An Indigenous Sweet Treat

 After all the gooey cakes and chocolates this week, it's nice to find a dessert a bit more natural. This is in the form of grape dumplings , an Indigenous American treat that several East coast and Midwestern tribes make. It may be a centuries old recipe but it still packs a punch.

Kevin Noble Maillard, author of Fry Bread :A Native American Family Story  and a member of the Seminole tribe wrote about this classic indigenous dessert in today's New York Times Food section. They were originally balls of corn mush boiled in the juice of wild grapes. They represent the evolution of Indigenous foodways, along with forced relocation, cultural exchanges and developments in the food system. Modern chefs and cooks are showing a renewed interest in all things Native American along with eating locally grown foods.Earlier tribesmen saw bounties of all sorts of native fruits and veggies according to Cherokee citizen Elise McMullen-Ciotti an NYU graduate student majoring in food studies. The country held an massive amount of grapes. The original recipe calls for a native one called the possum grape. These were smaller than the European ones and had a tangy flavor. They are small and seedy , growing in wild abundance throughout southeastern US. Nowadays, modern Indigenous chefs use either Welch's Concord grape juice or grapes from their local grocery store.

Mr Maillard borrows his mother, Sharmaine's recipe for this recipe. You could use flour or Bisquick but the truest taste belongs to the ones made with cornmeal. They use blue cornmeal but if you can't find that use a medium grind yellow one. Flour is also added  along with one egg for binding  and melted butter. To sweeten it and give it that rich purple color add in a quarter cup Concord grape juice. (Keep in mind that grape juice does settle so you have to shake it before using.) There is also the addition of sweet agave but it can be omitted. The dumplings are made like any other dumpling, sift all the dry ingredients and then make a well in the middle for the liquid ones. Once mixed then roll the dough out into a rectangle after vigorous kneading.It's then cut into rectangles using a knife or pizza cutter.  prick each piece three times with a fork rinesThe sauce is a mix of cornstarch dissolved in cold water and four cups of well shaken grape juice . You also need to add two cups of dark seedless grapes and agave syrup if you want. bring to a roiling boil and carefully add the dumplings to the juice. They should cook for ten minutes. For the juice to turned into a syrup cook it for an additional five minutes on a low-medium heat. Serve with vanilla ice cream and fresh tarragon leaves. You also have them on their own too.

Grape dumplings are a refreshing way to enjoy dessert and honor the Indigenous People. They are a nice way to enjoy natural ingredients without all that sugar .  Make them for a simple but flavorful dessert.