Fats and Oils: Native Americans

The first Americans had scant resources when it came to cooking fat because they had few, if any, domesticated animals that could be fattened up and, except for sunflowers, had no crops that could be easily processed for oil. Nevertheless, animals such as bear, beaver, and armadillo were hunted in large part for their high fat content. The fat, though, was seldom rendered. In much the way New Englanders would add salted pork back fat to their chowders, Native Americans included the fatty parts of animals in their long-simmered stews. To similar ends, pounded sunflower seeds might be added to enrich cornbread. Only among the Eskimos was animal fat a major component of the diet. In the far north aged whale blubber was a delicacy, and seal fat was used as both a food preservative and fuel for lamps.