bread 1 A fictional frybread contest formed the plotline for the 2012 mockumentary More Than Frybread 14 Fry Bread A Native American Family Story is a 2019 picture book by Kevin Noble Maillard and illustrated by Juana Martinez Neal which in 2020 won the Robert F Sibert Informational Book Medal and was an honor book in the American Indian Youth Literature Awards 15 A 2021 episode of Reservation Dogs an Indigenous American television series created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi for FX Productions features a character performed by Sten Joddi who is an Indigenous rapper and raps a song called Greasy Frybread 16 Similar foods editThe bannock of the First Nations of Canada shares a similar cultural history with frybread See also editList of bread dishes List of fried dough foods List of quick breads Indigenous cuisine of the AmericasReferences edit a b c d e f g h i j Miller Jen 2008 Frybread Smithsonian Archived from the original on May 26 2019 Retrieved June 4 2019 a b c Navajo frybread is a golden crisp canvas of possibilities The Takeout January 23 2019 Retrieved February 5 2023 a b Talahongva Patty Spring 2018 No More Die Bread How Boarding Schools Impacted Native Diet and the Resurgence of Indigenous Food Sovereignty Journal of American Indian Education 57 1 145 53 doi 10 5749 jamerindieduc 57 1 0145 S2CID 158695489 via JSTOR Official State Foods from NETSTATE COM www netstate com Retrieved March 11 2023 a b From the simplest ingredients to the most delicious dishes Fry Bread House is cooking up a storm 12news com November 28 2022 Retrieved February 5 2023 Rupp Rebecca November 23 2016 Native American Cuisine Returns to Its Roots National Geographic Archived from the original on June 4 2019 Retrieved June 4 2019 Lam Francis November 3 2017 Exploring indigenous kitchens of North America with Sean Sherman www splendidtable org Archived from the original on June 4 2019 Retrieved June 4 2019 Sean Sherman Beth Dooley 2017 The Sioux Chef s Indigenous Kitchen University of Minnesota Press ISBN 978 0 8166 9979 7 a b Judkis Maura November 22 2017 This is not a trend Native American chefs resist the Columbusing of indigenous foods Washington Post Archived from the original on June 3 2019 Retrieved June 3 2019 d Errico Peter July 13 2017 Not Fry Bread The Sioux Chef s Indigenous Kitchen IndianCountryToday com Archived from the original on June 4 2019 Retrieved June 4 2019 Stradley Linda April 21 2015 Indian Fry Bread and Indian Taco Recipe What s Cooking America Retrieved February 5 2023 Calories and Nutrients in Frybread made with lard Navajo caloriesinformation com Retrieved February 5 2023 Smoke Signals p 3 www ejumpcut org Retrieved April 21 2022 McNeel Jack March 24 2012 More Than Frybread Mockumentary Going Rez to Rez Indian Country Today Archived from the original on March 29 2012 Fry Bread Macmillan Retrieved March 11 2023 https www imdb com title tt14708636 External links edit nbsp Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe module on Fry Bread nbsp Media related to Frybread at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Frybread amp oldid 1182872618, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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