Culinary archaeology question!*

This will probably seem way out there (and my girlfriend insists I clarify that I'm posting under her log-in - I'm not Lindsay) ...

I've always been interested in local native American cultures. There is actually a native farming tradition in Illinois that predates the "holy trinity" of native American agriculture corn/beans/squash that came here from ancient Mexico. I had only read about it in the journal that I geekily subscribe to - the Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology - and when they find the calcified seeds of these plants in really old dirt, they excitedly mention it using the Latin

So imagine my surprise tonight when I'm searching around trying to figure out what exactly has shown up in our Homegrown Wisconsin CSA box - the squishy, odorless tan thing that like a kitchen gnome stitched out of an old woman's nylon. And I discover it's helioanthus tuberosus!!!

Ahem, I mean Jerusalem artichoke. Except the ancient native americans whose language we have no idea of apparently called them sunchokes, according to one particularly knowledgeable site.

So now, I'm actually getting kind of excited about a meal using the ancient Illinois Holy Quinity (that's a trinity for five). There's goosefoot (a close relative of quinoa), marsh elder, knotweed (I know, that one sounds particularly appetizing), sunchokes, and the sunchoke's cousin, helianthus annus (the annual common sunflower).

The only problem is I've never heard of 3 of the 5 being cultivated, and wouldn't know them if they were growing right in my alley where the bums ... well, where the bums pause every now and then.

So I just thought I'd post on the outside chance someone knew how to get any of these things.

And if not, feel free to use this as an open thread to chat about your other food-archaeology issues that you'd like to see discussed.

I can't resist a question about food history, so I started to do a little searching. It appears that there were good reasons some of these foods disappeared (there usually is, with taste and ease being the prime motivators..

While I normally don't quote Wikipedia, since they're referencing Jared Diamond, this seems reliable. (The article does show a photo, however, which suggests it's still growing, if not domesticated, if you're determined to have some, but it looks like you'd have to just collect it, unless you find someone who's into wild herb craft.)

Here's the item on marsh elder:

"Iva annua (sumpweed or marshelder) is an herbaceous annual plant native to much of North America. Iva annua var. macrocarpa was formerly cultivated by Native Americans in the Eastern United States and specifically near modern day Illinois for its edible seed. As the author Jared Diamond notes, the edible parts contain 32 percent protein and 45 percent oil.

However, like its relative ragweed, Diamond notes that sumpweed possesses many objectionable qualities which include being a severe allergen, possessing "a strong odor objectionable to some people and that handling it can cause skin irritation." For these reasons Diamond believes that it was abandoned once more pleasant alternatives (like corn) were available, and by the time Europeans arrived in the Americas had long disappeared as a crop."

An interesting note on the Jerusalem artichoke (which you may already know) -- "Jerusalem" is a corruption of the Italian for sunflower -- girosole.

Another article says that quinoa is, in fact, a type of goosefoot -- the goosefoot family includes quinoa, as well as other plants, some used as herbs (such as epazote) and others as greens. So you'd need to find out which goosefoot was being consumed, as it's a large group.

Diamond's book "Guns, Germs, and Steel" mentions knotweed, along with little barley and maygrass, so you may have even more delicacies awaiting you.

I suspect you'll discover that sunchokes and sunflower seeds are going to be the tastiest items on this particular menu.

Certainly, sunchokes/jerusalem artichokes are widely available. Growing up, we had them in the back yard - they're easy to grow, but very invasive.

For other native american foods, have you contacted the Anawim Center?

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=53471#53471

Anawin Center
4750 N Sheridan Rd Ste 365
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 561-6155

Thanks for the help. Since I'm guessing that there are no imported southern hemisphere sources of sumpweed, knotweed and pokeweed, I guess I'll have to wait a bit to embark on my experiment. I'll report back if I figure something out.

Goosefoot is more commonly known in these parts as lamb's quarters, and it grows EVERYWHERE in Chicago.

Pokeweed still grows wild around here, although I believe it grows more frequently in the south. I'd never noticed it until a large specimen was growing along the trail near River Trails Nature Center, and when I spotted the same thing right outside the nature center, asked what it was. Now I see it many places, it even tries to come up in my garden.

It's probably not easily located until mid summer, when it gets to be a very tall weed with pink stems, and sprays of white flowers going to dark purple berries.

Wikipedia article with pictures
The article notes that it's rather toxic, and recommends boiling with several changes of water, if you have to eat it at all. I'll skip, stinging nettle sounds more appetizing.

Hi,

I had a salad of pokeweed/lamb's quarters foraged by Nance Klehm. She had the audience removing the tender leaves while she talked, then later she dressed it with a fermented dressing she made. It was good enough to encourage me to try it next summer.

Regards,

This is Japanese knotweed, foraged by my daughter, who also cooked it up. She thought it might be most successful as a pie ingredient with rhubarb. The stuff is plentiful on the roadside here in CT where it is considered an invasive species. I don't know if this is the type of knotweed you are looking for, but it is an April arrival. There may still be some shady spots around Chicago where the shoots are still young enough to eat. But I'd think twice before gathering from the roadside.