Description:

A Northwest Coast Native American style dish

Source:

Spirit of the Harvest: North American Indian Cooking

Serves/Makes:12 or more griddle cakes

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (150 ml) finely ground acorn meal (with tannins leached--see below) or finely ground hazelnuts
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) unbleached flour
• 1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup (175 ml) milk
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) honey
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) melted butter

Preparation

• Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
• Mix together egg, milk, and honey and beat into dry ingredients to form a smooth batter.
• Stir in melted butter.
• Drob by tbspfuls onto a hot, greased griddle.
• Cook, turning each cake when it is browned on the underside and puffed and slightly set on top.

Comments

"The leaching method favored by the Choctaw is to cover freshly hulled acorns with water and bring them to a boil. Boil for 30 minutes, drain, and add fresh water. Repeat this process at least three times, or until the boiling water is a very light tea color and the bitter taste is gone. Nut meats are then dried in the sun or in a slow oven, no more than 150 degrees F. When dried, the nut meats can be ground in a grain mill to make flour for bread or chopped into a coarser meal. . ."

The authors of this book are Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs. Published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang.