Much of the food Seminole Indians ate was provided by hunters. They would spear fish from canoes and catch animals such as rabbits, otters, turtles, birds and occasionally deer for meat.
To catch deer, a patch of grass would be burnt off. As the new growth appeared, deer would come out to feast on this fresh supply of grass. This made it easier for the hunters to catch them.
Sometimes Seminoles even hunted for alligators, bobcats and raccoons.
They also ate much of the wild fruit, such as mangos, oranges, mulberries and guava growing all around them. In addition, villagers planted crops on nearby clearings and behind their homes, although they did not tend them by weeding, watering or fertilising them.
Some of the crops planted were pawpaws, pumpkins and corn. Corn, the main crop, was used to make corn flour, out of which corn pancakes and corn bread were made. Sofkee, a popular soft drink among Seminoles even today, is also produced from corn.
It is made by bringing water to the boil, adding rice and cornstarch and then allowing this mixture to boil for about 12 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent the rice from sticking.
The heat is then lowered, baking soda is added and the mixture is allowed to simmer, until the rice is tender.
To sweeten some of their food, Seminoles used sugar cane. The canes were crushed by using a wooden pole with wheels attached to each end. This pole was then pushed across the cane until it shredded and the sugar became accessible.
Every village had a large eating house. All the women would cook the food for the whole village, and everyone came together in the eating house to eat the two main meals of the day, breakfast and lunch.
To catch deer, a patch of grass would be burnt off. As the new growth appeared, deer would come out to feast on this fresh supply of grass. This made it easier for the hunters to catch them.
Sometimes Seminoles even hunted for alligators, bobcats and raccoons.
They also ate much of the wild fruit, such as mangos, oranges, mulberries and guava growing all around them. In addition, villagers planted crops on nearby clearings and behind their homes, although they did not tend them by weeding, watering or fertilising them.
Some of the crops planted were pawpaws, pumpkins and corn. Corn, the main crop, was used to make corn flour, out of which corn pancakes and corn bread were made. Sofkee, a popular soft drink among Seminoles even today, is also produced from corn.
It is made by bringing water to the boil, adding rice and cornstarch and then allowing this mixture to boil for about 12 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent the rice from sticking.
The heat is then lowered, baking soda is added and the mixture is allowed to simmer, until the rice is tender.
To sweeten some of their food, Seminoles used sugar cane. The canes were crushed by using a wooden pole with wheels attached to each end. This pole was then pushed across the cane until it shredded and the sugar became accessible.
Every village had a large eating house. All the women would cook the food for the whole village, and everyone came together in the eating house to eat the two main meals of the day, breakfast and lunch.
