Thanksgiving is often painted in broad, familiar strokes: turkey and stuffing, pies and potatoes, a menu that feels timeless—though in truth it’s far from the foods first shared on this land. This season, a different kind of cookbook invites us to think deeper. The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, by Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman, reclaims the ingredients and traditions that nourished Native communities long before the holiday existed.
Sherman’s recipes are not nostalgic recreations but bold, modern plates rooted in authenticity. Cedar-braised bison, griddled wild rice cakes, smoked turkey soup, and roasted corn sorbet are at once surprising and elemental. Here, familiar notions of “seasonal” and “local” stretch back centuries, drawing on trout from rivers, venison from forests, wild turnip, blueberries, plums, sage, and the revered trio of corn, beans, and squash—the original “three sisters.”
By leaving out European imports like refined flour, dairy, and sugar, Sherman reminds us that Indigenous foodways have always been healthful, sustainable, and deeply connected to place. In a holiday season so often about excess, his dishes offer a refreshing counterpoint: food that is elegant, nourishing, and profoundly tied to the land.
And while this cookbook feeds the body, it also feeds the mind. The recipes encourage cooks to look closely at the world around them for inspiration and ingredients, while Sherman’s stories carry wisdom about living with the earth rather than on it. In that sense, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen offers lessons in sustainability and interdependence alongside its beautiful dishes.
Spotlighting this cookbook during Thanksgiving is more than a culinary recommendation. It’s an invitation to consider the deeper meaning of the feast—gratitude not just for abundance, but for the cultures and traditions that first shaped America’s table.
can we do a pull quote? "The recipes encourage cooks to look closely at the world around them for inspiration and ingredients, while Sherman’s stories carry wisdom about living with the earth rather than on it."