This post is sponsored by the University of Minnesota Press. Join Sean Sherman and Beth Dooley for a book launch event on Oct. 18 at the Aster Cafe.
Award-winning recipes, stories, and wisdom from the celebrated indigenous chef and his team
Here is real food — our indigenous American fruits and vegetables, wild and foraged ingredients, game and fish. Locally sourced, seasonal, “clean” ingredients and nose-to-tail cooking are nothing new to Sean Sherman, the Oglala Lakota chef and founder of The Sioux Chef. In his breakout book, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, Sherman shares his approach to creating boldly seasoned foods that are vibrant, healthful, and at once elegant and easy.
Sherman dispels outdated notions about Native American fare — no fry bread or Indian tacos here — and no European staples such as wheat flour, dairy products, sugar, or domestic pork and beef. The Sioux Chef’s healthful plates embrace venison and rabbit, river and lake trout, duck and quail, wild turkey, blueberries, sage, sumac, timpsula (wild turnip), plums, purslane, and abundant wildflowers. Contemporary and authentic, his dishes feature cedar-braised bison, griddled wild rice cakes, amaranth crackers with smoked white bean paste, three sisters salad, deviled duck eggs, smoked turkey soup, dried meats, roasted corn sorbet, and hazelnut-maple bites.
The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen is a rich education and a delectable introduction to the modern indigenous cuisine of the Dakota and Minnesota territories, with a vision and approach to food that travels well beyond those borders.
“Sean Sherman is doing some of the most important culinary work in America. In The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, he takes a forward-thinking approach to indigenous cuisine, bringing his culture into the light to share with the rest of the world.” — Sean Brock, James Beard Award winner, author of Heritage, and executive chef at Husk in Charleston, S.C.
“I am impressed by Chef Sean Sherman’s dedication to a cuisine that has long been lost, his respect for his heritage, and his passion to bring the beauty of this tradition into the world. This is remarkable work and I look forward to learning from this talented chef!” — Maneet Chauhan, Food Network celebrity chef, founder and CEO, Indie Culinaire
“There are cookbooks from which one simply cooks the recipes, and cookbooks from which one learns how and why to cook. Chef Sherman’s book is in the latter [category]. It is a cookbook meant to be studied, one where the recipes are not its most important feature, but rather a part of an overall call to reclaim the history and culture of indigenous peoples. Chef Sherman observes that controlling food is a means of controlling power. With this cookbook, he is taking that power and giving it back to its rightful owners.” — Foreword Reviews, starred review
$34.95 hardcover | ISBN 978-0-8166-9979-7