Prior to European influence in the 1500's, Native American Indian people primarily ate food that was freshly gathered, including fish, fowl, game, seeds, nuts, roots, berries, and fruits. Cooking methods and preparation were simple, with hot coals and open fires used for roasting and steaming (through the addition of wet leaves), with meals frequently prepared and served in a single pot. Berries as well as meats were dried - storage was difficult. Bread, using seeds and nuts ground into a meal, was often the only side dish as well as the eating utensil.

The Southeastern staples of corn and beans were the basis for breads and stews, and stories about corn are part of Southeastern tribal folklore. The corn harvest signified the start of a new year, with house cleaned, fires rekindled, and old grudges forgiven. Nuts and seeds, which were used in soups and stews, were plentiful, along with the berries, onions, sunflower chokes, various dried beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, and apples that grew throughout the Southeastern United States.

The sunflower choke (Jerusalem artichoke) is a popular (and ancient) Indian food. The Cherokee use them along with other pickled vegetables and preserves. The women of the Five Civilized Tribes have combined vegetables such as carrots with honey and dried fruit for a creative variation of a moist corn bread. While the Cherokee enjoyed apples fresh from the tree, they also came to enjoy them the preferred Iroquois way, which is over a hot fire.

Information and Recipes adapted from Spirit of the Harvest: North American Indian Cooking by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, NY).