Native American Foods: Technology and Food Sources: The Southeast

Characterized by the corn, pumpkin, and bean tradition as well as hunting and fishing, the cuisine of the Southeast is distinctive because of the availability of warm-weather plants and ocean foods. It has a strong African American component (black-eyed peas, for example) from the days when southern tribes adopted escaped slaves. The Lumbee, one of the tribes to incorporate African Americans, integrated early and in many cases relocated to cities where their cooking expanded to include European-based cuisines. Lumbee cooking is likely to reflect this urbanization, as does that of a great many acculturated Indians, and features a combination of early and late elements: blueberry cake, Indian fry bread, sweet potato dishes, southern fried chicken, and pecan pie.