"RECIPES FOR INDIAN FRYBREAD"

I was introduced to Native American culture at an early age on a reservation. I loved to dance and felt very comfortable in that environment. I was raised and was born in the city. I am of mixed nationalities including Native American.

I married a Native American film producer in the 90s. we were married at St. Ynez Reservation in central California. I had always cooked tacos, but they taught me to make frybread. So, I would cook up frybread and fish tacos on an occasion for the boys and myself. Those were fun times for a while in the San Fernando Valley.

Many people do not realize that all southwestern United States including Texas belonged to Mexico. Native tribes wandered in different regions from Mexico as it is now all over the western U.S. I read in a historical book that the Choctaw tribe migrated to Mississippi from what is now Mexico. We here in the western U.S. were once considered Mexican. The native tribes were nomadic and had territories of their tribe and language.

They were forced onto reservations in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and across the United States. Their children were separated from their parents and sent to boarding schools. The immigrants from Europe cut their hair, taught them English, and erased their culture. The missions from Spain and Europe taught them Christianity and told them their spirituality was savage.

I will go into this history another time for a longer story. This is about Indian Fry Bread.

I would use rice flour today or any flour without wheat as the ingredient. I would knead the dough, let it rise overnight, then cook it up in an iron skillet over a gas burner. I used 2 cups of flour, a package of quick-rise yeast, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of salt, and olive oil or butter.

I would use more ingredients for a large group of people. Those were fun times. My partner in the industry and I traveled all over California visiting reservations and California Missions in the 1990’s. I love the food, the culture, the hospitality, the dance, the jewelry, pottery, and basket weaving.

Indian fry bread is a tradition among Native American communities. It is a simplistic flatbread that is enjoyed in various ways, but every recipe can be changed a little for a tribe. It became a symbol of adaptation and endurance.

1. Authentic Indian Fry Bread:

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder.

1 ½ cups tepid water (around 105°F)

1 cup oil (sunflower, canola, or coconut)

Instructions: Mix the dry ingredients, add water, knead the dough, and fry it up in a pan. One can eat it with meat or fish and lettuce, tomatoes and as a sweet bread with butter, cinnamon, and sugar.

Traditional Indian Fry Bread: Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder.

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk (plus 2 tablespoons)

Vegetable oil (for frying)

Instructions: Mix, knead, and fry until golden brown.

3. Navajo Fry Bread:

Soft, tender, and light, this flatbread melts in your mouth.

Ingredients:

6 cups all-purpose flour (or more as needed)

3 tablespoons white sugar

1 ½ tablespoons baking powder.

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 package quick-rise yeast

2 cups warm water

Oil (for frying)

Instructions: Prepare the dough, let it rise, and then fry it in the pan.

Fry bread can be enjoyed with various toppings, from savory taco ingredients to sweet honey butter and powdered sugar.

In summary, frybread embodies a complex history of survival, displacement, and cultural resilience. Its legacy continues to resonate within Native American communities, reminding us of the strength and endurance of a people who have faced immense challenges throughout history. Fry bread emerged during the forced relocation of Native American tribes to reservations in the 19th century. These tribes faced immense challenges, including limited access to their traditional foods. Confined to unfamiliar lands, where foraging and hunting were impossible, the Navajo people starved. The U.S. government provided them with rations of flour, salt, and lard. From these basic ingredients, they crafted fry bread as a means of survival.

The story of fry bread resonated across Native American communities that experienced relocations and internment camps.

Written by

VICKI LAWANA TRUSSELLI

MARCH 10, 2024

My mom and I used to shop at the Native American shops in Arizona and New Mexico. We bought turquoise jewelry and other handmade items. I bought Navajo Kachina Dolls. I had the complete collection on display in my room for my enjoyment. That was long ago now. My mom and I used to hunt for arrowheads in The Painted Desert in Arizona. I told her it was against the law. She said no it is our arrowheads. That was my mom. Denying Native heritage but still teaching me the culture.

TO ALL MY RELATIONS