Jeffrey Salazar
The Apache diet consisted of food obtained from four main sources: hunting wild animals, gathering wild plants, growing domesticated plants, and trading with or raiding neighbouring tribes for livestock and agricultural products. The Western Apache diet consisted of 35–40% meat and 60–65% plant foods. The Apache did not grow food but were hunters and gatherers, moving from place to place in search of food.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Diet Composition | 35-40% meat, 60-65% plant foods |
| Food Sources | Hunting wild animals, gathering wild plants, growing domesticated plants, trading with or raiding neighboring tribes for livestock and agricultural products |
| Meat Sources | Deer, pronghorn, elk, bighorn sheep, rabbits, squirrels, fowl, and bears |
| Plant Sources | Mescal (agave), acorns, mesquite pods, prickly pear fruit, saguaro fruit, banana yucci fruit, pinon nuts, juniper berries, walnut, herbs, amaranth, greens, wild onions, corn, pumpkins, sunflowers, beans, melons, wheat, barley, and potatoes |
| Taboos | Fish, waterfowl, and bear meat |
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What You'll Learn
Hunting: deer, pronghorn, elk, rabbits, and bears
The Apache diet consisted of a variety of meats, fruits, nuts, plants, and honey. All Apache men participated in hunting. Deer was a preferred meat, with hunters disguising themselves in deer-head masks and animal fat to approach their prey.
Deer hunting was a common practice among the Western Apache, Chiricahua, Plains, and Mescalero tribes. The Western Apache typically hunted deer and pronghorn in the late fall, smoking the meat into jerky around November. They would then migrate to winter camps in the Salt, Black, Gila, and Colorado River valleys. The Plains Apache also hunted deer, alongside buffalo. The Chiricahua also hunted pronghorn, rabbits, opossums, squirrels, mules, elk, and wood rats. The Mescalero hunted rabbits, elk, and wood rats in addition to deer.
Elk were also hunted by the Apache. The White Mountain Apache tribal lands are known as the elk capital of the world, offering elk hunting opportunities to tribal members and non-tribal members alike.
Rabbits were considered fair game by the Plains, Chiricahua, and Mescalero tribes.
The Lipan and Plains Apache tribes hunted black bears, though the Jicarilla tribe avoided them due to their spiritual beliefs.
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Wild plant foods: agave, acorns, prickly pear fruit, walnuts, and juniper berries
The Apache diet consisted of wild plant foods such as agave, acorns, prickly pear fruit, walnuts, and juniper berries.
Agave is a genus of monocots native to the arid regions of the Americas. The four major edible parts of the agave plant are the flowers, the leaves, the stalks or basal rosettes, and the sap (in Spanish: aguamiel, meaning "honey water"). The sap of some species can also be used as soap. The leaves can be collected in winter and spring when the plants are rich in sap, for eating. The stalks, which are ready during the summer, before the blossom, can be roasted and chewed to extract the sap. The heads of some species can be baked or boiled, pounded into flat sheets, sun-dried, and stored for future use. The baked, dried heads can also be boiled and made into an edible paste, eaten whole, or made into soup. The leaves are typically eaten boiled, and the young, tender flowering stalks and shoots are roasted and eaten as well. The fibres of the plant can be used to make rope, and the sharp-pointed leaf tips can be used to make basketry awls. The agave plant was a major food source for the prehistoric indigenous people of the Southwestern United States, such as the Hohokam of southern Arizona, and the Navajo.
Acorns are the nuts of oaks and their close relatives, and they usually contain a seedling surrounded by two cotyledons (seedling leaves), enclosed in a tough shell known as the pericarp, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns are a traditional food of many indigenous peoples of North America, especially for Californian Native Americans. Acorns can be eaten as a simple soup, cooked with hot stones directly in a basket, or eaten with grilled salmon, huckleberries, or seaweed. Unlike many other plant foods, acorns can be stored for a long time after drying in the sun to discourage mould and germination. Acorns have also played an important role in forest ecology, as they are a source of food for many birds and small and large mammals.
Prickly pear fruit, also known as cactus fruit, is very sweet and can be eaten raw, right off the plant. Depending on the level of ripeness, they can range from slightly sweet to syrupy sweet. The fruit grows on the edges of the flat pads of the cactus and is pear-shaped. The colour of the fruit can range from green to red and orange shades in between, with red being the sweetest. The fruit is covered in glochids, which are small hair-like splinters that can stick to the skin and are very painful and hard to see, so it is important to protect the hands when picking the fruit. The glochids can be burned off over an open flame, and the fruit can be peeled and sliced. The prickly pear has small, hard seeds that cannot be bitten through but are safe to swallow.
