Native American Foods: Technology and Food Sources: Deep-Frying and Fry Bread

There is little evidence that Native Americans used deep-frying before contact. Available fuels and low-temperature pottery materials could not support intense cooking fires, and the technique was at odds with a worldview that valued restraint. There was an insufficient supply of oil, considering Native Americans experienced regular depletions of fat in the diet. Shallow frying (sautéing) in small amounts of fat was possible, but even so, cooking preferences favored low-temperature cookery. Vegetables and fruits were most often boiled gently or steamed before the addition of fat or oil, which appear to have been used more as flavoring agents than as cooking media.