TRADITIONAL METIS FOODS
(Recipes Link at bottom of page)
Traditional Metis homes are well known for a pot of soup simmering on the stove, and a pot of tea ot the ready for family and visitors. Oven-baked Bannock was a staple bread and eaten fresh as food did not sit for long in a large Metis family. Extra wild meat was always shared in the community and borrowing of staple food products was a common practice. It is often said that the communal lifestyle of the Metis was disrupted by the introduction of electricity and freezers into the Metis communities. Hoarding of food was unnatural, not practical and unheard of.
Metis soups have survived throughout the centuries. Besides being a time-honoured comfort food for Metis families, Metis soup can heal, and prevent many illnesses by incorporating all kinds of nutritious foods in a single pot. Soup bones, fish, beans, barley, rice, peas, root vegetables, onions, tomatoes, macaroni, are some of the ingredients used in Metis soups and recipes exist only for combinations not measured amounts.
To feed unexpected visitors, the Metis simply added more to the soup pot. The old sayings, "You are what you eat," and "let food be your medicine and medicine your food," will bring to mind the old Metis soup pot simmering on the stove.>
Traditional food include:
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LA GALLETE |
(BANNOCK) |
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LES BAIGNE |
(FRIED BREAD) |
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LA RUBABOO |
(METIS SOUP) |
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LES BOULETTES |
(MEATBALLS) |
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LES TORTIERE |
(MEAT PIE) |
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SOUPE AU POIS |
(PEA SOUP) |
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POUTINE AU SAC |
(STEAMED PUDDING) |
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SOUPE AU BIN |
(BEAN SOUP) |
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LE FLAON |
(CUSTARD) |
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PEMMICAN |
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Audreen Hourie
Metis Cultural-Historical Researcher
1997
Campfire Bannock
- 4 cups flour
- 8 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- about 3 cups cold water
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly and stir in enough water to make a thick batter that will pour out level. Mix rapidly with spoon until smooth. Pour into large greased frying pan and set on hot coals. Turn when bottom is brown. Cook until no dough sticks to a sliver of wood poked into the middle.
Metis Bannock Recipe #175091
| 3 | cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour) |
| 2 | tablespoons baking powder |
| 1 | tablespoon sugar |
| 1/2 | teaspoon salt |
| 1/2 | cup margarine (or butter or shortening) |
| 3/4-1 | cup milk (or water) |
- Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Work in the margarine using hands until you make a nice crumble. If you have Olivina margarine in your area, I find this makes for the best bannock.
- Gradually mix in enough milk to make soft but not sticky. Knead.
- Shape into a ball, place on a greased baking sheet, then flatten into a circle about 1 inch thick.
- Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Wild Rice Bannock
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3 cups flour
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1 tsp salt
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1 tsp baking powder
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1 cup cold water
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2 cups cooked cooled wild rice
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1/3 cup butter, diced small
Mix all ingredients except water together. When mixed, pour water into the centre of the dry ingredients and mix as you would pie dough. Roll out to 1/4 " thick and cut into desired shapes. Deep fry at 550 F or in frying pan in canola oil over medium high heat.
COUREUR DE BOIS CASSEROLE
A recipe of the North Shore Metis
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 to 2 lbs of wild game suitable for roasting - caribou, moose, deer or hare
1/4 lb salted fatty lard
2 medium onions cut in pieces
2 cups of cold water
Make some grandfather's dough based on the bannock recipe
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 325. On the stove, in an ovenproof casserole - melt thin slices of the salted lard - add the pieces of onion and brown them lightly - add the pieces of meat- add the water - it should be very cold to that the meat retains its juice.
Cover the casserole and put in the oven. Cook at 325 F half an hour, then lower the temperature to 225F and cook for between 3 to 6 hours, depending o nthe meat chosen. Half an hour before the end of the cooking time, add some sliced potatoes and spoonfuls of dough (see the bannock recipe) to the cooking broth all around the meat.