Achiyitqan Cultural Notes 1.2: More on food: view article

Unlike the first article in this series, where there are descriptions of food acquisition and storage, an overview of general cooking methodology, and a list of some prey species, this article will only describe particular dishes and drinks (in addition to those listed in the previous article).

Condiments and sauces
- Tuhtilqallet - "fish juice." Fermented fish sauce, usually from sardines or other forage fish. Sometimes flavoured with spices.
- Télsken - "green salt." Flaked dehydrated seaweed.
- Naimpágaɥ - "black wine." Wild rice vinegar mixed with meat broth and seaweed derivative. Vaguely similar to soy sauce.
- Awitsií - "fat skin." Thin-shaved lardo, often added as a garnish.
- ʔnuh - roe. Can be served on its own, as a garnish, or made into a paste; may be raw, lightly fried or baked, pickled, or fermented.
- Cehuya - yoghurt, generally from caribou milk. Served as a side to a variety of dishes, or mixed into sauces; usually plain and tart.
Snacks and finger foods
- Liɥɥkuuka - bird ribs. The whole rib cage of medium birds (e.g. ducks) or smaller, separated from the meat before cooking, are deep fried with batter. The delicate bones are edible and provide a pleasant crunch. When possible, it is served with honey, birch syrup, or a fruit-derived glaze.
- Soskmihtuhlál - deep-fried fish spines, separated from the meat before cooking. The tail and fin cartilage is sometimes included as well. Usually served with naimpágaɥ in yoghurt.
- Soskmihsigát - deep-fried whole smelt, lightly battered, served with lemon or vinegar and dusted with télsken. The entire fish is eaten, and those with particularly large quantities of roe or milt are preferred.
Meat and seafood dishes
- Áwegehna - Pemmican. Fat or blubber is reduced, concentrated, and mixed with powdered or chunked pre-cooked meat, and sometimes powdered berries or grains, and then allowed to set. A similar food, Ninehna, is made with milk fat in place of lard, formed into a sort of cheese, and often aged. Both keep well.
- Plitqo or gáanskiɥ - "chew-thing" or "whale-skin" (muktuk). Generally eaten raw, it has a slightly nutty flavour, a chewy rubbery texture, and is a valuable source of vitamins C and D. It is often used as a home remedy at the first sign of minor illnesses and low mood.
  - Ciytplitqo - "stinky muktuk." Fermented whale skin.
  - Susqoplitqo - "riced muktuk." Finely-sliced, lightly battered and fried or even deep fried.
- Gégun - jellyfish. There are a variety of ways to prepare it, and several species to choose from, but most frequently it is lightly fried with garlic (or similar) and served with a sour sauce.
- Úllɂssatuh - baked eel (generally of a larger species). The animal is basted in melted lard or butter and baked for nearly an hour. The eel is often stuffed with pine nuts or other nuts before baking, and frequently served with a sour yoghurt-based sauce.
- Genuo hey ɂase - "crab cooked itself." A whole opened crab thorax, generally of larger hard-shell species, heated over an open flame with its own shell as a cooking container. Fried rice, chives and fish sauce are often mixed in. Similar dishes are made with hard-shell molluscs.
- Lótgliy - blood loaf. Fresh & noncongealed blood is mixed with flour, yeast, pulped seaweed and liquefied fat before being allowed to harden, then briefly seared or baked.
  - Lótnkiht - blood pudding (sausages), made with the same basic mixture as lótgliy, often with nuts, spices and some fresh herbs added, sealed in fresh intestine casings.
  - Lótlew - blood soup. A thinner version of the mixture for lótgliy, with the fibrin removed and no flour or yeast. It makes a thick base for various soups, which often have other meats and some vegetables added.
Vegetable and fruit dishes
- Haɂakittatossqa - partially-digested plant matter from the forestomach (rumen) of prey animals such as reindeer, eaten immediately after the slaughter or pickled.
- Máiyoɂuya - kelp boiled in milk or cream. Often made into a thick stew (máiyoɂuyancet) with the addition of whitefish.
- ʔiɥtaawsútsii - rosehip skin. Rosehips and fibrous leafy vegetables are boiled into a puree and then bake-dried in strips, making a slightly sweet snack.
Sweet drinks & desserts
- Tiimilnaad - "sweet bubbles," also called lápɂon "sea eggs." An alcoholic treat originating from Vodholk tradition, it is made by encapsulating fruits in kelp floats and sealing with wax, glue, or in the stomach of a small animal. The 'bubble' is then then allowed to ferment. When ready, the shell is pierced and the contents are sucked or poured out.
- Kiinguhnaáɥ - "cranberry water." An ice fruitwine made after the berries have naturally frozen over; very sour and a bit sweet with a hint of bitterness.
- Kowmiɂuya - "walnut milk," and similar gówaɂuya from black walnuts, is an alcoholic beverage combining fermented nut oil, milk, and tree sap alcohol. In the winter, it is often served hot.
- Tiimilawiúl - "sweet fat bread," shortbreads. Made with lard, flour, thickener, and a sweetener. The character changes slightly depending on what fat is used. They are often flavoured with cinnamon and other spices or herbs.
- Tóloimtaqo - candied jerky. Meat (usually caribou) is cut into strips, pressed, air-dried, and further dried in an oven. It is then coated in thick syrup (maple, birch, or other) and baked until dry and crispy; a bit of char is optimal.
- Tiimilléw - "sweet soup," a sort of yoghourt parfait with seafood. Raw lobster or shrimp, parsnips, and other tubers are boiled in milk, and then stirred in with tart caribou yoghourt, berries or diced fruit, nuts, and syrup. Served warm or cool.

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Comments

[link] [quote] [move] [edit] [del] 28-Feb-17 18:13 [Deactivated User]

This is amazing, much better developed than what I have written! Hat off to you :D

[link] [quote] [move] [edit] [del] 22-Aug-16 20:27 [Deactivated User]

Sounds really interesting. Have you made any of these?
fyi it's "yoghurt"