Learn about Indigenous Cuisine and Foods from Native Chefs

Decolonizing Dinner

Decolonizing Dinner explores how reconnecting with traditional Indigenous foodways preserves heritage and identity, and counters the historical and contemporary erasure of Indigenous cultures. Featuring Cocinera Sujhey Beisser of Five Senses Palate, Chef Elena Terry of Wild Bearies, and Chef Anthony Gallarday of Tavo’s Signature Cuisine.

From PBS Wisconsin Originals

How This Indigenous Farmer Is Solving Food Insecurity

As climate chaos increases around the world, Michelle Week, a farmer outside of Portland Oregon is drawing on her Sinixt indigenous knowledge to adapt her farm to the changing seasons. By practicing techniques like seed saving and dry farming, Michelle is combating the increasing food security crisis while continuing to provide fresh food to her local community.

Indigenous Food Activism

Since colonization, Native American rates of diabetes, blood pressure and heart disease have skyrocketed. We’ll discuss the benefits of returning to a simpler pre-colonization Native American diet, including herbs and plants that have been a source of medicine and nourishment for thousands of years.

Stream the conversation from Roots, Race, and Culture

Learn about the Magic Eight

Santa Fe Native food historian and chef Lois Ellen Frank talk about eight special ingredients indigenous to the American continent: corn, beans, squash, chiles, tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla, and cacao. The "magic eight" were used in Indigenous foods long before contact with Europeans and were later introduced to the rest of the world.

Learn more in this episode of Colores from New Mexico PBS.

What is the Green Corn Ceremony?

Go inside the revival of an ancient Indigenous ritual with Ritual host Tarriona "Tank" Ball. Rooted in themes of renewal, gratitude, purification, and communal solidarity, the Green Corn Ceremony unites community members for spiritual cleansing, storytelling, dances, and songs. As participants partake in the preparation and consumption of freshly harvested corn, they express appreciation for the Earth’s abundance. 

Alter-NATIVE: Kitchen

From Independent Lens, check out a series that shows how cooking connects three Native chefs to their own histories, as they teach others with mouth-watering delicacies. 

Indigenous Foods

Explore various native foods and plants and learn how the Kumeyaay used them for meal preparation and medicinal purposes in their culture. From KPBS' Savor San Diego

Explore recipes from Native America on PBS Food

Native America is a Native-directed series that features the experiences and stories of contemporary Indigenous people. Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on the the PBS App and you can explore the many digital exclusives and interactive features on the Native America website.

Explore these recipes and more on PBS Food.

Make Sassquash with chef Elena Terry

“SassSquash” is a dish conceptualized by chef Elena Terry, of the Ho-Chunk Nation, as a celebration of indigenous foodways and Wisc. ingredients. Terry learned from the matriarchs in her life, who shared lessons on foraging and processing wild game. Terry is the Executive Chef and Founder of Wild Bearies and the Food & Culinary Program Coordinator for the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance.

From PBS Wisconsin's Wisconsin Life.

The Sioux Chef

Sean Sherman is an Oglala Lakota Sioux chef, cookbook author, forager, and promoter of indigenous cuisine. Sherman founded the indigenous food education business and caterer The Sioux Chef, as well as the nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems. From KSPS PBS' Northwest Profiles.