Kanuchi (

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

: ''Ku-nu-che (ᎦᎾᏥ ga-na-tsi)'') is a hickory nut soup eaten originally by the

Cherokee people The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

and which consists primarily of ground

hickory nuts Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mex ...

boiled in water. Hickory was the nut of choice (probably the species ''

Carya ovata ''Carya ovata'', the shagbark hickory, is a common hickory in the Eastern United States and southeast Canada. It is a large, deciduous tree, growing well over tall, and can live more than 350 years. The tallest measured shagbark, located in S ...

'',, s.v. Hickory Nut Soup (Cherokee) known for its natural sweetness), since it is a nut tree endemic to North America, and is known to grow plentifully in those forested areas settled by the Cherokee.

Nutritional value and historical use

Dried hickory nutmeat is high in both fat and protein, containing 3% water, 18%

carbohydrate In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or ...

s, 13%

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...

, and 64%

fat In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple es ...

s. The nut was generally rendered into oil or made into a kind of nutmeal ball that could be used to make stock for stews and soups. Traditionally, kanuchi was eaten by adding the soup broth to

hominy Hominy (Spanish: maíz molido; literally meaning "milled corn") is a food produced from dried maize (corn) kernels that have been treated with an alkali, in a process called nixtamalization ( is the Nahuatl word for "hominy"). "Lye hominy" is a ...

(

: ''A-ma-ge-i (ᎠᎹᎨᎢ)'') that had been prepared from the

flint corn Flint corn (''Zea mays'' var. ''indurata''; also known as Indian corn or sometimes calico corn) is a variant of maize, the same species as common corn. Because each kernel has a hard outer layer to protect the soft endosperm, it is likened to bei ...

(

: ''Se-lu(ᏎᎷ)''). Hickory King corn is now principally used for making hominy.

Traditional manner of preparation

Kanuchi is made by gathering hickory nuts (

: ''So-hi (ᏐᎯ)'') in the wild, usually in October. The outer hulls are removed, while the nuts, complete with their inner-shells, are then dried on a rack in front of a fire. Since hickory nuts are rarely commercially exported, the hickory nut can be substituted by making use of

pecans The pecan (''Carya illinoinensis'') is a species of hickory native to the southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River. The tree is cultivated for its seed in the southern United States, primarily in Georgia, ...

walnuts A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true b ...

, or by using an equal mixture of both walnuts and pecans. The dried hickory nuts with their shells are placed over a large flat rock that has been inserted within a flat basket lined temporarily with a cloth, and are then cracked open by pounding with a smaller rock. After breaking the outer shells and crushing the nut meat, the resulting nutmeat is sifted through a sieve basket (Today, modern sieves and strainers are used). The kernels and small hulls that passed through the sieve are taken up and put into a large wooden corn mortar and there pounded with a large wooden pestle (

: ''Ka-no-na (ᎧᏃᎾ)'') until the substance can be made into balls. The crushed nuts were formed by hand into balls, to be stored in this way for several days until ready for use. When soup was desired, an earthenware pot partly filled with water was traditionally used. The water was brought to a boil and the balls inserted into the pot of boiling water. Boiling water can also be poured over the balls while they are laid up in the pot, while stirring constantly. Once the soup reaches the right consistency, usually after cooking for 10 minutes, the soup can be ladled out and served. A thick soup is typically served with any type of bread or dumpling, whereas a thin soup may be used as a drink. Today, most food

connoisseurs A connoisseur ( French traditional, pre-1835, spelling of , from Middle-French , then meaning 'to be acquainted with' or 'to know somebody/something') is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts; who is a keen appreciator ...

prefer eating kanuchi soup with

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

, as its main viand, or else with

sweet potatoes The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young sho ...

. Some recipes call for a dash of

maple syrup Maple syrup is a syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Maple t ...

to sweeten the soup.

References

External links

Kanuchi and the Search for a Native American Soup
* Osiyo TV, , Edith Knight explains the process of making Kanuchi / Jan 2, 2016, minutes 02:40–05:00. * East Meets Kitchen, , Nov. 2021. *

Cherokee Phoenix The ''Cherokee Phoenix'' ( chr, ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ, translit=Tsalagi Tsulehisanvhi) is the first newspaper published by Native Americans in the United States and the first published in a Native American language. The first issue was pu ...

, , as described by Cherokee Nation citizen Roberta Sapp {{Authority control Native American cuisine Indigenous cuisine of the Americas Vegetarian cuisine North American cuisine Native American culture Cherokee culture Soups American soups

Nutritional value and historical use

Traditional manner of preparation

See also

References

External links