Native American Foods: Technology and Food Sources: Nuts

Nuts were a significant and underestimated addition to the Native American diet. Perhaps most important were the nutritional value of nut oil and the delicious flavors. Nuts were valued as snacks, and ground nutmeats were used as seasonings in grain and starch dishes. The nuts native to America were eastern beechnuts (Fagus grandifolia), black walnuts (Juglans nigra), butternuts (Juglans cinerea), hickory nuts (genus Carya), chestnuts (genus Castanea), and hazelnuts (Corylus) in the East; pine nuts (genus Pinus) and chinquapins in the Southwest, California, and the plains; and pecans (Carya illinoinensis) on the plains.