TORONTO -- Indigenous chefs are skipping the grocery store lines and opting for a more traditional approach to food.
Instead of pre-packaged meats and commercially grown foods, Indigenous chefs are returning to their territories to hunt and gather.
āIām going back to the bush, back to where I came from,ā said Indigenous chef Cezin Nottaway. āEating what Iām supposed to and what I have to, because itās who I am as an Anishnawbe.ā
Indigenous chefs are bringing traditional food items, like corn, maple and wild rice back to the table.
āThey actually taught settlers how to make sugar out of maple,ā said food researcher and author Lenore Newman.
She said that a long-persistent myth would have people believe that Indigenous people werenāt farming in B.C. until after settlers arrived.
āOf course they did,ā said Newman.
When people ask what Indigenous cuisine is, culinary teacher David Wolman has the answer.
āItās foods that were here pre-contact,ā he said.
Putting a new spin on traditional dishes is Wolmanās forte, and bringing contemporary flavours to traditional dishes is bringing a lot of attention to these chefs.
āCurried caribou, where Iām taking our caribou and making a curry out of it, itās quite nice,ā said Wolman.
Nottaway served her Indigenous food to thousands on Parliament Hill for Canadaās 150th birthday.
Now, Indigenous chefs say they are using traditional dishes and ingredients to tackle racism and colonialism, and to connect with their roots.
