Historic Cuisine of the Sierra Miwok

The first people of the California were fortunate to live in the a place of environmental abundance.  This was as true of the Pacific coast habitats as it was of those in the interior and mountains.  The Miwok of the Sierra Nevada lived where there was an abundance of nuts, berries, greens, allium, birds, game, and more from which to create their menus, but they also constructed their own food niches to insure or improve survival.  While long term storage and times of famine might affect the deliciousness of food, overall, the people had a very balanced and nutritious diet, and cared greatly about how and why they put  foods together.  This presentation will discuss some cooking techniques and recipes acquired from Sierra Miwok over the last 40 years, and will provide some observations on the intrusion of Spanish and Old World foods on their cuisine.