This article is about the American regional food. For other types of fried bread, see fried bread.
Frybread (also spelled fry bread) is a flat dough bread, fried or deep-fried in oil, shortening, or lard. Made with simple ingredients, generally wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and water, frybread can be eaten alone or with various toppings such as honey, jam, powdered sugar, venison, or beef. Frybread can also be made into taco-like meals.
A member of the Creek tribe making frybread (2004)
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.
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; New Mexican-stylesopapillas also share this origin due to Pueblos and Hispanos of New Mexico having a similar subsistence at this time.[1][2] Boarding schools also helped to spread frybread in Native American diets.[3]
For many Native Americans, "frybread links generation with generation and also connects the present to the painful narrative of Native American history".[1] It is often served both at home and at gatherings. 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.
Controversy
Frybread's significance to Native Americans has been described as complicated[4] and their relationship with it conflicted.[5] 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",[6] writing that it represents "perseverance and pain, ingenuity and resilience".[7] Frybread became a symbol of resilience as it was developed out of necessity using government-provided flour, sugar, and lard.[8] However, indigenous chefs such as Sherman consider it a symbol of colonial oppression,[8] 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.[4][9] 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]
A typical frybread recipe consists of flour, water, salt, a small amount of oil, and baking powder. 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. Many variations of this basic recipe exist, including substituting mayonnaise for oil in the dough (which produces a crisp, crunchy texture that resists getting soggy - ideal for Navajo tacos), and leavening the dough with a small container of yogurt or soured milk instead of using baking powder or yeast (produces a rich, sourdough flavor but requires several hours to fully leaven after the dough is prepared). Most frybread recipes do not use yeast at all because it was not typically available to Native peoples when this foodstuff was developed. In many Native American households, frybread dough is mixed early in the morning and left in a large bowl covered with a cloth to leaven and is used throughout the day to prepare fresh bread when needed.
North America
Frybread was named the official state bread of South Dakota in 2005.[11]
The traditional Utah and Southern Idahoscone is almost indistinguishable from frybread, due to the similar situation of limited resources faced by the Mormon pioneers of the 1800s.
Frybread, and the phrase "Frybread Power", is famously featured in the 1998 film Smoke Signals. Characters are frequently seen eating, frying, or discussing the bread's taste and cultural importance. Most notably, after Victor forces Thomas to change his physical appearance, Thomas then appears in a shirt displaying "Frybread Power".[12]
In Greece, there is a similar food called tiganopsomo (τηγανόψωμο), which literally translates to 'frybread' or 'panbread'.
In Italy, there are similar foods called gnocco fritto and pizza fritta, which exists in several regional variants. Some are very similar to the Native American recipe.
In Tunisia, there are similar foods, sweet and salty, called bambalouni and fricasse. The former is a fried dough doughnut that can be eaten with honey or sugar, while the latter is a fried dough sandwich with eggs, tuna, olives and harissa paste.
In Kenya and Tanzania, mandazi is a fried dough bread that can be eaten with sweet or savory foods, or consumed plain with tea.
In South Africa, there is a similar food called vetkoek and it is usually eaten with curried mince or syrup.
^ abMiller, Jen. "Frybread". Smithsonian.com. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
^Sokolov, R. (1993). Why We Eat What We Eat. Atria Books. p. 170. ISBN978-0-671-79791-1. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
^ abTalahongva, 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.
^ abMiller, Jen (2008). "Frybread". Smithsonian. from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
^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.
^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.
^Sean Sherman; Beth Dooley (2017). The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN978-0-8166-9979-7.
^ abJudkis, 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.
^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.
^(PDF). USDA. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2011.
^NetState.com. Official State Foods. 2006. February 18, 2007.
^""Smoke Signals," p. 3". www.ejumpcut.org. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
^Rush, Elaine C; Hsi, Elvina; Ferguson, Lynette R; Williams, Margaret H; Simmons, David (2010). "Traditional foods reported by a Māori community in 2004". MAI Review. 2.
External links
Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on
Fry Bread
Media related to Frybread at Wikimedia Commons
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Fry Bread November 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
Recipes for frybread by Tribe or Nation
Navajo Fry Bread History
Fry Bread Facts
More Than Frybread Mockumentary March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
Fry Bread House Honored Among the Best of the Best June 9, 2013, at the Wayback Machine — frybread restaurant in Phoenix a winner of 2012 "America's Classics" James Beard Foundation Award.
