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Traditional North American Native peoples’ cuisine has existed for centuries, but its central tenet of d
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respecting nature and its bounty have never been as timely as they are now. Andrew George Jr., of the i
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Wet’suwet’en Nation in Canada, is a well-respected aboriginal chef and instructor who has spent the n
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last twenty-fi ve years promoting the traditions of First Nations food; most recently, he was chef at the
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Four Host First Nations pavilion at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In A Feast for All Seasons, N
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written with Robert Gairns, he has compiled aboriginal recipes that feature ingredients from the land, t
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sea, and sky, elements of an enduring cuisine that illustrate respect for the environment and its v
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creatures, and acknowledgment of the spiritual power that food can have in our lives. P
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The 120 recipes include delectable, make-at home dishes such as Salmon and Fiddlehead Stirfry,
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Stuffed Wild Duck, Barbecued Oysters, Pan-fried Rabbit with Wild Cranberry Glaze, Clam Fritters, l
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and Wild Blueberry Cookies. The book also features recipes with exotic ingredients that provide s
a fascinating glimpse into the history of Native cuisine: Moose Chili, Boiled Porcupine, ’ C
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Smoked Beaver Meat, and Braised Bear.
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This unique cookbook pays homage to an enduring food culture—grounded in tradition e
and the power of nature—that transcends the test of time.
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Cooking | Native North American irnrg
ARSaErsNeAnLa lPpUulLpP.c PoRmESS se Jr.
$24.95 Canada | $21.95 US
ISBN 978-1-55152-368-2 9781551 523682 52195 Andrew George Jr. and Robert Gairns
A Feast for All Seasons
A Feast for All Seasons
TradiTional naTive PeoPles’ Cuisine
Andrew George Jr. and Robert Gairns
A Feast for All Seasons
TradiTional naTive PeoPles’ Cuisine
Andrew George Jr. and Robert Gairns
A FEAST FOR ALL SEASONS
Copyright © 1997, 2010 by Andrew George Jr. and Robert Gairns
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form by any means—graphic,
electronic, or mechanical—without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who
may use brief excerpts in a review, or in the case of photocopying in Canada, a licence from Access Copyright.
ARSENAL PULP PRESS
#101–211 East Georgia St
Vancouver, BC, Canada
V6A 1Z6
arsenalpulp.com
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book
Fund and the Government of British Columbia through the Book Publishing Tax Credit Program for its
publishing activities.
The author and publisher assert that the information contained in this book is true and complete to the best of
their knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author and Arsenal Pulp
Press. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. For more
information, contact the publisher.
An earlier version of this book was published in Canada as Feast! (Doubleday Canada, 1997).
Book design by Electra Design Group
Food photography by Pamela Bethel
Illustration on front cover, and on page 149 by Peter George
Printed and bound in Hong Kong
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
George, Andrew
A feast for all seasons [electronic resource] : traditional
native people's cuisine / Andrew George and Robert Gairns.
Includes index.
Previous print version published under title: Feast!
Type of computer file: Electronic monograph in PDF format.
Issued also in print format.
ISBN 978-1-55152-383-5
1. Indian cookery. 2. Indians of North America--Food--Canada.
I. Gairns, Robert II. Title.
TX715.6.G458 2010a 641.59'297071 C2010-903267-5
For my parents Rita George (Gihl Lakh Khun) and Andrew George Sr. (Tsaibesa).
To my wife and daughter, Cecilia and McKayla Brazeau-George.
For my brothers and sisters Betty, Brian, Gary, Cindy, Greg and Corinne.
In memory of my grandparents, Thomas George (Gisdewe) and Mary George (Tsaibesa)
and my mother’s parents, Julie Isaac (Nu’yak oohn) and Paddy Isaac (Satson).
Also dedicated to the rest of the George family
and the Hereditary Chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en people.
—Andrew George Jr.
For my three families, the Gairns, the Newells, and the Brennans,
and for fellow cancer victims everywhere.
—Robert Gairns
Contents
Book One
Foreword 9
Introduction to the New Edition 10
The Olympic Journey of Andrew George Jr. 13
Wet’suwet’en: The First People of the Valley 23
Feast! Ba’la’lahts 24
The Salmon Harvest 25
Bannock: The Native Staff of Life 27
Wild Rice: Man-o-min 29
Book Two
The Seasons 30
Autumn Feast Menus 31
Winter Feast Menus 32
Spring Feast Menus 33
Summer Feast Menus 34
Book Three
Recipes
From the Waters 35
From the Earth 67
From the Land 93
From the Skies 133
Index 145
About the Authors 151
So’h ga nec kewh dalht! Have a good meal!
Foreword
In 1997, when the original—and it was an original—Feast! Canadian Native Cuisine for All Seasons
hit the streets, it was pretty exciting for Andrew and me to have our first book published by
Doubleday Canada. This came about because a dear friend of mine, who had been published by
Doubleday, told them that Andrew and I had a book on the boil that might be of interest to them.
We were offered the opportunity to write Feast by a senior editor. I was sure this would be a
losing proposition for us; I have been a writer most of my life. That means I am used to rejection,
usually in the form of, “We regret to inform you that your manuscript/short story, etc. ...” Andrew,
being an Aboriginal person from the Wet’suwet’en Nation, was also used to rejection, for different
reasons.
But having made the cut, we next had to meet the excruciating pressure of a deadline for
Doubleday’s fall publication season. We had to write hundreds of recipes and a story line that told
readers about Andrew’s personal journey to the Culinary Olympics, the history and culture of
his people, Aboriginal foods, particularly of the West Coast, and the significance of fours—four
directions, four seasons, four colours, four elements—to Aboriginal peoples.
Quite daunting.
With a typical writer’s (usually unwarranted) arrogance, I contended that Feast! was a story-
book with a bunch of recipes in it. Andrew, in his usual good-natured fashion, held the opposite
view. Of course, he was right, but we had fun jousting back and forth, in the same way we did with
our favorite hockey teams, his in Vancouver and mine in Toronto.
Now, here we are more than ten years later with another Feast on our hands—or should I say
in our kitchens and at our tables. We are delighted that Arsenal Pulp Press has chosen to bring this
book to life again.
It is our fondest hope that readers of A Feast for All Seasons will embrace not only the delicious
recipes from Andrew’s creative genius but also the stories we tell of a courageous Aboriginal chef
and hereditary chief, his people, their culture, and the foods that have nourished and sustained
them for generations.
Tawow! Welcome to our world.
Robert Gairns
THE OLYMPIC JOURNEY OF ANDREW GEORGE JR. 9