Walnuts are the edible seeds of any tree of the genus Juglans, particularly the Persian or English walnut, Juglans regia. The brown, wrinkly walnut shell is enclosed in a husk, and the shell encloses the kernel or meat, which is usually in two halves separated by a membranous partition. The seed kernels are commonly available as shelled walnuts and are enclosed in a brown seed coat which contains antioxidants. Walnut oil is composed largely of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and it is available commercially, used chiefly as a food ingredient, particularly in salad dressings. Walnuts are also used as an ingredient in other foodstuffs, such as baklava, Circassian chicken, and Iranian poultry or meatball stew. They are also popular as an ice cream topping, and walnut pieces are used as a garnish on some foods.
Juniper berries are the female seed cones produced by the various species of junipers. They are used in northern European and Scandinavian cuisine to impart a sharp, clear flavour to meat dishes, especially wild birds (including thrush, blackbird, and woodcock) and game meats (including boar and venison). They also season pork, cabbage, and sauerkraut dishes. Juniper berries are also used in German, Austrian, Czech, Polish, Hungarian, and Italian cuisine, and they are among the only spices derived from conifers, along with spruce buds. The Greeks used juniper berries as a medicine, believing that they increased physical stamina in athletes, and the Romans used them as a cheap substitute for expensive black pepper and long pepper imported from India.
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Fish was not consumed due to a taboo and fear of water
The Apache were hunters and gatherers. They did not grow food or rely on crops as their primary food source. The men hunted deer, rabbits, and other game using bows and arrows, while the women gathered berries, nuts, corn, and other fruits and vegetables. Despite the apparent abundance of fish, the Apache did not consume them due to a taboo and a fear of water.
The taboo against eating fish was a cultural belief shared by various Apache tribes. They associated fish with evil, considering their physical appearance to resemble snakes, which were also considered evil animals. This taboo was not unique to the Apache, as other cultures in the southwest, such as certain Pueblo tribes like the Hopi and Zuni, shared similar beliefs.
The fear of water among the Apache may have been influenced by their spiritual or religious beliefs. They associated water with thunder, which could have carried negative connotations or been seen as a source of danger. As a result, they avoided consuming fish and waterfowl to adhere to their cultural taboos and respect the spiritual powers associated with water.
The avoidance of fish in the Apache diet was not due to a lack of availability but rather a combination of cultural and spiritual beliefs. Their fear of water, linked to their reverence for thunder, played a significant role in shaping their dietary choices and distinguishing them from other cultures in the region.
It is important to note that while fish consumption was taboo for the Apache, their diet consisted of a variety of other protein sources, including deer, rabbits, and other game, ensuring they obtained the necessary nutrients for their survival and well-being.
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Meat was smoked into jerky
The Apache were hunters and gatherers. They used bows and arrows to hunt deer, rabbits, and other game. The meat was then smoked into jerky, a form of meat preservation that prevents spoilage.
Jerky is made by carefully defatting fresh meat from large game, cutting it into slices, and sometimes pounding it flat. It is then dried in the sun or smoked over a fire. The term "jerky" comes from the Peruvian Quechua tribe's word "ch'arki," which means "dried" or "burned" meat. Smoking meat involves exposing it directly to smoke from smoldering wood for several hours or up to two to three days. This can be done in open or enclosed structures, such as smoke sheds or tipis.
The Apache did not use salt in the preservation process due to its scarcity inland. Instead, they relied on the sun to dry the meat. This method of preservation was necessary for the Apache, who did not grow food and were often on the move. Meat, especially from larger game, served as a long-term source of protein.
In addition to jerky, the Apache also made pemmican, a high-energy mixture of fat and protein. Pemmican is made from lean meat cut into thin slices and dried over a slow fire or in the hot sun until hard and brittle. This method of preservation allowed the Apache to have a shelf-stable food source during their migrations.
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Bread was made from a mixture of wild grasses and crushed wild potatoes
The Apache diet consisted of a variety of foods that were available in the regions they inhabited, including the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. One of the staple foods in the Apache diet was bread, which was made from a mixture of wild grasses and crushed wild potatoes.
The process of making this bread was a laborious one, requiring skill and knowledge of the local flora. Wild grasses, such as You may want to see also The Apache were hunters and gatherers. They did not grow food or rely on crops as their primary food supply, but they did learn agriculture from neighbouring tribes. They moved from place to place in search of food and water. The men used bows and arrows to hunt deer, rabbits, and other game. The women gathered berries, nuts, corn, and other fruits and vegetables. The Apache hunted deer, pronghorn, elk, bighorn sheep, rabbits, squirrels, fowl, and bears. Yes, the Apache considered fish and waterfowl to be taboo due to their fear of water, which was associated with thunder. Eating bear meat was also considered taboo by most Apache groups, though the Lipan did include it in their diet.Hellenistic Diet: Ancient Greek Eating Habits Explored
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