frybread, this, article, about, american, regional, food, other, types, fried, bread, fried, bread, also, spelled, bread, flat, dough, bread, fried, deep, fried, shortening, lard, made, with, simple, ingredients, generally, wheat, flour, baking, powder, salt, . This article is about the American regional food For other types of fried bread see fried bread Frybread also spelled fry bread is a flat dough bread fried or deep fried in oil shortening or lard Made with simple ingredients generally wheat flour baking powder salt and water frybread can be eaten alone or with various toppings such as honey jam powdered sugar venison or beef Frybread can also be made into taco like meals FrybreadTypeFlatbreadPlace of originNorth AmericaCreated byNative AmericansMain ingredientsDough leavening agent fat oil shortening or lard Other informationState bread of South Dakota Media FrybreadA member of the Creek tribe making frybread 2004 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 Frybread being cooked in a cast iron skillet during a funeral potlatch in Tanana Alaska Contents 1 History 2 Controversy 3 Nutrition facts 4 Varieties 4 1 North America 4 2 Caribbean 5 In popular culture 6 Similar foods 6 1 Europe 6 2 Africa 6 3 Asia 6 4 Oceania 6 5 South America 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 New Mexican style sopapillas also share this origin due to Pueblos and Hispanos of New Mexico having a similar subsistence at this time 1 2 Boarding schools also helped to spread frybread in Native American diets 3 For many Native Americans frybread links generation with generation and also connects the present to the painful narrative of Native American history 1 It is often served both at home and at gatherings 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 Controversy EditFrybread s significance to Native Americans has been described as complicated 4 and their relationship with it conflicted 5 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 6 writing that it represents perseverance and pain ingenuity and resilience 7 Frybread became a symbol of resilience as it was developed out of necessity using government provided flour sugar and lard 8 However indigenous chefs such as Sherman consider it a symbol of colonial oppression 8 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 4 9 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 Nutrition facts EditThe U S Department of Agriculture reports that a plate of fry bread provides 2 900 kilojoules 700 kilocalories of food energy and 27 grams of fat 10 Varieties EditA typical frybread recipe consists of flour water salt a small amount of oil and baking powder 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 Many variations of this basic recipe exist including substituting mayonnaise for oil in the dough which produces a crisp crunchy texture that resists getting soggy ideal for Navajo tacos and leavening the dough with a small container of yogurt or soured milk instead of using baking powder or yeast produces a rich sourdough flavor but requires several hours to fully leaven after the dough is prepared Most frybread recipes do not use yeast at all because it was not typically available to Native peoples when this foodstuff was developed In many Native American households frybread dough is mixed early in the morning and left in a large bowl covered with a cloth to leaven and is used throughout the day to prepare fresh bread when needed North America Edit Frybread was named the official state bread of South Dakota in 2005 11 The traditional Utah and Southern Idaho scone is almost indistinguishable from frybread due to the similar situation of limited resources faced by the Mormon pioneers of the 1800s Caribbean Edit In the Caribbean it is called fried bake and eaten with foods such as saltfish fried shark tomato choka or buljol In popular culture EditFrybread and the phrase Frybread Power is famously featured in the 1998 film Smoke Signals Characters are frequently seen eating frying or discussing the bread s taste and cultural importance Most notably after Victor forces Thomas to change his physical appearance Thomas then appears in a shirt displaying Frybread Power 12 Similar foods EditEurope Edit In Bulgaria there is a similar food called mekitsa In Hungary there is a similar food called langos In Greece there is a similar food called tiganopsomo thganopswmo which literally translates to frybread or panbread In Italy there are similar foods called gnocco fritto and pizza fritta which exists in several regional variants Some are very similar to the Native American recipe Romani people cook a similar dish called pufe Africa Edit In Tunisia there are similar foods sweet and salty called bambalouni and fricasse The former is a fried dough doughnut that can be eaten with honey or sugar while the latter is a fried dough sandwich with eggs tuna olives and harissa paste In Kenya and Tanzania mandazi is a fried dough bread that can be eaten with sweet or savory foods or consumed plain with tea In South Africa there is a similar food called vetkoek and it is usually eaten with curried mince or syrup Asia Edit In India there are similar foods called bhatoora dhooska and puri In China there is a similar food called youtiao In Central Asia there is a similar food called shelpek Oceania Edit In New Zealand paraoa parai fried bread is a traditional food item in indigenous Maori communities 13 South America Edit In Argentina and Uruguay there is a similar traditional meal called torta frita In Suriname there is a similar dish called bara It is made with mung bean flour and American taro leaves See also EditBannock Boortsog Deep fried pizza Fried bread Fried dough Fried dough foods Langos List of bread dishes List of quick breads Native American cuisine SopaipillaReferences Edit a b Miller Jen Frybread Smithsonian com Retrieved January 20 2012 Sokolov R 1993 Why We Eat What We Eat Atria Books p 170 ISBN 978 0 671 79791 1 Retrieved November 22 2019 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 a b Miller Jen 2008 Frybread Smithsonian Archived from the original on May 26 2019 Retrieved June 4 2019 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 USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 23 PDF USDA Archived from the original PDF on October 21 2011 NetState com Official State Foods 2006 February 18 2007 Smoke Signals p 3 www ejumpcut org Retrieved April 21 2022 Rush Elaine C Hsi Elvina Ferguson Lynette R Williams Margaret H Simmons David 2010 Traditional foods reported by a Maori community in 2004 MAI Review 2 External links Edit Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe module on Fry Bread Media related to Frybread at Wikimedia Commons Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Fry Bread Archived November 26 2009 at the Wayback Machine Recipes for frybread by Tribe or Nation Navajo Fry Bread History Fry Bread Facts More Than Frybread Mockumentary Archived March 29 2012 at the Wayback Machine Fry Bread House Honored Among the Best of the Best Archived June 9 2013 at the Wayback Machine frybread restaurant in Phoenix a winner of 2012 America s Classics James Beard Foundation Award Diet or Fry It Gen Huit Salish Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Frybread amp oldid 1129933287, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
