Every food has a story
I gave my dad a piece of this fish and I could see the wheels start to turn in his mind as he tasted it. You see this is not my smoked fish, it was an appreciated gift from a friend. I knew he'd notice, but I was surprised with what he noticed.
Our mouths are different in this new world, we are so used to strong flavors like salt, sugar, fat, garlic, onion and other spices. Many of us lack the ability to taste subtle flavors or the taste history to be able to notice the nuances. I'll always remember the epiffany I had when elder Luschiim talked to me about flavors. He spoke so succinctly about how the elder elders, the ones who were elders when he was small, would crave fish from specific streams and lakes. The watershed that created the stream or lake directly influences the flavor of the fish that live in the water. In a way he said that the land itself seasons the food. 🤯
So when I gave this fish to my dad and watched I knew he'd have something to say. His first comment was the most obvious. Recognizing that it's not my usual recipe he asked where I got the fish. When I told him it was from up on the West Coast near Bella Coola he smiled, as if that statement alone has unlocked all he needed to know. “Ahh alder smoked” he said. I agreed as I was pretty sure my friend had used alder. But it was his next statement that made me think. “Not much maple up there, so they use mostly alder.”
I know that our different nations all have their own recipe and that we all eat different foods. But that line about forest composition had never occurred to me. Of course the forests are different. So, like how the watersheds change the flavor of the fish, something as simple as geography and tree distribution effects recipes and flavors. I knew then how, even after years of learning and listening, I take the make up of my local ecosystem for granted. I unknowingly assume that other places have the same forest, even though I know it's not true. Heck I even teach that our Indigenous foods are not homogeneous across languages, cultures, and regions. But lucky for me this fish, and this time with my dad, helped me remember something I already knew.
Different places make for different foods and that even applies to something as common and simple as smoked fish.
#SmokedFish #IndigenousFoodSovereignty #QuwutsunStrong #IndigenousFood #LandBack #WaterBack