Food and Diet

The Iroquois inhabited very rich lands and thus provided themselves by farming. Their most important crops were corn, beans, and squash. For variety, they hunted elks, deer, bears, and, sadly enough, raccoons. The women were in charge of cooking and always prepared delicious meals. It is known that the Iroquois had 50 different recipes for serving corn. One of the recipes insisted on parching the corn and storing it in wooden barrels. Corn was also consumed in other ways. Soups, bread, puddings, mush, popcorn, and succotash were prepared with corn.Corn was served with nuts and greens. Squahes were also popular among the Iroquois. It was very common for the women to cut up squashes and pumpkins and let them dry. The dried vegetables were stored in the underground pits. To make the soil richer the Iroquois used stone bone, or other wooden implements.
Corn supplied the Iroquois with carbohydrates. They were considered the only group that would have been able to live on a lean diet, if necessary.

---

Back to Main Page