Description
Book SynopsisMore than seventy delectable recipes that bring California’s Indigenous cuisines into kitchens today.
In this sumptuous cookbook, Sara Calvosa Olson (Karuk) reimagines some of the oldest foods in California for home cooks today. Meaning “Let’s eat!” in the Karuk language, Chími Nu’am shares the author’s delicious and inventive takes on Native food styles from across California. Over seventy seasonal recipes centered on a rich array of Indigenous ingredients follow the year from Fall (elk chili beans, acorn crepes) to Winter (wild boar pozole, huckleberry hand pies) to Spring (wildflower spring rolls, peppernut mole chicken) to Summer (blackberry braised smoked salmon, acorn milk freezer pops). Special sections offer guidance on acorn preparation, traditional uses of proteins, and mindful ingredient sourcing. Calvosa Olson has spent many years connecting her family’s foodways with a growing community, and these recipes, techniques, and insights invite everyone to Calvosa Olson’s table. Designed as an accessible entry for people beginning their journey toward a decolonized diet, Chími Nu’am welcomes readers in with Calvosa Olson’s politically attuned and irresistibly funny writing. With more than 100 photographs, this cookbook is a culinary gift that will add warmth and mouthwatering aromas to any kitchen.
Trade Review"This cookbook designed to uplift Indigenous California foods will delight foragers, adventurous home cooks, and those looking to connect with Native roots. It's a valuable addition to library shelves that will connect Native and non-Native Americans to the earth and its abundant gift of ingredients." —Library Journal
"With Chími Nu'am, Olson looks to encourage people to start thinking about a decolonized diet, connecting to the land and native ingredients prior to European colonization [... and] aims to make Indigenous ingredients and traditional Karuk recipes accessible to a whole range of home cooks." —Nina Friend, BBC World's Table
"Chími Nu’am is serious about taking a holistic view of reintegrating the healthfulness of traditional diets into modern lives, benefiting both personal well-being and the greater good." —Naomi Tomky, Atlas Obscura
"Calvosa Olson has written a book that will speak to multiple audiences. But whether she's guiding Indigenous readers to embrace more of their cultural foods or making recommendations for non-Indigenous readers interested in decolonizing their diets in an ethical way (hint: it's about reciprocity), her voice and philosophy come through clearly on the page." —Twilight Greenaway, Civil Eats
"To say that Chími Nu'am is just a cookbook is inaccurate. What took Calvosa Olson more than two years to write and publish is an expression of her life and an act of stewardship for the earth. [...] The author was raised to believe that if you take care of the land, the land will take care of you." —Prism
"Calvosa Olson invites readers to forage for and become more attuned to Indigenous and seasonal ingredients—nurturing a deeper connection to place and enhancing one’s role as an environmental steward." —Uprooted
"Connecting with nature is an approach to cooking that is often overlooked—but not for Sara Calvosa Olson. A native Californian raised by a Karuk mother, she is leading people on a path to decolonize their diets, one cup of manzanita flour at a time." —KCRW Good Food
"Connection to people and planet is central to both Calvosa Olson's personal approach to food as well as the message of Chími Nu'am." —Rachel Askinasi, The Messenger
"Besides being a creative, accessible cookbook, Calvosa Olson's work is a call for stewardship of the environment and an introduction to some local foods that have long been part of Native diets. It’s a terrific resource for foragers, teachers, libraries, classrooms, cooks, and anyone looking to learn more about the foodways of California's Indigenous peoples." —Edible East Bay
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Ayukîi
About Me
How to Use This Book
Equipment and Specialty Foods
Proteins
Fall
Pimnaníhkaanva
Acorn Guide
Rustic Acorn Bread
Blackberry Smoked Salmon Smörgåstårta
Acorn Pumpkin Muffins
Acorn Manzanita Waffles
Acorn Miso
Acorn Miso Soup with Tanoak Mushrooms
Acorn Miso Creamed Kale
Three Sisters Fall Salad
Squash Frybread
Elk Chili Beans
Stuffed Mini Pumpkins with Ground Venison Sausage and Currants
Apple Cider Brined Turkey with Apple Brandy Acorn Gravy
Acorn Crepes
Turkey and Wild Mushroom Crepes
Cajeta Apple Pie Crepes
Maple Cheesecake with Pine Nut and Acorn Crust
NDN Whoopie Pies
Winter
Íshyaav
The Acorn Maidens
Winter Preserving
Mussels and Mushrooms on Acorn Bread
Winter Squash with Bay Leaves
Winter Quail Stock
Quail and Acorn Dumpling Stew
Elk Cottage Pie
Rabbit and Dungeness Paella
Red Chile Rabbit Tamales
White Tepary Bean Soup with Ham Hock and Collards
Cataplana
Wild Boar Pozole
Deer Meat Stew and Grits
Coffee and Juniper Brined Venison
Acorn Hand Pies
Basic Acorn Pie Crust
Miso Smoked Salmon Chowder Hand Pies
Huckleberry Hand Pies
Hot Peppernut Cocoa with Mallow Root Marshmallows
California Galette
Buttermilk Chocolate Acorn Quick Bread
Spring
Xátikrupma
Spring Gathering Guide
Corine Pearce
Infusions
Decoctions
Compresses
Poultices
How to Dehydrate Nettles or Lamb’s Quarters
Morel Preparation
How to Dehydrate Mushrooms and Morels
Tree Tip Syrups, Sugars, and Oils
Niçoise Salad with Pickled Sea Beans and Quail Eggs
NDN Lettuce and Popped Amaranth Salad with Lemon Pine Nut Vinaigrette
Spring Mushroom Stock
Cream of Woodland Mushroom Soup
Acorn Miso Balls and Dashi with Pacific Seaweed and Dried Mushrooms
Acorn Crackers with Edible Flowers and Wild Onion Dip and Acorn Hummus
Wildflower Spring Rolls
Peppernut Mole Chicken with Nettle Tortillas and Nettle Poblano Rice
Duck Egg Chilaquiles with Nettle Tortilla Chips
Wild Rice Gatherer’s Bowl
Stinging Nettle Risotto with Cumin Coriander Lamb Chops and Acorn Squash with Burrata, Hazelnuts, and Barberries
Meadow Quiche
Acorn Focaccia with Wild Edibles
Pea Pancakes with Lemon Cream, Smoked Salmon, and Quail Eggs
Big Leaf Maple Blossom Fritters with Spruce Tip Syrup
Summer
Pimnáanih
Summer Spaghetti Sauce
Wild Meatballs
Summer Corn Stock
Blackberry Smoothie Bowl with Hazelnut Granola
Three Sisters Summer Salad
Quail “Chicken Salad” with Cherry Plums and Black Walnuts
Watermelon Salad with Yerba Buena
Greek Salad with Smoked Trout
Summer Grape Leaf Wraps
Huckleberry Gazpacho with Smoked Salmon
Pine Pollen Cacio e Pepe
Blackberry Brined Smoked Salmon
Blackberry Braised Venison Tacos
Elk Medallions with Acorn Miso Rub
Acorn Milk Freezer Pops
Acorn Milk and Chia Pops with Salmonberry Chamoy
Rose-Ade and Elderflower Freezer Pops
Blackberry “Chiascake” Freezer Pops
Zucchini Acorn Bread with Black Walnuts and Chocolate Chips
Blackberry Curd and Maple Angel Food Cake
Blackberry Pie with Acorn Crust
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author
